With the construction of the Powersite Dam (1913-1915), the Branson-Hollister-Forsyth area became a fishing and vacation center for thousands of people annually. Many Catholics were numbered among the vacationers and a need arose for Sunday Mass. The first Mass held in Taney County was in Hollister in 1915 for a group of Boy Scouts and other vacationers. Msgr. Sheridan, from St. Agnes parish in Springfield presided. Sunday Masses were held intermittently during the summer tourist months from that time until 1921.

In 1921, Msgr. L. Curtis Tiernan, pastor of St. Agnes Church in Springfield, invited four of the scattered families in the area who had been attending Mass in Springfield to attend Mass in the home of William. W. Johnson of Hollister. The Johnson Cabin was located to the west of present Hwy. 65, overlooking Lake Taneycomo (then the White River). About a dozen people attended the Mass in the Johnson Cabin. Publication of the opportunity to attend Mass in Hollister resulted in an additional ten families attending the second Mass. Worshippers came in wagons, boats, by horseback and walking for miles. By the end of 1922, there were approximately twenty families attending Mass in Hollister. As the number of people attending Mass grew, the space available in the Johnson Cabin became too small. In 1923 the location of Mass was moved to the Log Cabin Inn located in Hollister on the hill overlooking present day Downing Street. The owner of the Log Cabin Inn, Mrs. McCartney, allowed the Catholics of the area to gather for worship in the front room of her establishment. The Catholic community in residence and the tourists visiting the area soon outgrew the Log Cabin Inn, and the location for Mass was changed once again. The new location was the Howard Theater. This was the first theater in Taney County. Regina Howard recalled, "On Sunday morning the altar was placed in front of the movie screen with an ad for Coca-Cola completing the decor." The Howard Theater later became the Hulland Garage and is presently the Beer and Bottle Shoppe.

By 1931 this continued growth again resulted in relocation of the Mass site. This time, the location was on Hollister’s main street (present day Downing Street). Although the exact location of the site is unclear, it is thought to have been the storefront adjacent to the English Inn. Fr. James Hally, associate pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Springfield, relocated the church’s possessions to this site with the help of Mrs. William W. Johnson. Regina Howard recalled the move, "Fr. James Hally and Mrs. Will W. Johnson moved the church’s few possessions with the statue of the Blessed Virgin wrapped and carried like a corpse." Mrs. Molly Meriman painted the Stations of the Cross along the walls of the interior of the storefront. Fr. Hally then began notifying area Catholics that there would be Mass every Sunday morning at 10:00 am during the summer months. However, Fr. Hally found that the number of Catholics in permanent residence in the area far exceeded the number anticipated by the diocese, and weekly Mass was celebrated year round. Because of Fr. Hally’s efforts to establish a weekly Mass schedule and to notify all Catholics in the area by personal note and through advertisement in the local newspaper, the church community continued to grow.

In 1934, the Farmers Bank in downtown Branson closed. The building was purchased January 20, 1936.The building was renovated and redecorated throughout the winter and early spring of 1936. The church was the proportion of a chapel, with a small room on the east side used as a sacristy. Balancing it on the west side was the old bank vault, which remained intact until the first remodeling of the building in 1948. The first Mass was held on June 7, 1936 at 10:30 am. Masses were celebrated every Sunday. Fr. Michael Ahern, Chaplain at the U. S. Hospital in Springfield, presided over this Mass and continued to serve as the priest for the parish. On September 27, 1936, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church was officially dedicated with Msgr. James J. McCaffrey Vicar General of the Diocese of Kansas City presiding. Masses continued on a weekly basis until W.W.II began, with priests from St. Agnes, including Fr. Ahern and Fr. Hodges, presiding.

During W.W.II , many priests were in service as military chaplains, which made it difficult to have a priest in every mission parish every weekend. But, following the war, in 1945, Bishop O’Hara established a contract with the Paulist Order to serve the St. Lawrence Church in Monett, with Missions in Cassville and Branson, and a weekly schedule of Masses was once again established. The parish consisted of about 60 people. Some of the dedicated parishioners at that time were Mrs. Louise Dickey, wife of Edmund Dickey, the McClease Clan, E.R. Tigans, Mary Sansom, Regina Howard, the Busch family, Frances Judah, Ann Michel and her two daughters, Mrs. Les Hastings and the Schudy family. Other active families included the Broneman family, Robertson family, and the Pearcy’s with their three little girls, Jean, Judy and Jackie. Of those early members, George McClease stands out.

