About Sacred Heart · Red Scaffold, South Dakota
Sacred Heart is a small Catholic mission church in the community of Red Scaffold, on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in central South Dakota. It is one of seven mission churches served by All Saints Parish in Eagle Butte, with Sunday Mass offered at 3:00 PM. The parish is part of the Diocese of Rapid City and has historically served the Sans Arc Lakota community. As of 2026 diocesan reassignments, Sacred Heart Red Scaffold is being converted into an oratory of All Saints Parish under Fr. John Paul Trask.
- Established
- 1924
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. John Paul Trask (Pastor of All Saints Parish, with Sacred Heart Red Scaffold as a mission/oratory)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rapid City
Why belong here
Sacred Heart Red Scaffold welcomes Catholics from across the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation to celebrate Sunday Mass at 3:00 PM in a small, intimate mission setting. As one of seven mission churches of All Saints Parish in Eagle Butte, it offers a tight-knit faith community rooted in the Sans Arc Lakota Catholic tradition. Confessions are heard before Sunday Mass (2:30–2:50 PM), and visitors can connect with the wider parish through All Saints Parish's shared pastorate, parish office, and weekly liturgy schedule.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 2:30 PM – 2:50 PM
About Sacred Heart, Red Scaffold
Sacred Heart is a Catholic mission church in Red Scaffold, a small community on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in central South Dakota. The church sits on BIA Highway 6 and is part of All Saints Parish in Eagle Butte, which unites eight worship sites across the southern end of the reservation under one pastorate. Sacred Heart Red Scaffold is one of two 'Sacred Heart' churches within All Saints Parish — the other being Sacred Heart in Dupree.
- Address: BIA Hwy. 6, Red Scaffold, SD 57626
- Diocese: Rapid City
- Parish family: All Saints Parish, Eagle Butte
- Type: Mission (being converted to an oratory in 2026)
History
Sacred Heart Mission at Red Scaffold was established to serve the Sans Arc Lakota Catholics on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Its earliest documented Catholic records, preserved at Marquette University's Raynor Memorial Libraries, date to the 1920s. The mission was originally staffed by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (S.C.J.) and shares its roots with All Saints Church in Eagle Butte, whose formal Catholic presence on the reservation began in 1901 with Fr. John Vogel, S.C.J.
- c. 1924 — Catholic mission records begin at Red Scaffold under the S.C.J.
- 1901 — Fr. John Vogel, S.C.J., becomes first resident priest of the broader Eagle Butte area
- 1910–1911 — All Saints Church of Eagle Butte founded and incorporated
- 1948 — Mission briefly appears closed in the archival record, then resumes
- 2026 — Sacred Heart Red Scaffold reclassified as an oratory of All Saints Parish
Pastoral Leadership & Staff
Sacred Heart Red Scaffold is cared for by the pastoral team of All Saints Parish in Eagle Butte. Fr. Bryan Sorensen has served as Pastor of All Saints Parish (covering Sacred Heart Red Scaffold and its sister missions), and Fr. John Paul Trask has served as Parochial Vicar and now continues as Pastor of the cluster. Fr. Francis Nwakile also served as Parochial Vicar across the cluster until the 2026 reassignments, when he was reassigned to Blessed Sacrament Church in Rapid City. The shared parish office is in Eagle Butte and can be reached at (605) 964-3391.
- Rev. John Paul Trask — Pastor, All Saints Parish (includes Sacred Heart Red Scaffold)
- Rev. Bryan Sorensen — Pastor of All Saints Parish (per 2020 diocesan directory)
- Rev. Francis Nwakile — former Parochial Vicar, reassigned 2026
All Saints Parish & Sister Missions
All Saints Parish in Eagle Butte is a combined Catholic family of eight churches on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, sharing one pastorate and parish office. Sacred Heart Red Scaffold is one of seven mission churches attached to All Saints, the parish church. The full cluster includes worship sites spread across 20–80 miles, each with its own complex history.
- All Saints — Eagle Butte (parish church)
- Immaculate Conception — Bridger
- Sacred Heart — Dupree
- Sacred Heart — Red Scaffold
- St. Catherine — Promise
- St. Joseph — Cherry Creek
- St. Joseph — Ridgeview
- St. Therese — White Horse
Visiting & Contact
Sacred Heart Red Scaffold is reached via BIA Highway 6 on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Because the church is served by the All Saints Parish pastoral team rather than resident clergy, the most reliable contact is the shared parish office in Eagle Butte, which handles calls, sacramental coordination, and scheduling for all eight worship sites.
- Parish office: PO Box 110, 109 E. Heritage Ave., Eagle Butte, SD 57625
- Phone: (605) 964-3391
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish website: https://www.allsaintsparish.online/