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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● The Tribal Nations impacted are listed as they appear in historical documents and may not reflect the names used by the Nations today.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
Nazareth Institute
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1896–1928
Current Diocese: Tulsa
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1896–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1928
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Joseph, 1896–1899 (see notes)
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (St. Louis Province), 1900–1928*
Brothers of the Sacred Heart, 1903–1916*
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Cherokee; Choctaw; Creek; Muskogee
Notes: The school included a boarding school for girls and a co-ed day school. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart were invited to Muskogee to open a commercial college for older boys, which they named Nazareth College. The two schools operated on the same property until 1909 when the Brothers purchased 10 acres a mile and a half from the city. That same year they opened St. Joseph’s College at the new location. Brothers continued to teach at the Institute until 1916. See the entries for Muskogee, Nazareth College and Muskogee, St. Joseph College for more information.
Note about the Sisters of St. Joseph: In 1893, Sr. Virginia Joyce, formerly a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brooklyn (now Brentwood), left New York for Oklahoma. Along the way, they visited the Sisters of St. Joseph in Concordia, Kansas and picked up two sisters and a novice, who accompanied them to Muskogee. Once in Muskogee, Sr. Virginia created her own religious community with no connection to the sisters in Brooklyn or Concordia. In 1899, the bishop insisted that the sisters in Muskogee affiliate themselves with a canonically established congregation or leave the vicariate. Four of the women joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Louis and at least one returned to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, KS. Sr. Virginia and some of the others left for Texas.
Muskogee Oklahoma
Osage Manual Labor School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1847–1870
Current Diocese: Wichita
Previous Dioceses Involved:
St. Louis, 1847–1850
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory East of the Rocky Mountains, 1850–1857
Vicariate Apostolic of Kansas, 1857–1870
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (Central & Southern Province), 1847–1870*
Sisters of Loretto, 1847–1870*
On a Reservation: No (part of the former Osage Agency)
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Miami; Osage; Peoria; Piankasha; Quapaw; Wea
Notes: The school was divided, with the Jesuit Fathers teaching the boys and the Sisters of Loretto teaching the girls. The school closed in 1870 when the Osage were moved to Oklahoma.
Note about the Mission Archives: A selection of records from the Osage Mission and school are housed at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/OMS/
St. Paul (formerly Osage Mission) Kansas
Our Lady of Lourdes
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1919–1941
Current Diocese: Fairbanks
Previous Diocese Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska, 1919–1941
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (West Province), 1919–1941*
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union (Western Province), 1919–1941*
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Eskimo; Innuit
Notes: The Jesuits opened a mission at Pilgrim Springs in 1918, shortly before the Influenza pandemic hit the Seward Peninsula, leaving many Alaska Native children orphaned. In August 1919, a dozen orphans were moved from Nome to Pilgrim Springs, and the Ursuline Sisters arrived the following day. The facility served as a combination orphanage and boarding school.
Pilgrim Springs Alaska
Our Lady of Lourdes
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1929–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Rapid City
Previous Diocese Involved:
Lead, 1929–1930
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (Midwest Province), 1929–present [2023]*
Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary, 1931–1937
Notre Dame Sisters (Omaha, NE), 1937–2002 and 2010–2017*
On a Reservation: Pine River Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Lakota
Notes: Our Lady of Lourdes was/is a satellite of Pine Ridge Reservation parish and never operated independently. The boarding school was open from 1937 to 1965. The school has operated as a K-8 school since 1931.
Porcupine South Dakota
Our Lady of Seven Dolors School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1868–1901
Current Diocese: Seattle
Previous Diocese Involved:
Nesqually, 1868–1901
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of Providence (formerly Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor), 1868–1901*
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, 1868–1878
On a Reservation: Tulalip Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Clallam; Tulalip
Notes: In 1864, the Oblate Fathers missioned at Tulalip built a school for Native American girls, but it did not open until the Sisters of Charity arrived in 1868. In 1878, the Oblate Fathers withdrew from Tulalip and the boys from their school transferred to Our Lady of Seven Dolors. In 1901, the school transitioned to government sponsorship.
Tulalip Washington
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
Pius X Mission
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1932–1959
Current Diocese: Anchorage-Juneau
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska, 1932–1951
Juneau, 1951–1959
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Ann (St. Joseph Community) 1932–1959*
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Denaina; Eskimo; Tlingit
Notes: The school was opened by Rev. G. Edgar Gallant, a priest for the Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska and pastor of St. Mark’s Church, Skagway. He continued to serve at the mission in Skagway until the summer of 1959. The school closed in December of the same year.
