Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel

Overview of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel is a Roman Catholic mission chapel on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in southeastern Idaho, in the community of Fort Hall. It belongs to the Diocese of Boise and is operated as a mission of St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Blackfoot, with a single Sunday Mass offered for the local Bannock and Shoshoni Catholic community.

History of the Fort Hall Mission

Catholic mission presence at Fort Hall goes back to 1874, when a St. Kateri Tekakwitha Mission was opened for the Bannock and Shoshoni. That mission closed in 1965. After years of parishioners making the long winter drive from Fort Hall, Pingree, and Shelley into Blackfoot for worship at St. Bernard's, Father James Hallissey re-established a Kateri Tekakwitha mission at Fort Hall in 1976 as the first of three such chapel ventures out of the parish. Lay leaders Elvena Kunz and Tita Hernandes helped launch the new chapel. Since 2000 it has been served by Benedictine priests from Mount Angel Abbey.

• 1874 — Original St. Kateri Tekakwitha Mission opened for Bannock and Shoshoni.
• 1965 — Original mission closed.
• 1976 — Re-established under Fr. James Hallissey as first of three St. Bernard's missions.
• 2000-present — Attended by Benedictines of Mount Angel Abbey.

Patron: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

The chapel is named for Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), a Mohawk convert known as the 'Lily of the Mohawks.' She is venerated as the first Native American saint, canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012. In the United States her feast day is celebrated on July 14; in Canada it is kept on April 17. She is also honored as a patron of ecology and of Native peoples, making her a deeply fitting patron for a chapel serving an Indian Reservation parish.

• Born c. 1656, Ossernenon (now Auriesville, New York)
• Died April 17, 1680, Caughnawaga, Quebec
• Canonized October 21, 2012
• Feast day in the United States: July 14

Mass and Worship Schedule

The chapel's weekly Mass schedule, as published by St. Bernard's parish and the Diocese of Boise, is centered on a single Sunday morning Mass celebrated in English. Weekday Masses and the full bilingual (English/Spanish) schedule are celebrated at the mother parish, St. Bernard's, in Blackfoot. Visitors and parishioners are encouraged to confirm current times by calling the parish office.

• Sunday 8:00 AM — Mass at Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel, Fort Hall (English)
• Sunday 10:00 AM — Mass at St. Bernard's, Blackfoot (English)
• Sunday 12:30 PM (or 1:00 PM) — Spanish Mass at St. Bernard's
• Saturday 7:00 PM — Spanish Mass at St. Bernard's
• Tuesday & Thursday 8:00 AM — Chapel in New Building at St. Bernard's
• Wednesday 10:00 AM — Mass at Willows Nursing Home
• Friday 8:00 AM — Mass at St. Bernard's

Clergy and Pastoral Care

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel is pastored as part of St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Blackfoot. The parish's priest, Fr. José de Jesús González, is listed by the Diocese of Boise as the priest responsible for the Fort Hall chapel. Since 2000, Benedictine priests of Mount Angel Abbey (St. Benedict, Oregon) have provided attending pastoral care. The chapel's 1976 re-establishment is credited to Father James Hallissey.

• Fr. José de Jesús González — current pastor (Diocese of Boise listing)
• Father James Hallissey — founded the 1976 mission
• Benedictines of Mount Angel Abbey — attending clergy since 2000

Relationship to St. Bernard's Parish, Blackfoot

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Chapel is formally a mission chapel of St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Blackfoot, ID — a parish served historically by the Benedictines of Mount Angel Abbey and located in the Diocese of Boise. St. Bernard's runs the chapel's scheduling, sacramental records, and priestly coverage. All mail and phone contact for the Fort Hall chapel is handled through the St. Bernard's parish office at 584 W. Sexton St., Blackfoot, ID 83221.

• Parent parish: St. Bernard's Catholic Church, Blackfoot, ID
• Mailing address: 583 W. Sexton St., Blackfoot, ID 83221
• Parish office phone: 208-785-1935

Community Served: Fort Hall Reservation

The chapel serves the Catholic community of the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Bingham County, Idaho, particularly Bannock and Shoshoni families. Its existence reflects a long Catholic tradition in the region: the Diocese of Boise's predecessors reported 1,000 baptized Native American Catholics in Idaho by 1900 and roughly 3,000 by 1999. Sacramental records for the chapel's Native American parishioners are preserved in the diocesan archives and in the parish collection at St. Bernard's.

• Located on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation
• Primary communities served: Bannock and Shoshoni
• Diocese of Boise Archives hold historical sacramental records

Contact and Visiting

Because the chapel operates as a mission of St. Bernard's, all administrative and pastoral inquiries should be directed through the Blackfoot parish office. The Diocese of Boise lists the chapel's physical location at D Street and Sheepskin Road in Fort Hall, with a mailing address at the St. Bernard's parish office.

• Address: D Street and Sheepskin Road, Fort Hall, ID 83203
• Mailing: 583 W. Sexton St., Blackfoot, ID 83221
• Phone: 208-785-1935
• Website: http://www.stbernardsblackfoot.org