About St. Theodore · Ponsford, Minnesota
St. Theodore is a small Roman Catholic mission parish in Ponsford, Minnesota, located on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Becker County. It is one of six parishes that together form the White Earth Catholic Community, served by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) in the Diocese of Crookston under Bishop Andrew Cozzens. The parish gathers weekly for Saturday Mass and is rooted in the Anishinaabe/Ojibwa Catholic faith tradition, with St. Kateri Tekakwitha honored as patroness of these missions. Its office is shared with the rest of the cluster at the parish office in nearby Ogema.
- Established
- 1903
- Patron
- St. Theodore
- Diocese
- Diocese of Crookston
Why belong here
St. Theodore offers a faithful Catholic home for families on the White Earth Reservation, with weekly Saturday Mass, Reconciliation before Mass or by appointment, and a close-knit cluster of parishes served by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Parishioners belong to a worshipping community that honors both the Roman Catholic faith and the Anishinaabe heritage of the Ojibwa people, with St. Kateri Tekakwitha held as patroness of these missions. The Tekakwitha Center, directed by Janet Lhotka, supports faith and cultural life across the cluster, making St. Theodore a place where elders are respected, families are supported, and youth are encouraged in solid faith values.
Mass times at St. Theodore
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes prior to Mass
- By appointment
- Saturday 3:30–4:00 PM (winter) / 4:30–5:00 PM (summer), or by request
St. Theodore Catholic Church, Ponsford
St. Theodore is a small Roman Catholic mission parish serving the Ponsford community on the White Earth Reservation in Becker County, Minnesota. It is part of the White Earth Catholic Community, a cluster of six parishes served together by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in the Diocese of Crookston. Worship, sacraments, and parish life are coordinated through the shared cluster office in nearby Ogema.
- Parish address: 48525 Becker County 124 (Pow Wow Drive), Ponsford, MN 56575
- Parish office: PO Box 57, Ogema, MN 56569
- Diocese of Crookston; served by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI)
History of St. Theodore
The parish traces its origins to the Benedictine missions established among the Ojibwa people of the White Earth Reservation in the late 1800s. The Pine Point station was served from 1891, and St. Theodore was formally constituted as a parish in 1903. Over the following decades, its Benedictine pastors reached out to small communities across Becker County and the Leech Lake Reservation, planting stations at Round Lake, Flat Lake, Many Points Lake, Big Elbow Lake, Island Lake, and elsewhere. By the late 1960s the Benedictines had withdrawn to St. Benedict's, White Earth, and in 1976 pastoral care of St. Theodore passed to the diocesan priests of St. Mary's, Two Inlets. The arrival of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate across the cluster brought St. Theodore into the present-day White Earth Catholic Community, alongside Most Holy Redeemer (Ogema), St. Benedict (White Earth), and other mission parishes.
- 1891 – Pine Point station served by Benedictine missionaries
- 1903 – St. Theodore formally established as a parish
- 1903–1969 – Administered by Benedictines from St. John's Abbey
- 1969–1976 – Attended by Benedictines from St. Benedict's, White Earth
- 1976–present – Diocesan and then Oblate pastoral care under the Diocese of Crookston
The White Earth Catholic Community
St. Theodore belongs to the White Earth Catholic Community, six parishes on the White Earth Reservation that worship, minister, and administer together. The community describes itself as 'the people of God' who 'follow the Roman Catholic Faith,' honoring the foundations laid by the Benedictine priests and sisters of St. Benedict while today being served by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate under Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston. The cluster holds a special devotion to St. Kateri Tekakwitha, patroness of these missions.
- Most Holy Redeemer, Ogema (cluster office)
- St. Benedict, White Earth
- St. Theodore, Ponsford
- Three additional reservation parishes
Clergy and Parish Staff
Pastoral care for St. Theodore is provided through the White Earth Catholic Community office in Ogema. The current associate priest is Father Benny Lipalata, OMI, who also serves the other cluster parishes.
- Father Benny Lipalata, OMI – Associate
- Darlene Ballard – Secretary
- Mindy Lunde – Bookkeeper
- Janet Lhotka – Tekakwitha Center Director
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the full range of Catholic sacraments, with sacramental registers kept at the parish and held in the diocesan archive. Records at St. Theodore begin with baptisms in 1909, marriages in 1903, first communions in 1940, and confirmations in 1914, making this one of the longest-documented Ojibwa Catholic sacramental histories in Minnesota.
- Baptism (records from 1909)
- Marriage (records from 1903)
- First Communion (records from 1940)
- Confirmation (records from 1914)
- Reconciliation (before Mass or by appointment)
- Funerals
Ministries and Community Life
Beyond Sunday worship, St. Theodore's life is woven into the White Earth Catholic Community through the Tekakwitha Center in Ogema, which supports faith formation, cultural life, and outreach across the cluster. A weekly bulletin and a rotating liturgical workers' schedule help organize lay involvement in the parish. The community's mission statement emphasizes respect for elders, support for families, celebration of life, and youth formation in solid faith values.
- Tekakwitha Center (faith and cultural hub for the cluster)
- Weekly bulletin
- Liturgical workers' schedule (lay ministry rotation)
- Cluster-wide Oblate pastoral team
Visiting St. Theodore
St. Theodore's Church sits about half a mile north of Ponsford Village, one block west of Pine Point School on Becker County 124 — locally known as Pow Wow Drive. The parish office that handles calls, mail, and sacramental coordination is located a short drive away in Ogema, at PO Box 57, Ogema, MN 56569, and is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
- Office phone: (218) 983-3261
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Mailing address: PO Box 57, Ogema, MN 56569