Cheyenne River Reservation Ministry
Fr. John Paul Trask, associate pastor at the Cheyenne River Pastoral Ministry Center, has spent many hours researching archival land records on Catholic Church properties all across the Cheyenne River Reservation this past year to determine historical ownership issues.
Fr. Trask is looking through land deeds, warranty deeds, quit claim deeds and other historic correspondence on the eight active parishes, as well as de-commissioned property and cemeteries, to determine title ownership, in relation to the diocese, Catholic Missions, and others, on the Cheyenne River Reservation. The eventual goal of this research is to work towards transferring land to appropriate entities with the goal of preserving properties, including local cemeteries, in perpetuity.
Among the many historic Catholic churches on the reservation is St. Therese at White Horse, shown in this circa 1923 photo of St. Paul's Indian Mission at White Horse, which later became St. Therese's Indian Mission in 1969. Fr. Trask still celebrates Sunday Mass there weekly.
His research was celebrated during National Archive’s Month in October but the Diocese of Rapid City is excited and grateful to have Fr. Trask use the diocesan archives to help with this important research any time!
