Old Immaculate Conception Church

We are on Facebook

2010-08-13T06:59:00.000-06:00

I've now put a page up on Facebook for the Old Immaculate Conception Church. You can find us here

Fund-rasing efforts continue

2010-07-05T14:12:00.000-06:00

The fund raising efforts are continuing as we strive to generate the money that is needed to save the Old Immaculate Conception Church here in Fort Benton. Several ladies in the parish created a wonderful historic quilt to be raffled on August 29th. Leone Cloepfil has designed a wonderful greeting card which is being sold. On August 29th, the Knights of Columbus will be holding a city wide picnic to help generate funds for our project. Thank you to all who are working on this effort.

We appear in the Great Falls Tribune

2010-05-25T07:28:00.000-06:00

The story on the Old Immaculate Conception Catholic Church has appeared in the Great Falls Tribune. I think the article will be available for one week before it goes into the paid archives. I will try to get permission to post the entire article on the blog.

Story in Great Falls Tribune

2010-05-13T09:37:00.000-06:00

The Great Falls Tribune will be doing a series of articles about activities in Chouteau County/Fort Benton.

They have a copy of the press release I put out on the Old Immaculate Conception Church and are going to have a photographer stop by on Monday and will also have a follow-up interview, probably via phone. This is exciting. I'll keep you informed when we hit the pages of the Trib.

Chouteau County Christmas

2010-05-03T07:41:00.000-06:00

Check out the mention of our church in this slide show

Choteau County Christmas from Lynn Donaldson on Vimeo.

Can we do some work yet?

2010-04-26T14:18:00.000-06:00

The biggest concern I have about our restoration efforts is to get a new roof over our heads, but it is possible that we may be able to do some of the projects stated for Phase II this summer using volunteer help and local expertise. Our maintenance man is experienced as a brick layer. As we have been looking at some of the Phase II projects we've discovered that we may be able to have him supervise some volunteers to properly point and tuck the grout. We might also be able to used the volunteers to redirect some of our sprinklers. Several of them are currently spraying towards the old church and causing some of our issues with the grout being washed out. As we get those projects under way, I'll report on our progress.

Support from far away

2010-04-26T14:10:00.000-06:00

I am happy to mention that we are receiving a regular contribution from Wyoming for our restoration efforts, and it appears an anonymous donor from Indiana is sending a regular postal money order contribution. For people who are not able to make a big contribution in one payment, making payments over time can still help us achieve our goals.

Thanks to those who are continuing to support our project.

Funds continue to trickle in

2010-03-31T22:38:00.000-06:00

Thanks to our donation button on the blog and our web page we are continuing to get funds in for the restoration effort. If you have a way to get the word out about the blog or webpage, it would help us out some more.

Thanks

Parish gets new webpage

2010-02-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

I've been putting a lot of work into the webpages for the old church here in Fort Benton. It is good to work on the old, but I don't want to be accused of ignoring the present. With that in mind, I spent yesterday working on a new web page for our current parish church and activities. Check it out here

Thank You

2010-02-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a moment to thank the families of Mary 'Therese' Mousel and Joseph H. Moorse for suggesting us to those who want to offer a memorial. I also ask all of our donors and benefactors to pray for the repose of their souls and for their families. We will be seeing our gauge rise in the next week as we add the memorials that have come in while I've been traveling, as well as those still coming in after the funeral this week.

Requiem in pacem

Slide Show

2010-01-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a few of the photos I've taken of Old Immaculate Conception

KRTV Story on the Old Church

2010-01-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

News story to broadcast Sun evening

2010-01-01T13:07:00.001-07:00

I just got the following e-mail from KRTV.

Father Leo,

The story is scheduled to air Sunday night at 5:30 and 10. It may also air on Monday morning during the 6 am news. It should be available online sometime Sunday night.

Thanks,
Tim McGonigal
KRTV News Director

Remember that all times are MST.

Additional Donation

2009-12-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our donor in Wyoming who as contributed another $100 to our project. We appreciate your continued support.

Press Release

2009-12-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

I just sent the following to both TV stations in Great Falls (KRTV & KFBB), the Great Falls Tribune, The River Press in Fort Benton, and our diocesan newspaper, the Harvest.

