St. Lawrence Parish had it's beginning in 1920 when Father Samuel Bouchard, pastor of St. Anthony’s Church in Terrebonne started a mission church in Mentor with 15 families. At first, mass was held in a private home or in the villiage hall. In 1921, Father A.I. Merth, assistant priest at the Cathedral in Crookston, purchased the old school building and named the mission after St. Andrew, the Apostle.

As the Catholic community grew, a new church was built and dedicated to St. Lawrence by Bishop Francis J. Schenk, Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston, on April 26, 1954. The name change was occasioned by the offer of a grant of $5,000 on condition that the building be dedicated to St. Lawrence,the patron saint of William Lawrence McDade, the donor.

With the continued increase in membership and the growing influx of summer vacationers at Maple Lake and other lakes in the region, the old church was becoming increasingly inadequate to meet the congregation’s needs. In 2003, the parish Pastoral and Finance Councils began planning for a new building on a new site. Ground was broken on June 25, 2006, and a design by architect Milton Yergens of Fargo (formerly of McIntosh) was accepted. The construction companies of Curt Block and Mike Kolden, both members of the parish, erected the building with the help of donated labor from parishoners and summer guests. Bishop Victor Balke of the Diocese of Crookston dedicated the new facility on August 12, 2006.
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