Our Lady of the Snows parish to note 100th year
A special mass is being planned for Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church, located on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Mayetta.
Laura Thackery, one of the organizers of the celebration and a member of the church for 28 years, said that Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann will conduct a special mass at 3 p.m. Sunday at the church, located at 5971 166th Road.
Members of the public are invited to attend the mass, as well as a potluck meal and celebration planned afterwards. Soup and sandwiches will be provided, Thackery said.
About 50 people attend the weekly mass services at the church, Thackery said. Mass is held at 8:30 a.m. on the first, third and fourth Sundays of the month and are conducted by Father Duane Reinert. Mass is held at 1 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month by Father Christopher Rossman.
According to a history of the church, the Prairie Band Potawatomi people came to Kansas in 1838. Before building their own church, the Potawatomis traveled by team and wagon to Emmett and St. Marys to attend mass some Sundays, especially at Easter and Christmas.
When Father Murphy arrived at Emmett in 1911, the Catholic Indian community held services in the Blandin schoolhouse. Funds were collected to begin building a church at that time.
Ground was donated by Mitchell Battese, and the first spade of earth was turned for the building of the new church in early June 1912. Various families and community members assisted in purchasing the altar and articles necessary for the church, which was officially opened in 1915.
The altar for the church was imported from Italy. A pot-bellied stove provided heat for the church, and it was placed near the altar. A large bell and stained glass windows were brought from St. Joseph’s Church in Hoyt when it closed in 1924 and remains at the church today.
As was common to all Catholic churches at the time, mass was in Latin, but at Our Lady of the Snows, worship included Indian hymns and simple hymns sang in English.
The Jesuits left the area in 1965, and the church was closed for 20 years. The church and hall fell into disrepair with no assigned pastor for sacraments. The church reopened in 1986.
The original church hall was completed in 1952 and dedicated by Bishop Edward J. Hunkler. When the hall was reopened in 1987, it was dedicated to Sister Therese Klepac, who served the church from the time it reopened to the day she died in 1994.
The hall was renovated in 2001 with the assistance of tribal funding. Funeral dinners are also prepared and served in the hall by parishioners.
Our Lady of the Snows and its congregation are a vital part of the spiritual life of the Potawatomi community. Parish life includes Catholic catechism classes, baptisms, first Holy Communion and confirmation.
In 2000, Our Lady of the Snows was selected as a pilgrimage site for the Jubilee Year. Archbishop James Patrick Keleher was presider at mass and a crowd estimated at 300 attended this special celebration and feast provided by the parish and the Potawatomi Tribe on Nov. 19, 2000.
