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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● The Tribal Nations impacted are listed as they appear in historical documents and may not reflect the names used by the Nations today.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
St. Joseph’s Orphanage and School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1860–1956
Current Diocese: Marquette
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Sault Ste. Marie, 1860–1865
Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette, 1865–1937
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (St. Louis Province), 1866–1906 (see notes)*
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, 1906–1956*
On a Reservation: L’Anse Indian Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Odaawa; Ojibwe
Notes: The school, built in 1860, was staffed by a priest from the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie until the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet arrived in 1866. In 1877, a boarding school for girls opened, and St. Joseph’s Orphanage was built in 1881. Originally the orphanage was only for boys, while the girls were housed at the Aemilianum Orphan Asylum in Marquette. In 1902, St. Joseph’s began to accept girls, and the Marquette orphanage closed. In 1915, a new orphanage, Holy Family, opened in Marquette, and some students were sent to the new institution. In 1956, St. Joseph and Holy Family merged, the children living at St. Joseph’s moved to Holy Family, and the St. Joseph’s facility closed.
Note about records: The archive for the Sisters of St. Joseph does not have much information about the orphanage and school. It appears that the sisters could have been working with Indigenous people in the Upper Peninsula as early as 1866, but records do not confirm what type of work they were doing (i.e., teaching in a day school, working with orphans, etc.).
Assinins Michigan
St. Labre Mission School
Details:
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.
Ashland Montana
St. Louis School for Osage Indian Girls (renamed St. Louis Academy, 1942)
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1887–1949
Current Diocese: Tulsa
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Prefecture Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1887–1891
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1891–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1930
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 1930–1949
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, 1887–1915*
Sisters of Loretto, 1915–1942*
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, 1942–1949*
On a Reservation: Yes
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Cherokee; Osage; Potawatomi; Quapaw
Notes: The school was founded by Katharine Drexel (later Mother Katharine of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament) and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions.
Pawhuska Oklahoma
St. Mary of the Quapaws
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1894–1897; 1904–1927
Current Diocese: Tulsa
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1894–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1927
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Joseph, 1894–1897 (see notes)
Congregation of Divine Providence (San Antonio, TX), 1904–1927*
On a Reservation: Quapaw Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Miami; Osage; Ottawa; Peoria; Quapaw
Notes: The school was established by priests from the Vicariate Apostolic of the Indian Territory and continued operation as a parish school after the formation of the Diocese of Oklahoma in 1905. The school opened in 1894 and closed three years later. It reopened in 1902 with a lay teacher until 1904, when the Sisters of Divine Providence took over the school. They remained there until it closed in 1927.
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.
Quapaw Oklahoma
St. Mary Training School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1883–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Chicago
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
De La Salle Christian Brothers (Midwest District), 1883–1906*
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes (under Feehanville)
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Devil’s Lake and Standing Rock Reservations
Notes: In 1882, the archbishop of Chicago founded the school, and in 1883 contracted with the federal government to accept Native American boys from the Devil’s Lake and Standing Rock reservations. It is not known when the federal government contract ended, but by 1906 there were no Native American boys at the school. The facility is still in operation under the name “Maryville Academy.”
Des Plaines Illinois
St. Mary’s Academy
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1880–1946
Current Diocese: Oklahoma City
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Prefecture Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1880–1891
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1891–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1930
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 1930–1946
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (St. Gregory’s Abbey, Shawnee, OK), 1880–1946;
Religious Benedictines of the Perpetual Adoration, 1880–1884;
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, 1884–1946*
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Potawatomi; Shawnee
Notes: 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 (Konawa) Oklahoma
St. Mary’s Indian Industrial School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1874–1900
Current Diocese: Portland in Oregon
Previous Diocese Involved:
Oregon City, 1874–1900
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (U.S.-Ontario Province), 1874–1880*
Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, MN, 1881–1882*
Benedictine Sisters in Mt. Angel, 1882–1900
On a Reservation: Grand Ronde Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Grand Ronde
Notes: The school had several names during its existence, including St. Mary Academy, Grand Ronde Institute, and St. Mary’s Indian Industrial School.
