About Saint John the Evangelist School

Saint John the Evangelist School is located at 2621 McMenemy Street in Little Canada, Minnesota.

The settling of Benjamin Gervais in the township of New Canada in 1844 may justly be claimed the beginning of the current parish of Saint John the Evangelist. As additional families settled in the area, 20 acres were donated for the parish church.  The date of the first Mass in the sturdy pioneer church was Sunday, October 7, 1852.

Over the years, the population of the area grew because more and more French-Canadians settled in the area, which was then called New Canada.  (The name changed to "Little Canada" on March 21, 1957.)  When Father Arthur Durand became pastor of Saint John's in 1940, he took his first census.  There were 250 families in the parish.  Because of the increasing numbers of people attending Saint John's, something needed to be done to accommodate all the parishioners.  After weighing the needs of the parish for both a school and a bigger church, Father Durand became convinced that the welfare of the children must come first. In 1947, the pastor took steps to provide for the first parish school in the history of Little Canada.

Saint John the Evangelist School history continued...

Saint John's School provides students with a strong Catholic foundation and an excellent academic program, with the support and involvement of the family.