Let's see if we get a response.

Historic Church Seeking Renewal

Fort Benton, “the Birthplace of Montana”, is known for its history. Not only is the story of Fort Benton a story of fur trading, gambling, shootings and a missing governor, it is a story of faith. From the earliest days, religion has played a part in the development of Fort Benton. It is reported that on September 27, 1846, Fathers Pierre de Smet, SJ, and Nicholas Point, SJ, celebrated Masses. These were reputedly the first religious services held in this region.

In 1878-79, the first church in Fort Benton, the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, was built. This structure served the Catholic community until it was destroyed by fire on December 31, 1905. By 1907, a new stone church was erected. This church was used until 1967 when it was deemed to be too small to serve the local community and the current church used by the community was built.

In its 102 year history, the old Immaculate Conception Church has stood strong as a testament to the faith of the people of Fort Benton. Unfortunately, the old church has received little upkeep over the last 40 years and this piece of history in Fort Benton is being threatened.

This has been the impetus for a group from Fort Benton, Catholic and non-Catholic, to attempt to restore the old church to her original beauty. This is not an effort to renovate the church to meet the current liturgical practices, but to maintain the design to meet the liturgical practices that were in place when the church was first built.

Having completed a structural engineering evaluation, it was determined that the old church is still structurally sound, but will not remain so if immediate action is not taken to replace the roof and much of the grout making up the stone walls. The inside is in need of much plaster repair as the leaking roof has led to water damage in some areas.

Father Leo McDowell, pastor of Immaculate Conception in Fort Benton, has commented, “We are excited about what these efforts might bring about. The historical significance of this old church is a reminder of the glory given to God through the beauty of its art and architecture. It would be a shame to have this all lost when it could be saved.”

For more information about the restoration efforts you can check out their web page www.oldimmaculateconception.net.

Father McDowell added, “It would be nice to use the old church once again for small weddings, funerals and Mass. It would be a shame to lose this part of Fort Benton history.”

Latest Updates on Fundraising

2009-12-10T06:34:00.001-07:00

We received word yesterday from the Lippard-Clawiter Foundation. They have decided not to fund our request for this year.

On a positive note, this past week we did receive a local contribution of $300 and another $100 internet contribution. :)

Pay Pal Donation Button

2009-11-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I would point out that we have a PayPal donation button here on the blog. Look to the right :). I am also including the button in this blog post.

Thanks to all of you who are supporting our efforts through prayer.

Fr. Leo

First online donation

2009-10-20T21:11:00.000-06:00

Today we received our first online donation as we continue our efforts to raise money for our restoration effort. Thanks, Martha in Wyoming :)

Lippard-Clawiter Foundation Grant

2009-10-14T16:01:00.000-06:00

As we look at the various ways we can restore our old church and look for funding we realize that grants will play a major role in our success. This fall, as the grant application deadline was approaching we submitted an application for a grant from the Lippard-Clawiter Foundation. The Lippard-Clawiter Foundation offers grants for worthy projects around Chouteau county. The Foundation has funded restoration of many of the buildings at the Chouteau County Fairgrounds, support for various emergency services throughout the county and assistance with projects to support community development. We look forward to hearing from the grant committee later this year.

Donor Makes Major Gift

2009-10-14T15:47:00.000-06:00

As talk started to circulate about the possible replacement of the roof of the Old Immaculate Conception Catholic Church a generous donor came forward and offered to put up some seed money to be used for a matching grant, or to start the pot for those wishing to donate to the cause. While I do not have permission at this point to name the donor, I will say that the $10,000 donation will have a big impact as we move forward with our project. Thanks for your generosity.

Restoration Efforts Begin

2009-10-14T15:41:00.001-06:00

This is the first blog post as we start chronicling the efforts to restore the old Immaculate Conception Church in Fort Benton to its former glory. Last week we received permission from the Diocesan Finance Council to proceed with our fund-raising efforts and grant seeking so that we can try to save this piece of historic Fort Benton, Montana. Be sure to stop by here frequently to keep up to date on the latest happenings.