St. Mary Mission [Flint Creek Catholic Community]

About St. Mary Mission

St. Mary Mission is the Catholic mission church of Gold Creek, Montana, an unincorporated historic ranching settlement in Powell County. It belongs to the Diocese of Helena and is staffed as part of the Flint Creek Catholic Community alongside St. Michael Parish in Drummond and St. Philip Parish in Philipsburg. The small Gothic church, built c. 1910, remains an active place of worship and a treasured community landmark.

History of Gold Creek and the Mission

Gold Creek grew up around the first gold discoveries in Montana — credited to Francois Finlay (Benetsee) and Granville Stuart's party in 1852/1858 — and along the Mullan Road. The town later became famous as the meeting point of two transcontinental 'last spike' ceremonies: the Northern Pacific in 1883 and the Milwaukee Road on May 19, 1909. Catholic settlers built St. Mary's Mission Catholic Church in 1910, and its original Gothic design is still intact. As Gold Creek's population shrank, the mission was grouped with neighboring parishes under the Diocese of Helena to ensure continued pastoral care.

• First Montana gold discovered in the Gold Creek drainage, 1852/1858
• 16-foot 'First Gold Discovery in Montana' granite monument erected 1917
• Church built c. 1910 in Gothic style
• Still used for weddings and community gatherings
• Listed in the Montana Memory Project

Flint Creek Catholic Community

St. Mary Mission is one of three worship sites of the Flint Creek Catholic Community, a single pastoral unit in the Diocese of Helena. The community unites St. Michael Parish in Drummond, St. Philip Parish in Philipsburg, and St. Mary Mission in Gold Creek under one canonical pastor, one pastoral administrator, and one shared pastoral council. Pastoral care, faith formation, and sacramental ministry are coordinated across all three sites.

• Canonical Pastor: Father Kirby Longo (effective July 1, 2024, six-year term)
• Pastoral Administrator: Vicki Burgmeier (renewed July 1, 2024, three-year term)
• Permanent Deacon: Deacon Vincent 'Chris' Burgmeier
• Mailing/Office address: PO Box 329, 12 W Broad St., Drummond, MT 59832
• Community phone: 406-241-3604

Mass and Sacramental Schedule

St. Mary Mission shares its sacramental life with the rest of the Flint Creek Catholic Community. The two regular Sunday Masses in the community are celebrated at St. Michael in Drummond at 9:00 a.m. and at St. Philip in Philipsburg at 11:00 a.m. Specific weekly Mass or confession times for the small mission chapel are not separately published by the diocese; the mission is used for weddings, funerals and occasional community liturgies. For confession, anointing, baptism, marriage and RCIA, parishioners are encouraged to contact the pastoral administrator.

• Sunday 9:00 a.m. — St. Michael, Drummond
• Sunday 11:00 a.m. — St. Philip, Philipsburg
• St. Mary Mission, Gold Creek — occasional services; contact office for schedule

Clergy and Staff

The mission is served by the clergy and staff of the Flint Creek Catholic Community. The current canonical pastor is Father Kirby Longo, who also pastors Christ the King Parish in Missoula, St. John the Baptist in Frenchtown, and associated missions, and serves as Dean of the Missoula Deanery. Pastoral Administrator Vicki Burgmeier coordinates day-to-day parish life across the three sites, supported by Permanent Deacon Vincent 'Chris' Burgmeier.

• Father Kirby Longo — Canonical Pastor (appointed July 1, 2024)
• Vicki Burgmeier — Pastoral Administrator
• Deacon Chris Burgmeier — Permanent Deacon

Contact and Location

Because the mission has no resident office, all mail and inquiries are handled through the Flint Creek Catholic Community office in Drummond. The pastoral administrator can be reached by phone or email; visitors to the mission itself travel to Gold Creek along Interstate 90, where the historic 1866 Gold Creek Post Office and the old Milwaukee Railroad electrical substation serve as familiar landmarks.

• Address (mailing): PO Box 329, Drummond, MT 59832
• Office (physical): 12 W Broad St., Drummond, MT 59832
• Phone: 406-241-3604
• Email: [email protected]
• Mission address: Church Rd., Goldcreek, MT 59733