Grand Ronde Oregon
St. Mary’s Indian Mission School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1892–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Spokane
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Nesqually, 1892–1907
Seattle, 1907–1913
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (West Province), 1892–1973*
Sisters of St. Dominic of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province (later Spokane Dominicans), 1936–1967*
On a Reservation: Colville Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Chehalis; Colville; Entiat; Flathead; Lakota; Methow; Nespelin; Nez Perce; Noakask; Ojibwe; Okanogan; Paloos; Sanpoil; Senijextee; Wenatchi; Yakama
Notes: In 1973, the school was turned over to the Colville Tribe and was renamed the Pascal Sherman Indian School.
Omak Washington
St. Mary’s Indian School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1883–1969
Current Diocese: Superior
Previous Diocese Involved:
La Crosse, 1883–1905
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of Friars Minor (Province of the Sacred Heart), 1883–1969
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, 1883–1969*
On a Reservation: Bad River Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Lac Court-Oreille and Lac du Flambeau Reservations; Ojibwa and LaPoint Agency, Red Cliff
Odanah Wisconsin
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. Mary’s Industrial Institute
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1880–1938
Current Diocese: Superior
Previous Diocese Involved:
La Crosse, 1880–1905
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, 1880–1938*;
Order of Friars Minor (Province of the Sacred Heart), 1880–1938
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Metis (near Red Cliff); Ojibwa
Notes: In 1880, a new day school was built for the parish, and the old buildings were converted into an industrial boarding school for Native American girls.
Bayfield Wisconsin
St. Mary’s Mission (Sacred Heart Academy after 1870)
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1848–1879
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, 1857–1877
Leavenworth, 1877–1879
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Society of the Sacred Heart, 1848–1879*
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):
Potawatomi
Notes: The Jesuit Fathers asked the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Heart to open a school for Native American girls at St. Mary’s. By the 1860s, the number of Native Americans living in the area dwindled with the influx of white settlers. When the Jesuits closed their mission in 1869, they transferred the property to the Sisters, who constructed a new building for their academy in 1870. At this point, only about half of the students were Native, and by the time the school closed in 1879, there were no more Native children in attendance.
Note about the Mission Archives: A selection of records from St. Mary’s Mission and school are housed at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/SMM/SMM-sc.php
St. Mary’s Kansas
St. Mary’s Mission School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1894–1898; 1905–1987
Current Diocese: Fairbanks
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Prefecture Apostolic of Alaska, 1894–1916
Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska, 1916–1951
Vicariate of Northern Alaska, 1951–1962
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Ann (St. Joseph Community), 1894–1898 and 1974–1982*
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union (Western Province), 1905–1987*
Jesuits (West Province), 1894–1898 and 1905–1987*
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Eskimo; Ingalik; Yupik
Notes: In 1894, the Jesuits and Sisters of St. Ann opened a mission and boarding school called St. Joseph, both of which closed in 1898. In 1902, the Jesuits reopened the mission, which was renamed St. Mary. A day school opened in1905, with a boarding section for girls opened the following year. Boys were admitted to the boarding school in 1914. The school was originally located in the village of Akulurak but moved to St. Mary’s on the Andreafsky River in 1951. By 1974, the elementary school was closed, and only a four-year high school remained.
St. Mary’s (formerly located in Akulurak) Alaska
St. Mary’s Mission School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1888–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Crookston
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Northern Minnesota, 1888–1889
Duluth, 1889–1909
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, MN, 1888–2009*
On a Reservation: Red Lake Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Red Lake Chippewa
Notes: The boarding school closed in 1940 and continued as a day school. The Sisters of St. Benedict withdrew from the school in 2009 and turned it over to the Diocese of Crookston.
