About Our Lady of the Sioux · Oglala, South Dakota
Our Lady of the Sioux is a Roman Catholic mission church in Oglala, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. It is one of several worship sites of the Lakȟóta Catholic community served by Holy Rosary Mission (Maȟpíya Lúta), which ministers across roughly 2,500 square miles of the Oglala Lakȟóta Nation. Weekend Mass is celebrated on Sundays at 9:00 AM, with confessions heard before Mass and upon request, and the parish belongs to the Diocese of Rapid City. Like its sister churches, Our Lady of the Sioux blends Catholic and Lakȟóta traditions into a living community of faith on the reservation.
- Established
- 1960s (as Our Lady of the Sioux; Catholic presence in Oglala from 1916)
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Sioux
- Rector
- Fr. Ryen Dwyer, S.J.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rapid City
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Sioux is one of the gathering places of the Lakȟóta Catholic community on the Pine Ridge Reservation, where Mass is celebrated in a setting that honors both Catholic and Lakȟóta traditions. Parishioners worship together on Sundays at 9:00 AM, can receive Reconciliation before Mass or on request, and are served by a Jesuit pastoral team rooted in long accompaniment of the Oglala Lakȟóta Nation. For anyone seeking a small, faith-filled mission church with deep cultural ties, deep community bonds, and the warmth of a Lakȟóta Catholic welcome, this is a meaningful place to call home.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Sioux
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 8:50 AM (also upon request)
History of Our Lady of the Sioux
The Catholic presence in Oglala goes back to the village's earliest church, a sod-and-log structure that doubled as a meetinghouse. In 1916, Fr. Placidus Sialm, S.J., built a frame church and named it St. Elizabeth's, funded by a $750 gift from a woman named Elizabeth. In the 1960s Fr. Paul Steinmetz, S.J., relocated a church building from Wolf Creek into Oglala, where it was rededicated as Our Lady of the Sioux. St. Elizabeth's was then converted to a community meetinghouse. On June 4, 1999, a tornado swept through Oglala and destroyed the Our Lady of the Sioux complex. The community rebuilt, and on June 2, 2001, Bishop Blaise Cupich of the Diocese of Rapid City (later Cardinal Cupich) dedicated the new Our Lady of the Sioux Church along with the new Brother Denny Ryan Center and Brother Rene Hall.
- Earliest Oglala Catholic church: sod-and-log, used as a meetinghouse
- 1916: Fr. Placidus Sialm, S.J., builds St. Elizabeth's frame church
- 1960s: Fr. Paul Steinmetz, S.J., moves a church from Wolf Creek; it becomes Our Lady of the Sioux
- June 4, 1999: Tornado destroys the Our Lady of the Sioux complex
- June 2, 2001: Bishop Blaise Cupich dedicates the rebuilt church, Brother Denny Ryan Center, and Brother Rene Hall
Parish Identity & Diocese
Our Lady of the Sioux is a Catholic mission church within the Diocese of Rapid City. It is part of Holy Rosary Mission (Maȟpíya Lúta), the Jesuit-sponsored Lakȟóta Catholic community that ministers across approximately 2,500 square miles of the Oglala Lakȟóta Nation on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
- Diocese: Rapid City
- Type: Mission church
- Part of Holy Rosary Mission / Maȟpíya Lúta
- Located in Oglala, South Dakota
Clergy, Staff & Pastoral Team
The parish and its sister churches across the reservation are served by a Jesuit pastoral team supported by lay and religious staff. Fr. Ryen Dwyer, S.J., is Pastor of the Reservation (since July 2025) and Superior of the De Smet Jesuit Community; he was formally installed in his role by Bishop Scott Bullock on November 5, 2026. Fr. David Mastrangelo, S.J., serves as President of Maȟpíya Lúta.
- Fr. Ryen Dwyer, S.J. — Pastor of the Reservation and Superior of the De Smet Jesuit Community
- Fr. David Mastrangelo, S.J. — President of Maȟpíya Lúta
- Joyce Tibbitts — Pastoral & Social Ministry Team Leader
- Sr. Catherine Neiketounuo Thakro, UFS — Discipleship Team Leader
- Lisa Swallow — Director of Operations
- Carol LaDeaux — Operations Associate
Fr. Ryen Dwyer, S.J. — Pastor
Fr. Ryen Dwyer, S.J., grew up in Ohio and southwest Michigan in a family shaped by both Catholic and Protestant traditions (his father pastored a Christian Reformed Church congregation). He studied the Great Books program at St. John's College in Annapolis, entered the Catholic Church in Evanston, Illinois, and worked in retail and retail management before joining the Jesuits in 2013. He studied philosophy and spirituality at Loyola University Chicago, served as coordinator of the Red Cloud Volunteer Program on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and later earned a Master of Divinity at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, where he also served at St. Mary Magdalen Church as catechist and deacon. He was ordained in 2024, joined Holy Rosary Mission as Associate Pastor in August 2024, and became Pastor in July 2025.
- Ordained: 2024
- Associate Pastor at Holy Rosary Mission: August 2024
- Pastor of the Mission churches: July 2025
- Installed as Pastor by Bishop Scott Bullock: November 5, 2026
Lakȟóta Catholic Community
Our Lady of the Sioux is one of several worship sites within Holy Rosary Mission's Lakȟóta Catholic community, which gathers Catholics across the Oglala Lakȟóta Nation for Mass, the sacraments, prayer, and community life. The community blends Catholic liturgy with Lakȟóta language and culture, and is supported by the broader Maȟpíya Lúta organization that also runs Red Cloud schools and other ministries on Pine Ridge.
- Worship language includes English and Lakȟóta
- One of several Mass sites on the Pine Ridge Reservation under Holy Rosary Mission
- Connected to Red Cloud / Maȟpíya Lúta schools and volunteer programs
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach Our Lady of the Sioux at its Oglala mailing address, by phone, or by email. The central Holy Rosary Mission office in Pine Ridge is open Monday–Thursday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, and serves as the hub for pastoral and administrative needs across the reservation's Catholic community.
- Address: 100 Church Hill Dr. (P.O. Box 140), Oglala, SD 57764
- Parish phone: (605) 867-1518
- Alternate phone: (605) 867-5673
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese listing: https://www.rapidcitydiocese.org/location/oglala-lady-sioux/
- Parish page: https://churches.mahpiyaluta.org/our-lady-of-the-sioux-church/
- Holy Rosary Mission office: 100 Mission Drive, Pine Ridge, SD 57770 — (605) 407-0474, Mon–Thu 8 AM–5 PM