|
1942-1980 |
|
In the span of fifty years, when the first church rested in a field on the outskirts of Bozeman, Holy Rosary had grown from a handful of parishioners to more than 1,000 congregants. The church, which seemed impossible to fill when it was built, was now filled for two Sunday Masses each week. In 1942, about forty years after the dedication of Holy Rosary, it was deemed necessary to repair and redecorate the church. In 1948 Rev. Joseph A. Collette replastered the ceiling and added decorative travertine sidewalls of plaster. The chapel was converted into a crying room. Decorative painting was done in the sanctuary and on the ceiling of the church. In 1953 the basement of the church was expanded and finished to accommodate a Parish Center. When Rev. Paul M. Mackin was Pastor in the late 1950s, the sanctuary was redone. The gothic main and side altars were removed, and in place of the main altar was constructed a large wooden canopy. Beneath the canopy, on the back wall, was hung a crucifix. As the dictates of Vatican II began to slowly change the face of the world church, the altar was brought forward in the sanctuary and the altar rail was removed. In 1977, Rev. Ernest Burns came to Holy Rosary. Father Burns set the wheels in motion for a redecoration of the church and to remove the old school building. The convent was remodeled into classrooms and meeting rooms for religious education. Although Father Burns planned most of the remodeling, it was Rev. Samuel C. Beausoleil who was left with the task of completing the plans when he was named pastor in 1980.
|