George was the oldest son of nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Patrick McClease. George was a former Baptist preacher who converted to Catholicism following a stay at the Veteran’s Hospital in Fayetteville, where he had become acquainted with the Catholic Chaplain. George, his wife Agnes and their daughter, Barbara were baptized at Our Lady of the Lake Mission on September 16, 1945 by Fr. Hodges. They were the first of the McClease Clan to join the church.

“My father had been a Baptist preacher, but also a historian,” Barbara McClease Layton recently recounted. “He had many questions and we had visited many different churches before he finally found the Catholic faith. Looking back, the finest gift my father ever gave me was the Catholic faith.”

In 1946 Paulist Priest Fr. Aloysius Farrell was assigned to the Branson and Cassville Missions. Fr. Farrell, an evangelist in the truest sense of the word, went to work immediately. "I drove a Studebaker," Fr. Farrell told us recently. "I drove 68 miles each way from Monett and drove many, many miles in the Ozark hills, knocking on doors to find Catholics and people who might be interested in the Catholic Church." He and George McClease became fast friends. George soon began introducing him to various members of the McClease Clan and more and more of them became interested in the Catholic faith.

In her 1974 historical account, Regina Howard tells us "Grandma McClease, as she was called by all who knew her, was asked one day how she happened to join the church. She said George had told her about the Catholic religion and she decided if it was good for George it had to be good for her, too. Before long, Grandpa McClease felt the same way and soon most of the grandchildren, and some of George’s brothers and sisters were regular attendants at Mass."

The combined efforts of the equally zealous Fr. Farrell and George McClease resulted in the baptism of 21 members of the McClease family during the one year of Fr. Farrell’s tenure, with more McCleases converting in subsequent years!

The charismatic Fr. Farrell worked tirelessly in his mission community. During that same year, eleven others (adults and children) also became Catholic. He was pastor when Regina Howard became the very first organist and choir director in the unique little church. Barbara McClease was in that first choir, along with Sherry McClease, Janice, Martha and Clarice Gentry, Colleen Hulland and Gail Schudy. "Regina was very active in the parish,” Barbara told us, “she served as organist and choir director for years." Regina Howard and Fr. Farrell can be credited with starting music ministry at Our Lady of the Lake Mission at Christmas time, 1946.

In 1947, Fr. Maurice McMahon replaced Fr. Farrell, and he continued the work of visiting parishioners and creating good will in the community. He concentrated on activities for the young people in the parish, as well as newspaper publicity of the church services in the local press. It was in April 1948, during Fr. McMahon’s pastorate, that the Chapel began its first remodeling. The building was extended 25 feet to the south, bringing the seating capacity to over 200. The ceiling was lowered, and a combination heating and ventilating system was installed in the corner formerly occupied by the bank vault. During several weeks of the construction, Mass was celebrated in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” at the Cardinal Resort, which was owned by the Shipleys, members of the congregation.

Fr. Tiedeman followed Fr. McMahon in 1948. Fr. Tiedeman was originally from Canada. Barbara McClease Layton recalls, Fr. Tiedeman didn’t know how to drive when he arrived. Everyone worried that he would kill himself as he learned to drive.” Barbara also agreed with Regina Howard’s assessment that Fr. Tiedeman was a quiet, scholarly man, who spent many hours visiting parish families, and instructing young and old in Catholic doctrine. In September 1949, Fr. Burns replaced Fr. McCormack, as pastor of St. Lawrence in Monett, and with him Fr. Morley and Fr. Scott were assigned to serve that church and its two Missions in Cassville and Branson. They took turns coming to Branson. Fr. Peter Davitt was the last priest under the Paulist contract. He was a golf enthusiast and promoted good will among the non-Catholics with his sociability.

In the spring of 1948, Most Rev. Edwin V. O’Hara, Bishop of Kansas City, conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation for the first time in Our Lady of the Lake Chapel. Twenty-one members of the McClease family were Confirmed at that time. Again, on October 19, 1950, Bishop O’Hara administered Confirmation to a class of twenty-six.

In 1951, Fr. James McKenna was assigned to the parish. His headquarters were at Monett until November 1951, at which time Our Lady of the Lake was made a parish instead of a Mission, and Fr. McKenna became a pastor. A room at the back of the church had been furnished and this was his residence as well as his pastorate.

Vacation School taught by Nuns who came to Branson just for that reason. 1954

In 1955 there was a sudden increase in membership in the parish when the construction of Table Rock Dam was started. About twelve families of the personnel brought here by Morrison-Knudsen and the auxiliary contractors became part of the parish family.

