About Christ the King · Porcupine, South Dakota
Christ the King is a Roman Catholic mission parish in Porcupine, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It belongs to the Diocese of Rapid City and is part of the Maȟpíya Lúta (Red Cloud) Catholic community, a cluster of parishes and schools staffed by the Jesuits since Chief Red Cloud first invited the 'Black Robes' to his people in 1888. The current church building was erected in 1941 by Fr. Louis E. Meyer, S.J., replacing an earlier chapel built in 1920, and the parish grounds have been shared with Our Lady of Lourdes grade school since 1929. Christ the King serves a predominantly Oglala Lakȟóta congregation in Porcupine and the surrounding reservation communities.
- Established
- 1920
- Patron
- Christ the King (Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe)
- Rector
- Rev. Edmund Yainao, S.J. (Associate Pastor; Christ the King is attended from Holy Rosary Mission)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rapid City
Why belong here
Christ the King is one of the oldest parishes on the Pine Ridge Reservation and remains a tight-knit Oglala Lakȟóta Catholic community where Mass, prayer, and parish life are deeply interwoven with family and Lakota culture. Worshippers can attend a Sunday Mass at 9 AM or a weekday Mass on Tuesday, with confession heard before Sunday Mass, all on a campus that has welcomed children to Our Lady of Lourdes school since 1929. The parish is part of Maȟpíya Lúta, a wider network of Jesuit parishes and schools that also offers outreach ministry, religious education, and pastoral care to nearly 800 families across the reservation, making it a natural home for Catholics who want a parish rooted in tradition, language, and service.
Mass times at Christ the King
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 8:50 AM (before Mass)
- By appointment
Parish Overview
Christ the King is one of the historic mission parishes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Worship is offered in a small but active community of Oglala Lakȟóta Catholics, with Sunday and Tuesday Masses, confession before Sunday Mass, and religious education for parish children. The parish is canonically part of the Diocese of Rapid City and is pastorally attended from Holy Rosary Mission in Pine Ridge, with resident Jesuit clergy and lay pastoral staff on or near the campus.
- Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM
- Tuesday Weekday Mass: 4:00 PM
- Confession: Sundays 8:30–8:50 AM and by appointment
- Christmas Mass: Dec 24 at 6 PM; Dec 25 at 9 AM
- Phone: (605) 867-1614
History
The parish traces its origins to 1920, when the first Catholic church in Porcupine was built. In 1929 the older mission chapel was converted into a schoolhouse and Our Lady of Lourdes grade school was founded on the same grounds — a partnership that continues today. The present Christ the King church was erected in 1941 by Fr. Louis E. Meyer, S.J. (pastor 1936–1944), and the Jesuit school next door has been educating reservation children, first under the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary and then under the Jesuits from 1944–46, ever since.
- 1920: Original Christ the King chapel built in Porcupine
- 1929: Mission chapel converted to schoolhouse; Our Lady of Lourdes grade school founded
- 1931: Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary take charge of the school
- 1941: Present Christ the King church built by Fr. Meyer, S.J.
- 1944–46: Jesuits purchase the school from the Sisters
- 1946–1971: Fr. Leonard J. Fencl, S.J., serves 25 years as pastor/administrator and is buried on the grounds
Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School
Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School sits directly on the parish grounds and is the educational heart of the campus. Founded in 1929 and reorganized by the Jesuits in the mid-1940s, the school offers a Lakȟóta, Catholic, Jesuit education to roughly 100 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is known in Lakȟóta as Winyan Wakan Owayawa, the School of the Sacred Woman, and is part of the Maȟpíya Lúta school system that also runs Red Cloud Elementary and Red Cloud High School in Pine Ridge.
- Grades K–8, about 100 students
- Lakȟóta, Catholic, Jesuit curriculum
- Integral part of the Maȟpíya Lúta (Red Cloud) school system since 1931
- Incorporates Lakȟóta language, culture, and history into daily learning
Clergy and Staff
Christ the King is staffed as a mission of Holy Rosary Mission. The Associate Pastor is Fr. Edmund Yainao, S.J., a Jesuit from Northern India who has spoken publicly about the kinship he feels between his own tribal community and the Oglala Lakȟóta people. He works alongside a Pastoral Assistant (William White), with the broader pastoral team at Holy Rosary Mission providing outreach ministry, religious education, safe-environment coordination, and office support.
- Rev. Edmund Yainao, S.J. — Associate Pastor ([email protected])
- William White — Pastoral Assistant, Safe Environment
- Rev. Brad Held, S.J. — Pastor, Holy Rosary Mission (supervising parish)
- Charles McGaa — Pastoral Assistant
- Marsh Tibbits — Outreach Minister
- Carol LaDeaux — Director of Religious Education, Safe Environment
- Angela Stover — Office Manager
Ministries and Parish Life
Although a small mission parish, Christ the King takes part in the wider pastoral and outreach network of Maȟpíya Lúta (Red Cloud). That network reaches nearly 800 families across reservation parishes and includes parish religious education, safe-environment programming, outreach ministry, and youth faith formation connected to Our Lady of Lourdes school. Parishioners also take part in reservation-wide traditions such as the annual Catholic Sioux Congress and Kateri Circles, continuing a Catholic–Lakȟóta devotional life that has flourished on Pine Ridge since the late 19th century.
- Religious Education for parish children
- Outreach Ministry
- Safe Environment program
- Lakȟóta cultural and language preservation
- Youth ministry through Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary
- Connection to Maȟpíya Lúta programs: Truth and Healing, Food Sovereignty, Lakȟóta Language Center
Christ the King Cemetery
The parish grounds include the Christ the King Cemetery, where generations of parishioners — including the long-serving Fr. Leonard J. Fencl, S.J. (pastor 1946–1971) — are buried. The cemetery is an integral part of the campus shared with Our Lady of Lourdes school and remains a place of prayer and remembrance for the local Lakota Catholic community.
- Located on the parish/school grounds in Porcupine
- Final resting place of Fr. Leonard J. Fencl, S.J., and generations of parishioners
Visiting Christ the King
Christ the King is located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the community of Porcupine, on Our Lady of Lourdes Lane off Big Foot Trail. The address is 490 Our Lady of Lourdes Ln. (mailing PO Box 367, Porcupine, SD 57772-0367), and the parish phone is (605) 867-1614. Visitors are warmly welcomed but should call ahead, as Mass and confession times can shift for Holy Days, seasons, and special events, and weather in western South Dakota can affect travel on the reservation.
- Address: 490 Our Lady of Lourdes Ln., Porcupine, SD 57772
- Mailing: PO Box 367, Porcupine, SD 57772-0367
- Phone: (605) 867-1614
- Parking available on the parish/school campus
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Louis E. Meyer, S.J. (Fr. Meyers)1936–1944
Built the present Christ the King church in 1941.
- Rev. William J. Fitzgerald, S.J.1944–1950
Succeeded Fr. Meyer at Holy Rosary Mission / Porcupine.
- Rev. Leonard J. Fencl, S.J.1946–1971
Long-serving pastor and OLL administrator; buried in Christ the King Cemetery on the parish grounds.