Red Lake Minnesota
St. Michael Indian School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1902–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Gallup, NM
Previous Diocese Involved:
Tucson, 1902–1939
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of Friars Minor (Province of St. John the Baptist), 1902–1985*
Order of Friars Minor (Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe), 1985–present [2023]
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, 1902–present [2023]*
On a Reservation: Navajo Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: No
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Acoma; Apache; Hopi; Jemez; Laguna; Navajo; Taos, as well as mission tribes of California and tribes from Southern Arizona
Notes: In 1898, the Franciscan Friars opened a mission at the request of Mother Katharine Drexel (founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament), who purchased the land. The school opened in 1902. In 1950, a co-ed high school was built, which became all-girls in 1966. In 1981, the boarding school closed, and the high school once again served both boys and girls. In 1993, the mission was incorporated as a nonprofit organization and remains a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.
St. Michaels Arizona
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. Patrick Indian Mission
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1892–1965
Current Diocese: Oklahoma City
Previous Dioceses Involved:
Vicariate Apostolic of Indian Territory, 1892–1905
Oklahoma, 1905–1930
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, 1930–1965
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, 1892–1965*
Order of St. Benedict (St. Gregory’s Abbey, Shawnee, OK), 1892–1965
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Apache; Caddo; Comanche; Kiowa
Anadarko Oklahoma
St. Paul’s Indian Boarding School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1922–present [2023]
Current Diocese: Sioux Falls
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Order of St. Benedict (Saint Meinrad Abbey, St. Meinrad, IN), 1922–1954*
Order of St. Benedict (Blue Cloud Abbey, Marvin, SD), 1954–1975*
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, 1922–1972*
Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (Marty, SD), 1935–1975* (see notes)
On a Reservation: Yankton Sioux Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Yankton Sioux
Notes: In 1975, the Yankton Sioux tribe took over ownership of the school, which was renamed the Marty Indian School. The Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament continued to teach at the school until 1984.
Note about St. Paul Mission Archives: Photographs from St. Paul’s Mission are housed at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. For more information: https://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/SPM/SPM-sc.php
Marty South Dakota
St. Paul’s Industrial School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1881–1895
Current Diocese: New Ulm
Previous Diocese Involved:
St. Paul, 1881–1895
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Franciscans Brothers of Clontarf, 1881–1895* (see notes)
On a Reservation: No
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Chippewa/Ojibwa; Cree; Sioux
Notes: The school opened as a Catholic industrial school for white immigrant boys in Clontarf after an earlier failed start in St. Paul in 1879. It also struggled financially in the new location. In 1884, the school obtained a federal contract to take in Native American boys from the Dakotas. In part, the school continued to operate as a Native American boarding school until the government cut funding in 1892. The school remained open until 1895 when the government purchased the school for its own uses.
Note about the Franciscan Brothers of Clontarf: The bishop of the Diocese of St. Paul asked the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn to staff the school in Clontarf. When the brothers arrived, they did so under the obedience of the bishop and elected a superior, thus establishing a new congregation (independent of the Brothers in Brooklyn). In 1895, the Brothers in Clontarf moved to Spaulding, Nebraska, where they were under the obedience of the Bishop of Omaha. About 1910, they joined the Franciscan community in Loretto, Pennsylvania, and together they became the Third Order Regular Franciscans.
Clontarf Minnesota
St. Paul’s Mission School
Details:
Dates of Operation: 1887–2021
Current Diocese: Great Falls-Billings
Previous Diocese Involved:
Helena, 1887–1904
Religious Orders who worked at the Parish / School:
Jesuits (West Province), 1887–2015*
Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union (Western Province), 1887–1936*
School Sisters of St. Francis, 1936–1985*
Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, 1973–2020*
On a Reservation: Fort Belknap Reservation
On the Department of the Interior List: Yes
Tribal Nations Impacted (as listed in historical documents):
Assiniboine; Chippewa-Cree; Cree; Crow; Dakota; Gros Ventres; Nakona; Ojibwe; Sioux
Notes: In 1936, the Ursulines withdrew from the school, and the boarding section was closed. The school continued to operate as a day school until it closed in 2021.
Hays Montana