Every Sunday during tourist season, a large group of visitors from Rockaway Beach continued to make their way up the hill after the boat ride to attend Mass. The continued increase in tourism throughout the late 1940’s and 1950’s created constant overcrowding of the small chapel. By 1960, it became necessary to hold Masses in the Pavilion at Rockaway Beach in addition to the three Sunday Masses at Our Lady of the Lake Church during the tourist season, 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 am.

In September 1960, during a meeting of the Ladies Altar Society, Fr. McKenna and Bishop Helmsing appeared during the business meeting. They were enroute to Kimberling City to look at property for a church there. Shortly afterwards some ground was purchased near the golf course in Kimberling City, a building was constructed and so began Our Lady of the Cove Mission.

The celebration of Mass at the Rockaway Pavilion gave rise to the need for another Mission parish at that end of the county, and negotiations began for the purchase of property near Forsyth. An existing building was bought near the Courthouse and remodeling began. The church was dedicated in the spring of 1964. Although this activity had been started by Fr. McKenna, he was transferred to Pulaskifield in the fall of 1963 and Fr. Quentin Hahn was pastor at the time of the Forsyth dedication.

Fr. Hahn was also responsible for renovating the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Lake with a red velvet drop curtain and beautiful crucifix above the altar. He also started activity toward the extension of the church, which doubled its size. The church was no longer adequate for the summer visitors, even with three Masses here, two in Forsyth and one in Kimberling City. No work had been started, however at the time Fr. Hahn left to join the Capuchin Order.

Fr. James Phillips, who was the assistant at Pierce City, was sent to fill in until another permanent pastor was appointed. He had to drive over for Mass on Friday evening and stay until after the services on Sunday. He supervised the enlarging and remodeling of the church. The altar was installed at the middle of the church on the west side, and pews were put in a modified cruciform, with the choir and organ facing the altar. Easter Sunday of 1965 marked the first Mass celebration following the enlargement of the church.

Fr. Raymond Orf came to Our Lady of the Lake Church when Fr. Phillips was assigned to Joplin. Fr. Orf recently recounted living in the old rectory on Main Street. By the time he arrived in Branson, the house had further deteriorated -- to the point that one day he stepped through the floor and became, "the only pastor in the Diocese who could sit at his desk and reach a jar of jelly in the cellar!" He mentioned temporarily sharing space with a family of skunks who took up residence in the crawl space. And he said the old house was cold: "One night my stove went out and in the morning it was 16 degrees in there, with two inches of snow on the inside of the window sill." Fr. Orf chuckles as he recalls, “I only had one cold a year -- from September to May.” Luckily, Fr. Orf was often too busy looking ahead to give the old rectory much thought.

Eventually, property was purchased at the crest of the hill, at 8th Avenue on West Main Street and plans were initiated to build a church at that location. Before any definite plans took shape, in the fall of 1967 at a community meeting in Branson the new route for Hwy. 65 was announced. Although final maps had not been made, it seemed inevitable that the church property would be in the path of the new highway, and again the building of a new church had to be postponed.

Before long, through the cooperation of Larry Kliesen, there came an opportunity to purchase about five acres in North Hiawatha Heights, known as the Hazel Johnson property. There was a new house on this acreage which could be remodeled to serve as a rectory, and the deal was made. The property was on both sides of Vaughn Drive and in July 1968, Fr. Orf was able to move into comfortable quarters, the first adequate rectory the parish had ever been able to provide for its pastor.

The previous rectory at 4th and Main Streets was sold in 1970. The church property at East Main and 8th Avenue was purchased by the Highway Department for construction of Hwy. 65. Fr. Orf recalls how excited the parishioners were with the project of building the church. "It was a family-like atmosphere, everyone was very cooperative in helping in whatever way they could."

The first Parish Council was formed in 1969 to help the pastor in the administration of the parish. Members of that first Parish Council were: Larry Kliesen, Clayton Van Thullenar, Leo Walz, Homer Poulin, Bernard Smith, Peter Colliatie, Joe Morrisey, Regina Howard, Sally Thorne and Wanda Meadows.

Late in 1970 a Building Committee was appointed to serve with the Parish Council. Members of the Building Committee were George Nalle, Phil Scott, Laban Patterson and Bernadine Weber. Before long, plans were completed and bids were given on the construction of the new church. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held June 27, 1971 with Bishop William Baum, Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, in attendance. The new church, our present building, was dedicated by Bishop Baum on June 25, 1972. It was thought that the new church with a wing on the north (our present hall), which could be closed off during the winter, would be adequate for many years to come, both for religious services and Catholic instruction for the youth.

