A Church in Belgrade
An early history of Saint John Vianney
From the late 1800's and for a century thereafter, Catholics in the Gallatin Valley were members of one of two parishes: Holy Rosary in Bozeman to the east, or Holy Family in Three Forks to the west. Most of the faithful in the Belgrade and surrounding areas attended Mass at Holy Rosary, but with the growth of the city of Belgrade in the postwar years, a group of Catholics petitioned the Diocese to allow that a Sunday Mass be celebrated in Belgrade. This was judged reasonable, and the assistant priest from Holy Rosary (at that time, Fr. Dan Shea) was assigned ministerial responsibilities for this new flock beginning in 1975, which called itself the Belgrade Catholic Community.
At this time, the white church on Broadway street in Belgrade was known as the "Confederated Church", meaning that it had been built for use by multiple small Christian communities in Belgrade which could not afford to construct their own buildings. Each group rented a time slot for services for about $200/month, and the Catholic community soon had its own Mass time. Pastoral responsibilities were shifted to the priest at Holy Family starting in 1977, who was at that time Fr. Patrick Brown. The congregation grew quickly to approximately 80 people, and these good folks soon began to dream of building the first Catholic church in Belgrade, a facility which would truly be their own.
Leaders in this effort included Val Kuntz and Eldon Ackerman. Church records show that on December 1, 1977, they met with Fr. Brown and a representative of the Diocese to inspect a parcel of vacant land just outside the city limits, north of town. Analysis found that it would be an excellent site for a church, based on proximity to residential areas, school, and ball parks. The asking price was $8000.00, which was deemed reasonable and so recommendation was made to Bishop Eldon Curtiss four days later that, if the parish council recommended it, pursuit of the property should commence.
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On January 20th of the following year, a follow-up letter from the Diocese to Fr. Brown outlined many practical matters that he should consider, namely, the space needed for not only a church, but also a rectory, parking lot, and recreation center. However, the letter noted, if plans should change in the future, it was judged that the property could be easily resold. Therefore on April 8th, 1978, the sale was completed for a 4,000 square foot parcel at the end of Quaw Boulevard. The next point of business was to arrange for the acquisition of a triangular shaped parcel owned by the city which lay between that lot and the ball fields.
Val Kuntz, representing the interests of the church at a city council meeting, was aware that many of its members were Masons and did not want a Catholic Church to be built in their town. When they objected to the land sale based on the fact that the city would not receive tax revenue from a church, Val deftly responded, "And do you mean to imply that your churches pay taxes on their properties?" This approach worked, and they sale of the second parcel was completed in December. Eventually, two residential lots would be added from the the new cul-de-sac on Al Place, forming a rather massive single piece of land on which to eventually build.
The lot (with church under construction) that was purchased just to the left of the ballfields.
Sadly, Father Brown would not live to see the project through, as he died tragically in a house fire. His successor, Fr. Bernard Koenig, would guide the process to completion, which was always driven by a group of dedicated laity. Correspondence from the bishop's office in April of 1981 shows that plans were becoming more refined, such that an application for a grant from the Catholic Extension Society was made. (This grant of $50,000.00 was absolutely essential to the little community and, without it, it is unlikely that the church could have been built.)
Soon, Val Kuntz, who was a contractor by trade, began to draw up plans for the church and assemble certain materials that would set the building apart. These included two stained glass windows from the recently-demolished St. Paul's Parish in Anaconda (now set between the nave and foyer), and the original granite steps leading into Holy Rosary Parish in Bozeman (which form the foyer floor). Bishop Curtiss believed that "multi-purpose" design was the wave of the future, and mandated that the building include worship, office, eating and meeting room space all under one roof. Notes from this period also indicate that he believed the excavation of a basement to be an unnecessary extra expense. (Thankfully - and according to legend - Val Kuntz would eventually disregard his recommendation and did include a basement, which the bishop only found out about at the dedication ceremony.)
On September 17, 1981, Fr. Koenig wrote to Bishop Curtiss acknowledging that a construction loan from the Diocese had been granted, but requesting that it be increased to $145,000.00. The priest explained that parishioners were eager to begin construction the following month, and recorded assets of $20,000.00 in deposits with the Diocese, $2,000.00 in commitments from donors, the Extension Grant of $50,000.00, as well as parishioner donation of contracting, landscaping, engineering, and architect fees totaling $75,000.00 worth of labor. The cost for the new church was estimated at $288,558.00, but Fr. Koenig also noted that a raffle planned for the fall could bring in another $3,000.00.
June 20th, 1982 groundbreaking ceremony
It seems that the pastor's optimism - paired with the prospect of a raffle - wasn't enough to allay concerns at the diocesan level. Not only did construction not begin in October, but in a letter written two days before Christmas 1981, the bishop's business manager expressed his concern that the Belgrade community would not be able to shoulder the burden of such debt, since the congregation's tithing would have to more than double from it's then-current projection of $15,280.00 annually in order to pay off the loan over fifteen years.
But eventually, the Catholics of Belgrade received permission to begin work on their new church just as they had hoped, and a color photo of the June 20, 1982 groundbreaking ceremony shows a smiling Fr. Koenig looking on parishioner Julian Nagorski dug the first shovelful of dirt, next to his friend Val Kuntz who would go on to build the church he designed himself. (Considering the growth that Belgrade would later experience, it is worth noting that there are only empty fields between the men and the Bridger Range in the distance!)
Val began construction in early August, and by October the congregation was able to celebrate Mass in part of the structure. The main body of the church was far-enough along to accommodate Christmas Mass in 1982 After a busy season of finish work and many donated hours of labor by members of the congregation the new church was completed by the spring of 1983 and named "Valley of Flowers Catholic Church" after an old Native American legend. Since the new church was still officially a mission of Holy Family Parish, the rectory which had once been considered was never built. Instead, it was decided that the priest would continue to live in the Three Forks rectory, but accommodations were made so that he could spend the night in his office in Belgrade if necessary.
On May 6, 1983, the local Catholic community was invited to a 1pm dedicatory Mass at which Bishop Curtiss consecrated the church and altar, and administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to local young people. The congregation soon swelled to about 200 people attending Mass each Sunday. The dream had at last been realized , and remarkably brought to fulfillment in only a few years.
Thirty-five years later, much has changed. Through the same two communities still share a priest, changing demographics have resulted in the rectory moving from Three Forks to Belgrade. The purchase of a house behind the church to serve as a classroom building, along with many upgrades to the original church itself, have allowed for a much larger and very active parish to be served. And a true parish it now is: no longer "Valley of Flowers" mission, the church was elevated to the dignity of a parish in 2013 under the patronage of St. John Vianney.
Bishop Curtiss, assisted by Frs. Bernie Koenig and Sam Beausolieu, celebrates the dedicatory Mass in 1983.
Every generation is indebted to those that came before it, and the Catholics of today who worship in Belgrade are no exception. Were it not for the vision, sacrifice, hard work, and prayers of the local faithful who came before them, there would be no Catholic Church in Belgrade. Thanks to all that they dreamed, planned, and brought to fulfillment, that church now exists.
Interior of the newly built "Valley of Flowers" mission
Exterior of the completed church in 1983
Decorative Banner created by the later, long time secretary of the church, Arlene Lininger