Who wouldda thunk it? Pembina, ND, Church Celebrates 190 Years

We forget that the first Catholics to this area came from British North America, as it was called in those days.
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A North Dakota church is celebrating its 190th anniversary.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Pembina started in 1818, when colonists moved there and asked for a Roman Catholic priest.

A priest came from Montreal, and the first Mass was celebrated in Pembina in September 1818.

The church served French fur traders and their families who settled the region.

Fargo Roman Catholic Bishop Samuel Aquila and Manitoba Archbishop Emilius Goulet are to preside over a Friday night Mass.

It also marks the feast of the church's namesake, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day in the Roman Catholic Church. Dickinson Press