About St. Charles Borromeo · Pryor, Montana
St. Charles Borromeo is a Roman Catholic mission parish in the small community of Pryor, Montana, on the western edge of the Crow (Apsáalooke) Indian Reservation. It is one of five parishes on the Crow Reservation served by Capuchin Franciscan friars of the Province of St. Joseph, and is part of the Diocese of Great Falls–Billings. The parish is closely tied to St. Charles Mission School (Pre-K through 8), part of the St. Labre Indian School Educational Foundation, and is notable for the deep integration of Crow language and tradition into Catholic worship — most visibly in Father Randolph Graczyk's practice of reading the Gospel in Crow at Sunday Mass.
- Established
- 1891
- Patron
- St. Charles Borromeo (Italian cardinal and Archbishop of Milan, 1538–1584; patron saint of catechists and seminarians)
- Rector
- Father Randolph Graczyk, OFM Cap (long-serving pastor; he arrived at the Crow Reservation in 1970 and has been at St. Charles since 1975, celebrating 40 years of service in 2015)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Great Falls–Billings
Why belong here
St. Charles Borromeo is the spiritual heart of a small, tight-knit Crow community where Catholic faith and Apsáalooke tradition are lived side by side. At Sunday Mass, parishioners hear the Gospel proclaimed in the Crow language and prayer offered by Crow elders; the parish also runs the long-standing St. Charles Mission School that has educated generations of local children. Families looking for a parish where Native American culture and Catholic worship are genuinely woven together — and where Capuchin friars have walked with the community for more than half a century — will find a warm home here.
Mass times at St. Charles Borromeo
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday after Mass (10:30 AM Mass)
Parish History & Crow Origins
The mission at Pryor was born from a direct request by Crow leadership. On March 14, 1890, Chief Plenty Coups petitioned the Secretary of the Interior to allow Jesuit missionaries to build a school and church at Pryor Creek. By October 1891, Father Peter Paul Prando, S.J., had constructed the first chapel on land donated by the Crows. Three Ursuline Sisters then made the arduous 46-mile journey from St. Xavier in February 1892 to open the school. The mission operated under Jesuit care for decades, then was entrusted to the Capuchin Franciscans in 1965. In 2016, the parish and school marked 125 years of continuous service with Bishop Michael Warfel presiding at the anniversary Mass.
- 1890 – Chief Plenty Coups' petition to the Secretary of the Interior
- 1891 – Father Peter Paul Prando, S.J., builds first chapel at Pryor
- 1892 – Ursuline Sisters open the school; classes begin March 18
- 1965 – Capuchin friars (Province of St. Joseph) take over Crow Reservation parishes
- October 15, 2016 – 125th anniversary Mass with Bishop Michael Warfel
Patron Saint: St. Charles Borromeo
The parish is named for St. Charles Borromeo (1538–1584), the Italian cardinal and Archbishop of Milan who led the Counter-Reformation in northern Italy and is famed for his catechetical writings and care for seminarians. He is the patron saint of catechists, seminarians, and those learning the faith — a fitting patron for a mission parish whose first work was to open a school for Crow children. His feast day is celebrated on November 4.
- Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan (1538–1584)
- Patron of catechists and seminarians
- Feast day: November 4
Diocese & Religious Order
St. Charles Borromeo belongs to the Diocese of Great Falls–Billings. Since 1965, pastoral care has been provided by the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Joseph. The Capuchins serve five parishes on the Crow Reservation — St. Charles in Pryor, St. Dennis in Crow Agency, St. Xavier Mission, Our Lady of Loretto in Lodge Grass, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha Mission in Wyola — as well as the schools of the St. Labre system. Their pastoral approach is shaped by the realities of remote reservation life, including accompaniment of those affected by substance-use disorders.
