About St. Agnes · Manderson, South Dakota
St. Agnes is a Catholic mission church in the small community of Manderson on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. It is part of the cluster of parishes known as Holy Rosary Mission (Maȟpíya Lúta) and is served by the Jesuits of the Diocese of Rapid City. The parish is historically significant as the home church of Nicholas Black Elk, the renowned Oglala Lakota catechist whose cause for canonization is now open, and it has been a center of Lakota Catholic life since the early 1900s.
- Established
- 1906
- Patron
- St. Agnes
- Rector
- Fr. Ryen Dwyer, S.J.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rapid City
Why belong here
St. Agnes offers a deeply rooted Catholic community in the heart of the Pine Ridge Reservation, where the Lakota and Catholic traditions have been interwoven for more than a century. Parishioners worship in one of the oldest continuously used mission churches on the reservation, hold an honored place in the legacy of Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk, and are shepherded by Jesuits who have ministered here since 1906. With weekly Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, and confession before Mass, it is a small but vibrant parish that welcomes visitors to join in prayer and Lakota Catholic heritage.
Mass times at St. Agnes
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 10:30 AM – 10:50 AM (before 11:00 AM Mass)
About St. Agnes Church
St. Agnes is a Catholic mission church serving the community of Manderson on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. It belongs to the Diocese of Rapid City and is pastored as part of Holy Rosary Mission (Maȟpíya Lúta) by Jesuit priests. The parish gathers for Sunday Mass at 11 AM and Thursday Mass at 4 PM, and is a spiritual home to a vibrant Oglala Lakota Catholic community with deep historical roots in the early 20th-century Jesuit missions.
- Type: Mission church
- Diocese: Diocese of Rapid City
- Cluster: Holy Rosary Mission (Maȟpíya Lúta)
- Pastoral care: Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
History of St. Agnes
The parish traces its origin to 1905, when Fr. Joseph Lindebner, S.J., baptized Nicholas Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota holy man who would become a celebrated catechist. The resulting conversions moved Fr. Lindebner to build a log chapel in 1906. The present St. Agnes Church was constructed in 1911 and later enlarged, with its tower added, by Fr. Placidus Sialm, S.J. The first generation of Manderson catechists — Paul Catches, Nicholas Black Elk, and Tom Yellow Bull — shaped the parish for decades to come.
- 1905: Fr. Lindebner, S.J., baptizes Nicholas Black Elk (Feast of St. Nicholas)
- 1906: First log chapel of St. Agnes built
- 1911: Present church constructed
- Tower added by Fr. Placidus Sialm, S.J.
- 1975: Deacon Stephen Red Elk ordained — first Native American deacon in the U.S.
Nicholas Black Elk and St. Agnes
St. Agnes has a unique connection to Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk, the Oglala Lakota catechist whose cause for canonization is open with the support of the U.S. Bishops. Black Elk served at St. Agnes from 1907 to 1914 and again from 1917 to 1936, traveling widely to evangelize and writing pastoral letters on Christian living. The parish hosts an annual Memorial Mass in August, the anniversary of Black Elk's death, with prayers at his gravesite.
- Black Elk served as catechist 1907–1914 and 1917–1936
- Cause for canonization opened by Bishop Robert Gruss in 2017
- 5th annual Memorial Mass held in August, with gravesite prayer
Holy Rosary Mission Cluster (Maȟpíya Lúta)
St. Agnes is one of the mission churches of Holy Rosary Mission (known in Lakota as Maȟpíya Lúta), a cluster of parishes on the Pine Ridge Reservation that share Jesuit pastoral leadership. The cluster's central offices are at 100 Mission Drive, Pine Ridge, SD 57770 (phone 605-407-0474). The mission is overseen by a leadership team that includes a Pastoral & Social Ministry team leader and a Discipleship team leader.
- Central office: 100 Mission Drive, Pine Ridge, SD 57770
- Phone: (605) 407-0474
- Pastoral & Social Ministry Leader: Joyce Tibbitts
- Discipleship Team Leader: Sr. Catherine Neiketounuo Thakro, UFS
- Director of Operations: Lisa Swallow
Parish Phone & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Agnes Church at (605) 867-2267. The mailing address is St. Agnes Church, Manderson, SD 57756. For events, weekday Mass schedules, Holy Days, and other services, the parish directs people to its events calendar on the Holy Rosary Mission website.
- Phone: (605) 867-2267
- Address: St. Agnes Church, Manderson, SD 57756
- Events calendar: churches.mahpiyaluta.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joseph Lindebner, S.J.1905–
Baptized Nicholas Black Elk in 1905 and built the first log chapel of St. Agnes in 1906.
- Fr. Placidus Sialm, S.J.
Enlarged the present church built in 1911 and added its bell tower.
- Fr. Brad Held, S.J.
Recent Pastor of the Parishes of Holy Rosary Mission on the Pine Ridge Reservation; released from assignment by the Diocese of Rapid City in 2025.
- Fr. Ryen Dwyer, S.J.2025–
Began service at Holy Rosary Mission as Associate Pastor in August 2024; became Pastor in July 2025; formally installed by Bishop Scott Bullock on November 5, 2026.
- Fr. Robert Chawngthu, S.J.2025–
Assigned as Parochial Vicar for the Parishes of Holy Rosary Mission in 2025.