About St. Kateri Tekakawitha · Sisseton, South Dakota
St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish is a Catholic community in Sisseton, South Dakota, on the Lake Traverse Reservation of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate (Dakota people). It is one of two Catholic parishes in Sisseton — the other being St. Peter Parish — and the two share offices and staff. Founded in 1962 by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate as 'St. Catherine's' mission church for the local Catholic Native community, it was renamed in 2015 to honor St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint, becoming the first parish in South Dakota named in her honor. The parish belongs to the Our Lady of the Snows Pastorate, an eight-parish family of churches in northeastern South Dakota served from the Diocese of Sioux Falls.
- Established
- 1962
- Patron
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha (Kateri Tekakwitha, 1656–1680), the 'Lily of the Mohawks,' first Native American saint, canonized October 21, 2012; patroness of ecology, the environment, people in exile, and Native Americans
- Rector
- Rev. Ken Lulf
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Kateri Tekakwitha is a welcoming prairie parish with deep roots in both the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota community and the wider Roberts County area. Worship is offered in English and the parish shares a daily Mass circuit with seven sister churches in the Our Lady of the Snows Pastorate, including regular weekday Masses and confessions at the church itself and at area nursing homes and assisted-living centers. It is a place where young families are returning to Sunday Mass, where the parish hall still hosts community funerals and celebrations for neighbors of every background, and where the legacy of the first Native American saint is honored year-round — making it a meaningful home for anyone seeking a small, intergenerational Catholic community on the Lake Traverse Reservation.
Mass times at St. Kateri Tekakawitha
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sisseton
Adoration times
- Tuesday 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. at St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sisseton
Parish Identity and History
St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Sisseton, South Dakota, is the first Catholic parish in the state named after the first Native American saint. Founded in 1962 by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate as 'St. Catherine's' mission church on the Lake Traverse Reservation, it was renamed in 2015 in a ceremony led by the Bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls. Today the parish shares offices and staff with neighboring St. Peter Parish and serves a mixed Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota and non-Native Catholic community across Roberts County.
- Founded 1962 by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate
- Originally named 'St. Catherine's'
- Renamed 'St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish' in 2015 — first in South Dakota
- Shares offices and staff with St. Peter Parish, Sisseton
Clergy and Leadership
The parish is currently served by diocesan priests of the Diocese of Sioux Falls as part of the Our Lady of the Snows Pastorate.
- Rev. Ken Lulf — Pastor
- Rev. Doug Binsfeld — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Jerome Ranek — listed previously as pastor
Our Lady of the Snows Pastorate
St. Kateri Tekakwitha is one of eight parishes that together make up the Our Lady of the Snows Pastorate, a collaborative grouping of Catholic churches in northeastern South Dakota. The pastorate shares priests, Mass and confession schedules, and ministry across the region.
- St. John de Britto — Britton
- Sacred Heart — Eden
- St. Joseph — Grenville
- St. John the Baptist — Rosholt
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha — Sisseton
- St. Peter — Sisseton
- Immaculate Conception — Waubay
- Christ the King — Webster
Outreach to Elders and the Reservation Community
A distinctive mark of St. Kateri Tekakwitha's ministry is its regular circuit of weekday Masses and communion services to nursing homes and assisted-living facilities across the pastorate — a hallmark of rural prairie Catholic life and especially meaningful on a reservation where many elders remain connected to the Church. The parish hall itself, originally built to host tribal basketball games, is today used for community funerals, memorials, and celebrations for families of every background, including non-Catholic tribal neighbors.
- Nursing-home ministry to Tekakwitha Living Center, Edgewood, Countryside Inn, Strand-Kjorsvig, and Bethesda
- Parish hall shared with the wider Sisseton-Wahpeton community for funerals and celebrations
Patroness — St. Kateri Tekakwitha
The parish takes its name from Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), the 'Lily of the Mohawks,' a Mohawk-Algonquin woman born in what is now New York who converted to Catholicism at age 19 and was known for her prayer, charity, and devotion despite suffering and exile from her village. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012, becoming the first Indigenous person of North America to be declared a saint. Her memorial is celebrated in the U.S. liturgical calendar on July 14, and she is venerated as patroness of ecology, the environment, people in exile, and Native Americans.
- Born 1656 at Ossernenon (now Auriesville, New York); died April 17, 1680 at Kahnawake, Quebec
- Canonized October 21, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI
- Memorial in the United States: July 14
- Patroness of ecology, the environment, people in exile, and Native Americans
Contact and Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office at the mailing address on East Chestnut Street, by phone, or by email. The current pastorate website is the main online hub, while the diocese of Sioux Falls maintains an official directory listing.
- Physical address: 619 N Main Ave, Sisseton, SD 57262
- Mailing address: 525 E Chestnut St, Sisseton, SD 57262
- Phone: 605-698-7414
- Fax: 605-698-7206
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastorate website: https://ourladyofthesnowsd.org/
- Diocese listing: https://sfcatholic.org/parishes/st-kateri-sisseton/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Jerome Ranek
Listed as pastor on the legacy parish listing (joinmychurch.com), prior to the current pastorate configuration