- Diocese: Great Falls–Billings
- Served by: Capuchin Franciscans (Province of St. Joseph), since 1965
- Sister parishes on the Crow Reservation: St. Dennis (Crow Agency), St. Xavier Mission, Our Lady of Loretto (Lodge Grass), St. Kateri Tekakwitha Mission (Wyola)
Worship & Liturgy
Sunday Mass is celebrated at 10:30 AM, with Father Graczyk proclaiming the Gospel in Crow and a parish elder offering prayer in Crow at every liturgy — a hallmark of St. Charles's blended Catholic–Apsáalooke worship. A weekday Mass for the school is offered on Fridays at 8:30 AM. Confessions are heard after Sunday Mass.
- Sunday Mass: 10:30 AM (English, with Crow Gospel and prayer)
- Friday: 8:30 AM (St. Charles Mission School Mass)
- Confessions: after Sunday Mass
Crow Language & Cultural Life
St. Charles is distinctive among Catholic parishes for the deliberate integration of Crow (Apsáalooke) language and tradition into its life. Father Graczyk always proclaims the Gospel in Crow, and an elder of the parish prays in Crow at each Mass. He has worked for decades on Crow linguistics and is compiling a Crow dictionary; the parish school offers full Crow-language immersion in preschool and kindergarten and developed a Crow-language mobile app called 'Apsaalooke.' St. Charles was the first Crow Reservation school to host an annual Clan Day, in which students invite clan aunts or uncles to school for a day of teaching, gift-giving and a communal banquet.
- Gospel proclaimed in Crow at every Sunday Mass
- Crow-language immersion in preschool and kindergarten
- 'Apsaalooke' Crow-language mobile app developed by the school
- Annual Clan Day honoring the Crow matrilineal clan system
- Father Graczyk working on a Crow dictionary
St. Charles Mission School
Founded in 1892 — the same year the parish was established — St. Charles Mission School sits at the foot of the Pryor Mountains on the western edge of the Crow Indian Reservation. It is part of the St. Labre Indian School Educational Foundation and serves students from preschool through 8th grade; nearly all students are members of the Crow tribe. The school offers Crow-language immersion in its youngest grades, integrates Catholic religious education with Crow cultural learning, and provides students regular opportunities to attend Mass. As of recent reporting it has roughly 126 students — nearly double the enrollment of the local public school.
- Grades Pre-K through 8
- Part of the St. Labre Indian School Educational Foundation
- Crow-language immersion in preschool and kindergarten
- Religious education for all grades; Father Graczyk teaches 8th-grade religion
- Clan Day, sweat-lodge accompaniment and Crow cultural programming
Faith Formation & Sacraments
Religious instruction at St. Charles is closely tied to the mission school, with parish staff and friars providing sacramental preparation and classroom religion teaching. Father Graczyk himself teaches 8th-grade church history. Sacramental preparation for First Communion, Confirmation, Baptism, and Marriage is offered through the parish, and Reconciliation is regularly available after Sunday Mass. As on many reservation parishes, pastoral care also extends to families affected by addiction, with the friars accompanying those in recovery.
- Sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage)
- Confession after Sunday Mass
- Religious education integrated with the mission school
- Pastoral care for those in recovery from substance-use disorders
Visiting & Contact
St. Charles Borromeo welcomes visitors to its Sunday Mass at 10:30 AM. The parish and school sit in Pryor, Montana, at the foot of the Pryor Mountains on the Crow Indian Reservation, south of Billings. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead for current Mass and event schedules.
- Address: 29 Pryor Gap Rd., Pryor, MT 59066
- Phone: (406) 969-8781
- Website: crowcatholics.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/stcharlesmission
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Peter Paul Prando, S.J.1891–
Jesuit missionary who built the first chapel at Pryor on land donated by Chief Plenty Coups.
- Capuchin Franciscan friars (Province of St. Joseph)1965–present
Bishop Condon invited the Capuchins to take over the Crow Reservation parishes, including Pryor, in 1965.
- Father Randolph Graczyk, OFM Cap1975–present (as of 2016 reporting)
Arrived on the Crow Reservation in 1970 as a summer seminarian; first stationed at Lodge Grass (1970–1975) before moving to St. Charles in Pryor in 1975. Authored the parish and school history and is a noted Crow linguist working on a Crow dictionary.