Terrebonne loses historic landmark

(From "A History of Red Lake County") 

Church of St. Anthony of Padua - Strikingly situated on a small rise along Highway 92, six miles east of Red Lake Falls, is the Church of St. Anthony of Padua, with a cemetery adjoining the church property and two beautiful shrines, always illuminated at night.

Terrebonne was founded in the spring of 1879 by French Canadians from Montreal in the province of Quebec. Fifty-three tickets were purchased for this journey, some of the families settling near Gentily and some in Terrebonne. 

Father Pierre Champagne of Red Lake Falls established a mission here in 1879 and sang the first Christmas Midnight Mass in the home of Desire Robillard. During the course of two summers and one winter, Mass was said in the old house of Louis Cadieux, the first house to be built in the community. In 1882, Father Champagne built a church on a ten acre plot given by Mr. Cadieux for that purpose. The cemetery was established that year, later enlarged in 1916 and again in 1933.

Rev. G. T. Dugal became the first resident pastor of Terrebonne in 1883 and lived with the Louis Cadieux family until the first rectory was finished in 1883. The first marriage was that of Francois Boissonneau and Joseph Paquet on July 31, 1883. The first burial is recorded that same year for Rose Anna Perreault, and the first baptism administered by Father Dugal in Terrebonne was Thomas Juneau in June. For awhile when the church was without a pastor in 1884, Terrebonne was served from Red Lake Falls by Father J.H. Marcil on alternate Sundays until Rev. Vaudry came in September 1884. He stayed until March 1885 and Father Marcel came again in July 1887.

Rev. Eli Theillon came in that month and remained until November 1888. He was succeeded by Rev. Louis Feige. In 1890, Terrebonne received the first visit of a bishop when Right Rev. James McGolrick of Duluth came to administer confirmation. At this time all of northern Minnesota was in the diocese of Duluth. That same year, Father Feige enlarged the church.

Father Feige left in 1892 to become the first resident pastor of Lambert. He was succeeded by Rev. W. T. Roy. By 1895, the Terrebonne parish was prosperous enough to build a new and larger church. Father Roy left in 1901 and there were various succeeding pastors: Rev. B. Pujos, Rev. C. Dube, Rev. L.J. Fournier, Rev. A. Tapin, Rev. J.M. Barras, and Rev. S. Veilleux.

On December 31, 1909, the diocese of Crookston was formed and Terrebonne became part of this diocese. Rev. C. Bossus served the parish from 1911 through 1912 and during this time decorated the sanctuary and the ceiling himself. Rev. P. LeFloch was here from 1912 to 1917, and he built a new rectory in 1917 for about $3,000.00. In 1912 the articles of incorporation for the church were written.

Father LeFloch’s successors were Rev. C.O. Trudeau and Rev. J.H. Perrin-Laurent who had a basement put under the church in 1921. In 1922 Rev. Samuel Bouchard came and served the church until 1930. Major changes were made by him in 1923 when he hired a stonecutter who, with the help of the parishioners, under his instructions, cut the fieldstones and made the present foundation.

The two outdoor shrines, one in honor of the Sacred Heart and the other of the Blessed Mother and St. Bernadette, were erected and donated by Father Bouchard. Since 1957 these two shrines have been illuminated.

Father Ernest Paquin came to Terrebonne church in 1930 and served the parishioners until 1955. Rev. Louis Proulx came in June of that year and served until 1969. In the winter of 1957, the men of the parish removed the main altar and constructed a modern one. The side altars were also removed and a new crucifix made and installed on the back wall behind the altar.

In 1969 Terrebonne became a mission and began being served by Rev. Henry Carriere, the pastor of Brooks. Rev. Larry Wieseler came in 1972. In 1973 the interior of the church was given a full remodeling. Father Wieseler stayed until 1982 when he left to become a missionary in South America. 

In 1912 there were about 127 families in the parish and it cost about $1,000 a year to maintain the church. In 1973 there were about 77 families in the parish and it cost about $16,000 to maintain a year.

The last  to serve were Father Laurn Virnig, Father Pat Creeden, Father Thom Baxter Father Gary LeMoine, Father Tim Bushy the last pastor to serve St. Anthony.  

The church closed in 2000.

An article was written in March 2015 by Matt McKenney from the Star Tribune about the struggles a group of people went through trying to save the historic church.

For many generations, the steeples of St. Anthony Catholic Church have presided over life in Terrebonne, a farm community that once was a bustling town that had a flour mill and cheese factory. The church has always been a landmark for Terrebonne. 

According to the Star Tribune article, Dan Derosier stated, “You tear down the church, Terrebonne really doesn’t exist anymore.” Derosier heads up the small group working to preserve St. Anthony’s.

The years of being empty  have left the building with leaning walls, uneven floors, mold growing on the walls which now made the building unsavable. 

Demolition was put off after a group led by the Derosiers loudly called for preserving the church in a lonely fight to keep St. Anthony’s standing.

Using $36,600 from fundraisers over the years, the group has twice painted the church. After an F2 tornado hit St. Anthony’s, toppling a chimney, they repaired a bathtub-sized hole in the roof.

Still hoping in 2013, Derosier told Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner that the church needed about $20,000 in repairs, paid for with more donations. Hoeppner told him to wait.

Over the past year, members have been dismantling the stained glass windows, finding homes for the items worth saving and the final plan to burn the church down became a reality on Friday, April 29th. 

And Terrebonne's skyline has changed forever.