The Church of Saints Peter & Paul was established in 1898 in New Hradec, North Dakota, to serve ethnic Bohemian families. Scattered throughout a 50-mile area, the journey and growing burden of traveling rough roads to attend Mass was becoming all too apparent, especially for those families living much closer to Dickinson. Wanting a parish nearer to where they lived, approximately 45 families banded together in 1908 to purchase property in Dickinson to build a church. Although facing opposition from local clergy in New Hradec and Dickinson, Bishop Shanley of the Fargo Diocese gave permission for the establishment of a new parish in 1909. Incorporated by the State of North Dakota on August 09, 1912, St. Wenceslaus Church was dedicated and blessed by His Excellency, Most Reverend Vincent J. Wehrle, O.S.B., first Bishop of Bismarck, on the Feast of St. John Nepomucene, May 16, 1913. The original church was constructed in 1925 and ground was broken for a new school on the Feast of St. Wenceslaus, September 28, 1950. The school was completed in October 1951. The current church structure was completed and dedicated on November 12, 1956. In July of 2004, St. Wenceslaus Catholic School united with the other parochial Catholic schools in Dickinson to form one school system, Dickinson Catholic Schools. St. Wenceslaus School was renamed Trinity Elementary East and joined Trinity Elementary West (located at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church) and Trinity High School to serve the community of Dickinson and the surrounding areas. Plans were enacted in 2014 to build a unified campus on the Trinity Junior High and High School location. August 2012 marked 100 years of St. Wenceslaus Parish and in celebration of our Centennial, plans were formulated and a $3 million renovation plan and Centennial Renewal Capital Campaign were unveiled featuring a new interior which you see today. Completed in 2015, the Centennial Renewal Campaign Renovation will serve the Greater Glory of God for years and generations to come.
Currently, St. Wenceslaus Parish has 763 families. Msgr. Patrick A. Schumacher has been the pastor since 2011. Fr. Thomas Grafsgaard serves as the Parochial Vicar while Fr. Kregg Hochhalter is In-Residence.