About St. Joseph · Cherry Creek, South Dakota
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a small mission parish on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in Cherry Creek, South Dakota, a predominantly Sans Arc Lakota community. Founded in 1895 by Benedictine missionaries from Immaculate Conception in Stephan, it is today one of several churches clustered into the All Saints Parish in nearby Eagle Butte and served by the Eagle Butte Pastoral Team of the Diocese of Rapid City. The church sits in one of the oldest, poorest, and most isolated communities on the reservation, where for more than a century Mass has been celebrated for the Lakota families of the Cheyenne River — first by pioneer diocesan missionaries, then by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians), and now by diocesan clergy based in Eagle Butte.
- Established
- 1895
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. John Paul Trask
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rapid City
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a small but faithful Sunday Mass for the Sans Arc Lakota Catholic community of Cherry Creek, one of the most isolated settlements on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Visitors are warmly welcomed into a parish with deep roots in Lakota Catholic life, sustained by the Eagle Butte Pastoral Team and by lay catechists continuing a tradition stretching back to the pioneer missionary Fr. John Vogel. The parish hall — Zintkala Hall, dedicated in 1984 — remains a center for fellowship after Sunday liturgy.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 11:30–11:50 AM (per masstime.us)
About St. Joseph, Cherry Creek
St. Joseph is a small mission church serving the Sans Arc Lakota community of Cherry Creek on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in central South Dakota. It belongs to the Diocese of Rapid City and is administered as part of the All Saints Parish cluster based in nearby Eagle Butte. The parish sits in one of the most isolated parts of the reservation, and Mass is celebrated there on Sundays by priests of the Eagle Butte Pastoral Team. The community has deep Catholic roots going back to 1895, and remains a gathering point for families spread across the Lower Cherry Creek area.
History of the Mission
St. Joseph Mission was founded in 1895 by Benedictine monks from Immaculate Conception Church in Stephan, who at that time ministered to Native American stations scattered across the Cheyenne River and Crow Creek Reservations. In 1923 the mission was raised to parish status; in 1902 it had passed to the newly erected Diocese of Lead (renamed the Diocese of Rapid City in 1930). Its records — correspondence, deeds from 1939, a 1937 parish census, and photographs from the 1930s–40s — are preserved in the diocesan parish files and were inventoried by Marquette University.
Father John Vogel and the early missionaries
Father John Vogel (1871–1953), a Swiss-born diocesan priest, arrived on the Cheyenne River Reservation on Christmas Eve 1901 and spent 36 years ministering across it by horse and buggy. He established ten churches and four missions on the reservation, took up residence at St. Joseph's in Cherry Creek in 1919, and recruited local Lakota catechists to assist in each community. The Indian people affectionately called him 'Zintkala' — the Lakota word for 'bird,' the meaning of his German surname. He was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 1985.
The Dehonian years (1953–early 2000s)
Beginning in 1953 the Cheyenne River missions, including St. Joseph Cherry Creek, were administered by the Priests of the Sacred Heart (Dehonians / S.C.J.), a congregation founded in France in 1878 and present in the United States since 1919. A Chronicle of St. Joseph's Mission, Cherry Creek was kept from 1965 to 1974 by Rev. George Pinger, S.C.J., and survives in the SCJ U.S. Province Archives. The Dehonians later released the parishes back to diocesan administration.
Zintkala Hall
In May 1984 the parishioners of St. Joseph built a parish hall on the Cherry Creek property. It was formally dedicated on May 23, 1984 as Zintkala Hall in honor of Father John Vogel, who had died in Oelrichs, SD on April 20, 1953. Zintkala Hall remains the gathering place for fellowship after Sunday liturgy and for community meals and events.
Pastoral Care & Cluster Parishes
Because of the vast distances on the Cheyenne River Reservation — only two priests serve eight parishes — St. Joseph Cherry Creek is grouped with several other mission churches under the umbrella of All Saints Parish in Eagle Butte. The cluster allows the priests to travel circuit among the communities while ensuring that each mission receives regular pastoral care, including communion services celebrated by religious sisters when a priest cannot be present.
