About Our Lady of Sorrows · Kyle, South Dakota
Our Lady of Sorrows is a Roman Catholic parish serving the community of Kyle, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Located at 463 Main Street, it is one of seven Catholic churches that make up the mission community of the Diocese of Rapid City across roughly 2,500 square miles of the Oglala Lakota Nation. The parish is currently pastored by Fr. Ron Seminara, who also serves nearby St. Ignatius of Loyola Mission in Wanblee. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 10:15 a.m. (Mountain Time), with reconciliation offered before and after Mass, and a Tuesday evening Mass at 5:30 p.m.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- Our Lady of Sorrows (also known by the alternate mission name Ss. Mary and Anna)
- Rector
- Fr. Ron Seminara
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rapid City
Why belong here
Our Lady of Sorrows is the heart of Catholic life for the Lakota community of Kyle on the Pine Ridge Reservation, offering weekly Sunday Mass in the Mountain Time zone and a midweek evening Mass, with confession available before and after Sunday Mass. As part of the Diocese of Rapid City's seven-church mission community spread across the Oglala Lakota Nation, the parish connects worshippers to a wider network of sister missions, sacramental preparation, and the broader Catholic life of western South Dakota.
Mass times at Our Lady of Sorrows
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 9:50 AM – 10:10 AM (before and after Mass)
- By appointment
Parish Identity & Mission
Our Lady of Sorrows is the Catholic parish of Kyle, South Dakota, situated on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It belongs to the Diocese of Rapid City and is part of a mission community of seven Catholic churches serving the Oglala Lakota Nation across approximately 2,500 square miles. The parish gathers the local Lakota Catholic community for Sunday Mass and offers a midweek evening celebration, while sharing sacramental life with neighboring sister missions at Wanblee, Manderson, Porcupine, and Pine Ridge.
- Diocese: Rapid City
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Community: Oglala Lakota (Pine Ridge Reservation)
- Pastor also serves St. Ignatius of Loyola Mission, Wanblee
Founding & Early History
Catholic missionary activity in the Kyle area traces back to the Jesuit mission founded at Holy Rosary on Pine Ridge in 1888. Our Lady of Sorrows Mission itself was established in 1910 when Fr. Henry Grotegeers, S.J. completed a log chapel for the local community. Within two years, a $1,000 donation enabled the construction of a larger frame church, and by 1935 Fr. Plasidus Sialm, S.J. built the present-day church for $8,000. Early lay catechists Moses Broken Leg and George Apple taught the faith in the community during these formative years.
- 1910 – Original log chapel completed by Fr. Henry Grotegeers, S.J.
- ca. 1912 – Frame church built with a $1,000 donation
- 1935 – Present-day church constructed by Fr. Plasidus Sialm, S.J. for $8,000
- Early catechists: Moses Broken Leg and George Apple
- Parent mission: Holy Rosary Mission, Pine Ridge (est. 1888)
Clergy & Staff
Fr. Ron Seminara is the current pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows. Per the Diocese of Rapid City's 2020 clergy assignment list, he simultaneously serves St. Ignatius of Loyola Mission in Wanblee. The parish office can be reached at the parish phone number or via email at [email protected].
- Pastor: Fr. Ron Seminara
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (605) 455-2888
- Twin assignment: St. Ignatius of Loyola, Wanblee
Christmas & Holy Day Schedule
The parish publishes its Christmas Mass times through the Diocese of Rapid City's annual list. Other holy-day schedules (Advent penance services, Easter Vigil sacraments of initiation) are coordinated with the diocese and sister missions.
- Christmas Eve: 8:00 PM
- Christmas Day: 10:15 AM
- Advent Penance Service: Tuesday, December 4 at 4:00 PM (2018 example)
Sacraments
Our Lady of Sorrows prepares parishioners for the Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist — and the parish regularly celebrates candidates at the Easter Vigil alongside the Bishop of Rapid City. Confession is available weekly before and after Sunday Mass, and other sacraments (Marriage, Anointing of the Sick) are arranged by contacting the parish office.
- Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion
- Reconciliation (weekly + Advent Penance Service)
- Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick
Faith Formation & Catechesis
Our Lady of Sorrows has a catechetical tradition stretching back to the parish's earliest years, when lay catechists Moses Broken Leg and George Apple taught the faith to the Lakota community. That legacy of lay-led faith formation continues today through the parish's sacramental-preparation programs for children and adults, in coordination with the Diocese of Rapid City.
- Continuing lay catechist tradition
- Sacramental preparation for children and adults
- Diocesan School of Faith Formation support
Community Outreach
The parish is registered with Dakota At Home, the state's community-resource network, indicating its role in providing worship services and outreach to residents of Jackson and Oglala Lakota Counties. A parish 'Sale Room' is listed among its community services.
- Dakota At Home listing (worship services + Sale Room)
- Service area: Jackson County and Oglala Lakota County
- Open to all Catholics
Archival & Historical Records
Records of Our Lady of Sorrows Mission are preserved in major Catholic archival collections, most notably the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions and the Holy Rosary Mission Photography Collection at Marquette University's Raynor Library. These holdings include 1919–1920 correspondence, photographs from roughly 1910–1980, and a historical notebook compiled by Rev. Joseph H. Golden.
- Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions (BCIM) records — Our Lady of Sorrows Mission 1910–1945
- Holy Rosary Mission Photograph Collection — Our Lady of Sorrows Mission 57700 series
- Marquette University archives: 1919–1920 correspondence (3 letters)
- Historical notebook compiled by Rev. Joseph H. Golden, 1934
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Henry Grotegeers, S.J.1910 – ca. 1912
Jesuit missionary who completed the original log chapel for the Kyle mission community.
- Fr. Plasidus Sialm, S.J.by 1935
Jesuit priest under whose leadership the present-day Our Lady of Sorrows church was constructed for $8,000.
- Fr. Ron Seminaracurrent
Listed in the Diocese of Rapid City 2020 clergy assignment list as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows, Kyle, and St. Ignatius of Loyola, Wanblee.