Dates of Operation: 1890–1940
Current Diocese: Helena
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (West Province), 1890–1940*
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union (Western Province), 1890–1940*
On a Reservation: Blackfeet Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Blackfeet; Cree; Ojibwe; Piegan

Notes: The Jesuits ran the Holy Family mission and staffed the boys’ school. The Ursulines staffed the school for girls.

Dates of Operation: 1892–1897 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Great Falls-Billings
Previous Diocese Involved:
Helena, 1892–1897
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union (Western Province), 1892–1897*
Jesuits (West Province), 1892–1897*
On a Reservation: Crow Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Crow

Notes: In 1897, the school closed, and in 1901 the Jesuits sold the buildings to the United States Government. The Jesuits reopened the mission in 1925. The school reopened as a day school, although the exact date of the reopening is difficult to determine. The Jesuits (West Province) staffed the day school from 1925 to 1965 and the Sisters of St. Francis (Oldenburg, IN) from 1936 to 2000. The Capuchin Franciscans (Province of St. Joseph) began working at the school in 1967 and continue to work there today [2023]. St. Charles Mission School is part of the St. Labre Indian School Educational Association, which includes the following schools: St. Labre elementary, middle, and high schools in Ashland, Montana; Pretty Eagle Catholic School in St. Xavier, Montana; and St. Charles Mission school in Pryor, Montana.

Dates of Operation: 1884–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Great Falls-Billings
Previous Diocese Involved:
Helena, 1884–1904
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union (Western Province), 1884–1933*
Jesuits (West Province), 1884–1898*
Society of Saint Edmund, 1914–1924*
Capuchin Franciscans (Province of St. Joseph), 1926–present [2023]*;
School Sisters of St. Francis, 1933–1995*
On a Reservation: Northern Cheyenne Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Cheyenne; Crow

Notes: St. Labre Mission School was established by the bishop of the Diocese of Helena. In 1978, the school became a Bureau of Indian Affairs School with an all-Native board. In 1985, a lay board was created and continues to govern the school as the St. Labre Indian School Educational Association. Today [2023], the Association includes the following schools: St. Labre elementary, middle, and high schools in Ashland, Montana; Pretty Eagle Catholic School in St. Xavier, Montana; and St. Charles Mission School in Pryor, Montana.

Dates of Operation: 1884–1918
Current Diocese: Great Falls-Billings
Previous Diocese Involved:
Helena, 1884–1904
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (West Province), 1884–1898 (see notes)*
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union (Western Province), 1884–1918*
On a Reservation: Blackfeet Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Assiniboine; Blackfeet; Cheyenne; Choteaux; Cree; Flathead; Gros Ventres; Iroquois; Ojibwe; Piegan; Snake

Notes: In 1884, the Jesuits staffed the boys’ school, and the Ursulines staffed the girls’ school. By 1896, there were four boarding schools at the mission: a school for white boys, a school for white girls, a school for Native American boys, and a school for Native American girls. In 1896, the Jesuits closed both boys’ schools and withdrew from the mission two years later. After their departure, the Ursulines opened a boys’ school and continued to teach there until about 1908 (a fire destroyed the Jesuit building, possibly the location of the boys’ school). In 1912, the sisters opened Mount Angela Ursuline Academy in Great Falls, and the white students transferred there. In 1918, another fire destroyed buildings at the mission, and the Ursulines closed the school and withdrew from the area.
Note about dates: According to the Jesuits’ “U.S. locations of boarding schools for Native students administered by the Jesuits,” St. Peter’s Mission was closed in 1918, but letters from the Ursuline sisters serving at the school state that the Jesuits withdrew from St. Peter’s in 1898.

Dates of Operation: 1924–1972
Current Diocese: Helena
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union (Western Province), 1924–1972*
Jesuits (West Province), 1924–1972*
On a Reservation: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Blackfoot; Cheyenne; Coeur d’Alene; Colville; Cree; Flathead; Gros Ventre; Iroquois; Kalispel; Kootenai; Nez Perce; Ojibwe; Piegan; Salish; Snake; Spokane; Umatilla; Upper Pend d’Oreilles

Notes: The Ursulines arrived at St. Xavier in 1890 and opened a kindergarten. In 1898, the Ursulines moved to a new location on the mission property and opened their own school, possibly a continuation of the kindergarten. In 1919, a fire destroyed the Sisters of Providence school at the mission, and they decided not to rebuild. The Ursulines took over the operation of the girls’ boarding and day schools. In 1922, the Ursuline convent and school were destroyed by fire, and Villa Ursula was built in its place. In 1941, the Jesuits closed their school, and all children attended Villa Ursula. The boarding school closed in 1962, and in 1972 the school closed, and the land was returned to the tribe. See the entries for St. Ignatius, Holy Family School, and St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius Indian Boarding School for more information.