Skagway Alaska
Potawatomi Manual Labor School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1848–1869
Current Diocese: Kansas City in Kansas
Previous Dioceses Involved:
St. Louis, 1848–1850
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory East of the Rocky Mountains, 1850–1857
Vicariate Apostolic of Kansas, 1857–1869
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (Central & Southern Province), 1848–1869*
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Miami; Osage; Peoria; Potawatomi
Notes: In 1848, the Potawatomi living in Sugar Creek moved to St. Mary’s, accompanied by Jesuit Fathers, who opened the Potawatomi Manual Labor School.
Note about the Mission Archives: A selection of records from St. Mary’s Mission are housed at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/SMM/SMM-sc.php
St. Mary’s Kansas
Red Cloud Indian School (formerly Holy Rosary Mission)
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1888–present [2022]
Current Diocese: Rapid City
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Dakota, 1888–1889
Sioux Falls, 1889–1902
Lead, 1902–1930
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (Midwest Province), 1888–present [2023]*
Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity (North American Province), 1888–1939*
Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity (Sacred Heart Community), 1939–1991*
On a Reservation: Pine Ridge Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Oglala Lakota
Notes: The school opened in 1888 as part of the Holy Rosary Mission. In 1969, the school was renamed Red Cloud Indian School. The boarding section closed in 1980. The school was incorporated and a school board created in 1978. The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity staffed the school, first as part of the North American Mission, which became the North American Province in 1900, and then as part of the Sacred Heart Province (now community) in 1939.
Note about School Archives: Records from Holy Rosary Mission / Red Cloud Indian School are housed at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. For more information: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/HRM/index.php
Pine Ridge South Dakota
Sacred Heart Academy
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1897–1967 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Tulsa
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1897–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1930
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 1930–1967
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Benedictine Sisters (St. Scholastica Monastery, Fort Smith, AR), 1897–1901*;
Sisters of Mount Carmel, 1899–1904*;
Congregation of Divine Providence (San Antonio, TX), 1903–1967*
On a Reservation: Cherokee Nation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Cherokee; Creeks; Miami; Osage; Peoria; Quapaws
Notes: In 1897, the pastor of Holy Ghost parish in Vinita built the school named Sacred Heart Institute. In 1903, the Congregation of the Divine Providence took charge of the school, which continued to operate as a parish school. In 1907, the Sisters took over ownership of the school grounds and building. The school became a private school, and the name was changed to Sacred Heart Academy.
Vinita Oklahoma
Sacred Heart Institute (St. Benedict’s Industrial School, 1887–1895)
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1877–1924 (see notes)
Current Diocese: Oklahoma City
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Prefecture Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1877–1891
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1891–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1906
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (St. Gregory’s Abbey, Shawnee, OK), 1877–c1906
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Potawatomi
Notes: The school was named Sacred Heart Institute, except for 1887 to 1895, when it received a government contract for the education of Native American boys and was known as St. Benedict’s Industrial School. In 1901, a fire destroyed almost the entire Benedictine complex, including the abbey and the school. The abbey was rebuilt, and the school reopened. Eventually, the boarding section closed and continued as an elementary school until 1924. The school was located in the unincorporated community of Sacred Heart. Konawa is the mailing address for Sacred Heart, so the school is sometimes listed as being in Konawa.
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
Sacred Heart School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1873–1921
Current Diocese: Spokane
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Nesqually, 1873–1907
Seattle, 1907–1913
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (West Province), 1873–1921*
Sisters of Providence (formerly Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor), 1873–1921*
On a Reservation: Colville Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Arrow Lakes; Chelan; Colville; Entiat; Methow; Moses; Nespelem; Nez Perce; Okanogan; Palouse; San Poil; Wenatchee
Notes: Sacred Heart School was located near the Jesuit mission on the Colville Reservation.
School for Male Indian Boys
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1857–1878
Current Diocese: Seattle
Previous Diocese Involved:
Nesqually, 1868–1901
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, 1857–1878
On a Reservation: Tulalip Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Clallam; Tulalip
Notes: In 1847, Rev. E.C. Chirouse and four other Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate arrived in Washington state from France. In 1857, Rev. Chirouse moved to the Tulalip Reservation and opened a school. In 1878, the Oblate Fathers withdrew from Tulalip, and the male students were moved to the Sisters of Charity School. Catholic directories list the school as the “School for Male Indian Boys,” but the name may have been either the Tulalip Mission School or St. Anne’s Mission School. For more information, see the entry for Tulalip, Our Lady of Seven Dolors School.
