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Notes for Using this List:
● The Tribal Nations impacted are listed as they appear in historical documents and may not reflect the names used by the Nations today.
● An asterisk next to the name of a religious community means that the community has verified the dates as accurate.
● This list was last updated on May 5, 2023
Little Flower School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1928–1971 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Fargo
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (Saint Meinrad Abbey, St. Meinrad, IN), 1928–1954*
Order of St. Benedict (Blue Cloud Abbey, Marvin, SD), 1954–1971*
Sisters of Charity of Montreal (otherwise known as Grey Nuns), 1928–1971*
On a Reservation: Spirit Lake Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota
Notes: In November 1874, the Sisters of Charity of Montreal established St. Michael Mission about a mile from Devil’s Lake. They opened a school, Our Lady of Sorrows School, in February 1875. The school was destroyed by fire in 1883 and was rebuilt at Fort Totten in 1885. That school, St. Michael, was destroyed by fire in 1926. A third school, Little Flower, was built at St. Michael in 1928. The three schools were one mission for the Sisters of Charity of Montreal but were listed separately because each school had a different name and location. The boarding school closed in 1952. The Order of St. Benedict operated the parish at St. Michael. The Spirit Lake Sioux tribal community took over the administration of the school beginning with the 1971–72 school year. See the entries for Fort Totten, St. Michael, and Devil’s Lake, Our Lady of Sorrows for more information.
St. Michael North Dakota
Our Lady of Sorrows
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1875–1883 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Fargo
Previous Dioceses Involved:
St. Paul, 1875
Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Minnesota, 1875–1879
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1879–1883
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of Charity of Montreal (otherwise known as Grey Nuns), 1875–1883*
On a Reservation: Spirit Lake Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Sisseton–Wahpeton Dakota
Notes: In November 1874, the Sisters of Charity of Montreal established St. Michael Mission, about a mile from Devil’s Lake. They opened Our Lady of Sorrows School at the mission in February 1875. The school was destroyed by fire in 1883 and was rebuilt at Fort Totten in 1885. That school, St. Michael, was destroyed by fire in 1926. A third school, Little Flower, was built at St. Michael in 1926. The three schools were one mission for the Sisters of Charity of Montreal, but were listed separately because each school had a different name and location. See the entries for Fort Totten, St. Michael and St. Michael, Little Flower for more information.
Devil’s Lake North Dakota
Sacred Heart School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1910–1938
Current Diocese: Bismarck
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (Assumption Abbey, Richardton, ND), 1910–1938*
Benedictine Sisters (St. Joseph’s Monastery, St. Mary’s, PA), 1910–1916
Benedictine Sisters (Sacred Heart Monastery, Dickinson, ND), 1916–1938
On a Reservation: Fort Berthold Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Arikara; Hidatsa; Mandan
Fort Berthold Reservation North Dakota
St. Mary’s Industrial Boarding School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1884–1907
Current Diocese: Fargo
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1884–1889
Jamestown, 1889–1897
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, 1884–1907*
On a Reservation: Turtle Mountain Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Turtle Mountain Ojibwe
Notes: Katharine Drexel (later Mother Katharine of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament) contributed to the construction of the school building and supported the students from 1901 to 1907.
Belcourt North Dakota
St. Michael’s Indian School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1885–1926 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Fargo
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1885–1889
Jamestown, 1889–1897
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of Charity of Montreal (otherwise known as Grey Nuns), 1885–1926*
On a Reservation: Spirit Lake Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota
Notes: In November 1874, the Sisters of Charity of Montreal established St. Michael Mission about a mile from Devil’s Lake. They opened a school, Our Lady of Sorrows School, in February 1875. The school was destroyed by fire in 1883 and was rebuilt at Fort Totten in 1885. That school, St. Michael, was destroyed by fire in 1926. A third school, Little Flower, was built at St. Michael in 1926. The three schools were one mission for the Sisters of Charity of Montreal but were listed separately because each school had a different name and location. For more information, see the entries for Devil’s Lake, Our Lady of Sorrows, and St. Michael, Little Flower.
Fort Totten North Dakota
St. Scholastica Indian Boarding School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1878–1923
Current Diocese: Bismarck
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Nebraska, 1878–1879
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1879–1889
Jamestown, 1889–1897
Fargo, 1897–1909
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (Saint Meinrad Abbey, St. Meinrad, IN), 1878–1884
Order of St. Benedict (Conception Abbey, Conception, MO), 1884–1923*
Sisters of St. Benedict (Ferdinand, IN), 1878–1881*
Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery (Yankton, SD), 1881–1923*
On a Reservation: Standing Rock Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Sioux
Fort Yates North Dakota