We spoke with Nina Walz recently. She spoke proudly of her husband, Leo and his participation on the new parish council. Nina reminisced, “The people were so pleased to finally start building. They had waited so long.”

Nina was a member of the original Quilters group. Some of the present day "Quilters" Arline Patton, Alma Lowry, Posie Kroeger, Loretta Hartmann and Joan Donovan also spoke of those days, recalling many details of people and events. Even yet, the achievements of the parish during the early 1970’s shine in the memories and on the faces of those who recall them. It was, after all, at this time that the infamous “Quilters” joined forces and began fundraising to help pay off the mortgage. At first, the “gift shop” was simply religious articles and hand-crafted items arranged on tables in the hall. By 1980, however, the ladies had expanded their enterprise into the gift shop area they currently occupy. True to their nearly 30-year tradition, religious goods, quilts and hand-crafted items remain available each weekend after Masses.

It was during Fr. Orf’s tenure that religious sisters began being staffed Our Lady of the Lake. Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr was the first. She lived in Springfield at the time. Her assignment was to work in three parishes: St. Joseph the Worker in Ozark, Our Lady of the Cove at Kimberling City, and Our Lady of the Lake in Branson. Sr. Macrina tried hard to create “a sense of presence at all three places.” A task which she said left her feeling spread thin as she worked at all three locations. “I mostly worked to provide formation for those who were catechizing the children,” she said recently. "I also did evening workshops for the adults on various topics -- and I tried to procure equipment. The parish really had nothing at that time in the way of slide projectors, etc." Sr. Macrina said she felt at home here, sometimes staying overnight with parish families rather than driving back to Springfield.

Fr. Orf was also pastor when Catholic Campus Ministry "The Newman Club" started at School of the Ozarks in 1974.

Fr. John Brath was assigned as pastor in 1976, replacing Fr. Orf. At the end of 1980 there were 400 families in Our Lady of the Lake parish. The church was enlarged and parish offices and classrooms were added. Also during this time, a grotto area came into being which included a log chapel and various statuary. Fr. John remembers the parish during that time as being “very family-oriented. "Everyone knew everyone else." Perhaps during that time Our Lady of the Lake most closely resembled other small parishes in other communities across America. The people were nicely established in their new facility. They finally had space to gather for parish events. The presence of the sisters, beginning with Sr. Macrina, helped to establish a consistent religious education program for children and youth, as well as adults in the parish. The sisters were also instrumental in helping to empower the parishioners in various areas of lay ministry.

The parish was growing nicely in a manageable fashion. However, in a quiet but steady way, the numbers of visitors during the summer months continued to increase. They began to arrive earlier in the spring, and stayed later in the fall.

In 1981 Fr. Mark Binder was assigned as pastor, then in 1982 Fr. Paul McHugh replaced Fr. Binder. Fr. McHugh died on June 4, 1983, after a short illness. After Fr. McHugh’s untimely death, Bishop Bernard Law came to the parish during June and July to preside at the weekend Masses. Fr. Richard Rolwing was assigned pastor of Our Lady of the Lake parish in August 1983. We recently had the opportunity to have dinner with Msgr. Rolwing. He remembers Branson fondly and as being a "unique parish."

Fr. Ernest Marquart followed Fr. Rolwing in 1987. During Fr. Ernie’s six years as pastor Branson experienced a "BOOM" in tourism, brought on in part by the arrival of nationally known entertainers to the area and a feature piece on CBS’s "60 Minutes" news program. As the numbers of tourists attending weekend Masses swelled, Fr. Ernie piloted a program whereby Mass was held in the Christy Lane Theater (currently The Legends Theater) for the vacationers. Although some people did attend Mass in this theater setting, the vast majority continued to come to the church. The overall feeling reflected by the visitors was a desire to come to worship in the church with parishioners, and that Mass in a theater setting was simply not the same. The tourist season, which had predominantly run from May through October, now encompassed March through early December. Buses of tourists arriving for weekend Masses became commonplace. Along with the increased level of tourism came many more jobs to provide needed services, housing, etc. This set of circumstances created a "Boom Town" atmosphere in Branson as hundreds of people moved into the area seeking employment. The size of the parish also "boomed". Many young families moved into what had been for a number of years predominantly a retirement area. Standing rooming only was a common site at weekend Masses. It was during this time that discussion concerning the future development of our church first began.