Note about Oblate records at secular archives: Rev. Chirouse was from France and served before there was an Oblate province in the United States. The archivists for the United States Province and the Oblate General Archives in Rome confirmed that the records for Tulalip are not located in either location. However, the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, British Columbia, has records for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, including some references to the school in Tulalip. For more information: https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/archives/search-our-collections
Tulalip Washington
St. Agnes Academy
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1897–1945
Current Diocese: Tulsa
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1897–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1930
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 1930–1945
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Joseph, 1897–1898 (see notes)
Sisters of St. Rose of Lima (Texarkana, TX), 1898–1901
Congregation of Divine Providence (San Antonio, TX), 1902–1945*
On a Reservation: Choctaw Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Choctaw
Notes: The school was established by priests from the Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory.
Note about the Sisters of St. Joseph: In 1893, Sr. Virginia Joyce, formerly a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brooklyn (now Brentwood), left New York for Oklahoma. Along the way, they visited the Sisters of St. Joseph in Concordia, Kansas, and picked up two sisters and a novice, who accompanied them to Muskogee, OK. Once in Muskogee, Sr. Virginia created her own religious community with no connection to the sisters in Brooklyn or Concordia. In 1899, the bishop insisted that the sisters in Muskogee affiliate themselves with a canonically established congregation or leave the vicariate. Four of the women joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Louis, and at least one returned to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, KS. Sr. Virginia and some of the others left for Texas.
Antlers Oklahoma
St. Agnes Academy for Girls
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1898–1949
Current Diocese: Oklahoma City
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1898–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1930
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 1930–1968
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas*, 1898–1949
On a Reservation: Chickasaw Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Chickasaw; Choctaw
Notes: Boys were taught at the school from 1922 to 1932. St. Agnes was destroyed by fire in 1949, and the boarding school closed. St. Mary’s Catholic School replaced the boarding school, and the Sisters of Mercy continued to staff the school until it closed in 1967 and provided catechetical instruction until 1968.
Ardmore Oklahoma
St. Andrew’s School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1890–1971
Current Diocese: Baker
Previous Diocese Involved:
Oregon City, 1890–1903
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, 1890–1971*
Jesuits (West Province), 1890–1961*
On a Reservation: Umatilla Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Possibly (see notes)
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Cayuse; Umatilla; Walla Walla
Notes: The boarding school section closed in 1937. The Department of the Interior list includes “Kate Drexel Industrial Boarding School,” in Pendleton, Oregon. It is possible they are referring to St. Andrew’s, which may have received funding from Mother Katharine Drexel.
Pendleton Oregon
St. Anne’s School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1883-1886
Current Diocese: Baker
Previous Diocese Involved:
Oregon City, 1883-1886
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of Mercy, 1883-1886*
On a Reservation: Umatilla Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Cayuse; Umatilla; Walla Walla
Notes: At the urging of Father Louis Conrady, the Umatilla agency established a boarding school near St. Anne’s chapel and contracted with the Sisters of Mercy to staff it. It opened on January 1, 1883, near Pendleton. The school could not be sustained after grievances with the local agent, and the sisters moved off the reservation to St. Joseph’s Academy, east of Pendleton, though it is not known whether this school included Native children or whether it was also a boarding school. It also fell on hard times, and Archbishop William Gross invited the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia to assume charge of it beginning in 1888. See the entry for Pendleton, St. Andrew’s School for more information.
Pendleton Oregon
St. Anthony’s Industrial School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1887–1908
Current Diocese: San Diego
Previous Diocese Involved:
Monterey and Los Angeles, 1887–1908
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (Los Angeles Province), 1887–1908*
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Campo; Kumiai (Kumeyaay, Diegueno); Luiseno
Notes: In 1887, Rev. Anthony Dominic Ubach, a missionary priest from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, received government funding to open a boarding school for Native children in San Diego. The Monterey and Los Angeles bishop named Fr. Ubach as the school’s superintendent, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet were asked to serve as teachers.
San Diego California
St. Augustine Indian Mission School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1909–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Omaha
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, 1909–1945*
Sisters of Notre Dame of the United States, 1946–1954*
Missionary Benedictine Sisters (Norfolk, NE), 1957–present [2023]*
On a Reservation: Winnebago Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Omaha; Winnebago
Notes: The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament sold the property to the Archdiocese of Omaha when they withdrew from the school in 1945. The boarding school closed in 1982.
Winnebago Nebraska