- All Saints, Eagle Butte (cluster parish)
- Sacred Heart, Dupree
- Sacred Heart, Red Scaffold (oratory of All Saints)
- St. Catherine, Promise (oratory of All Saints)
- St. Therese, White Horse
- Immaculate Conception, Bridger (scheduled to close July 2026)
- St. Joseph, Ridgeview (scheduled to close July 2026)
- Sacred Heart Center in Eagle Butte (Dehonian-funded shelter, thrift store, child services, and community outreach)
Clergy
St. Joseph is currently pastored as part of All Saints Parish by the clergy of the Eagle Butte Pastoral Team. Fr. John Paul Trask, a diocesan priest born and raised in South Dakota, is the pastor; Fr. Francis Nwakile has served as Parochial Vicar (scheduled for reassignment July 2026). Fr. Bryan Sorensen is listed as the pastor in the 2020 diocesan directory. Sacred Heart Center in Eagle Butte, originally funded by the Dehonians, operates a board on which the pastor serves.
- Rev. John Paul Trask — Pastor, All Saints Parish / Eagle Butte Pastoral Team
- Rev. Francis Nwakile — Parochial Vicar (reassignment July 2026 to Blessed Sacrament, Rapid City)
- Rev. Bryan Sorensen — Pastor per 2020 diocesan directory
Faith Formation & RCIA
Adults across the Cheyenne River cluster, including Cherry Creek, are invited to the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA / RCIA) program offered by All Saints Parish. Classes are led by Father John Paul Trask on Thursdays and are open to those preparing for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil as well as to anyone curious about the Catholic faith.
- OCIA / RCIA weekly classes on Thursdays at All Saints Parish, Eagle Butte
- Open to all adults interested in learning about or entering the Catholic Church
Lakota Catholic Life
St. Joseph has been at the heart of Lakota Catholic life on the Cheyenne River Reservation for more than a century. The tradition of lay Lakota catechists assisting in each community was begun by Father John Vogel in 1919 and continues today; visiting religious sisters — such as Sister Anne — regularly bring Communion services to Cherry Creek when a priest cannot be present. Visitors traveling to Mass are received into a small, warm community that gathers afterward in Zintkala Hall for a shared meal.
- Predominantly Sans Arc Lakota community
- Long tradition of Lakota catechists (started by Fr. Vogel in 1919)
- Communion services celebrated by religious sisters when no priest is available
Visiting Cherry Creek
Cherry Creek is one of the most isolated communities on the Cheyenne River Reservation; the nearest mission parish is roughly 45 miles away. Travelers should plan for fuel, water and time, and are advised to call the rectory (605-964-3391) to confirm Mass and confession times before making the trip. Sunday liturgies are typically followed by fellowship and a meal in Zintkala Hall.
Contact
St. Joseph is administered through All Saints Parish in Eagle Butte, which serves as the rectory and office for the Cheyenne River pastoral cluster.
- Mailing address: Cherry Creek, SD 57622
- Rectory / Office phone: 605-964-3391
- Parish office: All Saints Parish, PO Box 110, 109 E. Heritage Ave., Eagle Butte, SD 57625
- Cluster website: https://www.allsaintsparish.online
- Diocesan listing: https://www.rapidcitydiocese.org/location/cherry-creek-st-joseph/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Vogel1919–1937
Swiss-born diocesan missionary (b. Lake Lucerne, Switzerland 1871; d. Oelrichs, SD 1953). Took up residency at St. Joseph's Cherry Creek in 1919; recruited Lakota catechists; served the Cheyenne River Reservation for 36 years by horse and buggy. Affectionately called 'Zintkala' (Lakota for 'bird'). The 1984 parish hall, Zintkala Hall, was dedicated in his honor.
- Rev. George Pinger, S.C.J.1965–1974
Priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart (Dehonian) who kept the Chronicle of St. Joseph's Mission, Cherry Creek, 1965–1974 (132 pp.), preserved in the SCJ U.S. Province Archives.
- Rev. Bryan Sorensen2020 directory
Listed as Pastor of St. Joseph Cherry Creek and other All Saints cluster parishes in the Diocese of Rapid City Official Directory, updated January 2020 ([email protected]).
- Rev. John Paul Traskpresent
Pastor of All Saints in Eagle Butte, which includes St. Joseph Cherry Creek. Diocesan priest, born and raised in South Dakota; researching the history of the Catholic Church on the Cheyenne River Reservation.