August 15, 1993, Msgr. Philip Bucher became pastor and brought with him a “vision for the future” of Our Lady of the Lake. In his own unique style, Msgr. Phil has helped the parish family to recognize themselves as the bearers of a gift for our many visitors -- a place to gather in worship. At the beginning of each Mass on the weekends, Msgr. Phil invites those assembled to meet each other in a greeting of peace, by sharing of name and where their home is, so that each person feels welcomed and “knows” the people we are gathered with in prayer. Msgr. Phil has helped us to grow in our understanding of the unique opportunity we have, as a parish, to be gracious bearers of the Lord’s hospitality.

Changes in the physical structure of our parish began in October 1993, with the purchase of the rectory located on Sunshine Street. In the fall of 1994 the old rectory was torn down to make room for desperately needed parking. By 1995 over 500 families were registered in Our Lady of the Lake parish. The average age of the parishioner was becoming younger because of an influx of younger families which indicated that our growth would continue. In addition, the tourist season expanded once again to include late January and early February with "Hot Winter Fun." The likelihood of a year-round season was becoming ever more likely. Most of time, the visitors outnumbered the parishioners at weekend Masses, with the church filled to capacity and standing room only, including standing in the various corridors and even standing outside of the church, was a frequent occurrence. It became apparent that our existing church facility was quickly becoming inadequate, so once again a Building Committee was established to begin plans to accommodate the needs of our parishioners and our many visitors. Fund raising in earnest for the construction of a new church began at that time -- "Vision For The Future."

The past several years have been a time of reflection, planning, and dreaming. These plans and dreams are quickly becoming a reality. Over the past several months we have seen progress made toward achieving our goal of building a new church. These plans include construction of a new rectory, parking lots for 450 automobiles and a new church which will accommodate 1300 people. The new church will also house a Blessed Sacrament Chapel which will seat 40 people. The lower level of the church will provide office space as well as classroom space. Our plans also include lovely gardens around the church for reflection and prayer. Ultimately, the current church structure will also be renovated to provide space for social activities, meetings and additional classroom space for parishioners of all ages.

As we move into the future, with a new church on the horizon, we've had the opportunity to reflect on who we are, as a parish. We've found that our unique place in the Lord's plan is that of providing an inviting worshipping community for the many people who pass through our doors.

Our new House of Prayer was dedicated on November 30, 2002. We began regular celebrations with the Christmas Masses 2002, a wonderful gift to our parish members and our vistors. The parish offices moved to our new church January 2003. Currently we are hosting 3,000 "Parishioners-For-A-Day" at our three weekend Masses plus our 350 active parish families. The lower level classrooms and adult formation area was dedicated August, 2003. Daily Mass is held in our Blessed Mother Teresa Chapel. Beginning in the spring of 2005, Spanish Mass is celebrated every other Sunday.

During 2005, our parish celebrated Msgr. Bucher's 44th anniversary of the priesthood plus Father Conlon's 50th anniversary of the priesthood. The Branson Landing on Tanycomo's lakefront broke ground bringing the promise of 5,000 new jobs in 2006!

Our ministries continued to remain active and reaching out to our Catholic and area community. OLLY, Our Lady of the Lake Youth attended NCYC, the National Catholic Youth Conference in Atlanta.

The fall brought retirement for Msgr. Bucher on October 17, 2005. We celebrated with him and were delighted in his retirement but were greatly sadden by his leaving.

Father Rick L. Jones arrived on November 21, 2005 to become our shepherd!

We are eternally indebted to our parish family, our countless guests, both past and present, and the Branson community for their support, through prayer, time, talent and resources for the ultimate achievement of our goals.

We invite you to view our parish family photo album...

We are greatly indebted to the following people for their assistance in researching our parish history.

Regina Howard, Fr. James F. McKenna, Jan Smith (Catholic Center Diocese of Springfield - Cape Girardeau) Fr. Michael Coleman (Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph), Barbara McClease Layton, Posie Kroeger, Catherine Anderson, and Magnolia Pearcy for providing historical documentation and, in some cases, interviews.

Fr. Aloysius Farrell, Msgr. Raymond Orf, Fr. John Brath, Msgr. Richard Rolwing, Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, Nina Walz, Arline Patton, Loretta Hartmann, Alma Lowry, & Joan Donovan for sharing your memories with us through interviews.

Hollister historian Viola Hartman, and Tom Snyder, Superintendent of Powersite Dam, for generously providing much needed background information and documentation.

Della Acton and Joyce Arnold for their help in completing this project

Msgr. Philip Bucher, for providing the inspiration for this project and his patience with us as we spent many hours accomplishing it.