About St. Paul · Marty, South Dakota
St. Paul Catholic Church (also known as St. Paul's Indian Mission, Okodakiciye) sits on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in the small community of Marty, South Dakota. Originally founded in 1911 as a mission station, it became a parish of the Diocese of Sioux Falls in 1983 and today is one of nine parishes in the Holy Apostles Pastorate, alongside the parishes of Armour, Dante, Dimock, Geddes, Lake Andes, Parkston, Platte and Wagner. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:00 AM, with daily Mass, adoration, confession, and a K-12 youth religious-education program held during the week. The Mission complex remains closely tied to the cultural and spiritual life of the Ihanktonwan (Yankton Sioux) people, serving both Native Catholics and the wider southern Charles Mix County community.
- Established
- 1911
- Patron
- St. Paul the Apostle
- Rector
- Fr. Tom Clement (Pastor, Holy Apostles Pastorate)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sioux Falls
Why belong here
St. Paul Parish at Marty is a small but deeply rooted mission parish where Catholic life is woven into Yankton Sioux (Ihanktonwan) culture and the wider southern Charles Mix County community. Weekly Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, adoration, confession, and K-12 youth religious education give families a full sacramental schedule close to home. Through the Okodakiciye Mission Association, parishioners and visitors join a long tradition of outreach — the Needy Nook food and clothing pantry, Bible studies, Theophostic prayer ministry, furniture distribution, and an annual Mission Service Week with visiting teams — making it a parish where belonging means sharing Christ's love both inside the church and across the Reservation.
Mass times at St. Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday — during the 1:00 PM Daily Mass / Adoration hour (listed together on the parish schedule)
Adoration times
- Friday — Adoration paired with Daily Mass at 1:00 PM
History of St. Paul's Indian Mission
St. Paul's Mission was established in 1911 on the Yankton Sioux Reservation. The early mission community was served from St. Meinrad Abbey by Fr. Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B., who became its resident priest in 1921 after Native leaders petitioned the abbot directly. The same year, the town and boarding school took the name Marty. In 1983 the mission church was formally constituted as a parish of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, becoming the spiritual home of Catholics of many cultures in southern Charles Mix County.
- Mission founded 1911 on the Yankton Sioux Reservation
- Frame church hauled 13 miles from Wagner (1920)
- Resident priest Fr. Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B., from 1921
- First Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament arrive September 1922
- Town and school named Marty, 1921
- School becomes tribally controlled Marty Indian School, 1975
- Mission church constituted as a parish, 1983
Parish Identity & Mission
Today the parish is part of the Holy Apostles Pastorate of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, a grouping of nine rural parishes in Charles Mix, Douglas, Aurora and Charles Mix-adjacent counties. The Okodakiciye Mission Association — 'spiritual bonds of friendship' in Dakota — coordinates services and ministries that reach beyond the parish's geographic boundaries to the wider Ihanktonwan (Yankton Sioux) people. The parish publishes a quarterly newsletter, 'Okodakiciye,' for benefactors and friends.
- Catholic Mission of the Yankton Sioux People
- Part of the Holy Apostles Pastorate, Diocese of Sioux Falls
- Parish transformed in 1983 from mission-school chapel to parish
Clergy and Staff
St. Paul Marty is served by the pastorate-wide clergy team. Fr. Tom Clement serves as Pastor, with Fr. Jim Friedrich as Parochial Vicar assigned specifically to Dante, Marty and Wagner, and Fr. Gary DeRouchey as an additional Parochial Vicar. Deacon Joseph Tegethoff assists throughout the pastorate. Pastorate staff include Sr. Maribeth Wentzlaff (Director of Discipleship/Evangelization), JoNell DeHaan (Pastorate Administrative Assistant), Bailee Mogck (Business Manager), and Marty Rolston (Director of Facilities). At the Marty site, Office Manager Cathy Kreeger coordinates parish life, and Sr. Miriam Shindelar remains a familiar presence at the Mission line.
- Pastor: Fr. Tom Clement
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Jim Friedrich (Dante / Marty / Wagner)
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Gary DeRouchey
- Deacon: Joseph Tegethoff
- Sister on-site: Sr. Miriam Shindelar
- Marty Office Manager: Cathy Kreeger (605-491-1986)
- Pastorate Director of Discipleship/Evangelization: Sr. Maribeth Wentzlaff
Faith Formation & Youth Religious Education
K-12 youth religious education meets on Wednesdays at the Mission, in keeping with the long tradition of Catholic schooling that began with the day school in 1920 and boarding school staffed by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament from 1922. The parish continues this catechetical work in partnership with families on the Reservation.
- Wednesday — Youth Religious Education (K-12)
Okodakiciye Mission Association — Outreach & Charity
The Okodakiciye Mission Association coordinates ministries that extend beyond parish lines to all the Ihanktonwan people. These include Bible studies, an intercessory prayer ministry, the Needy Nook food and clothing pantry, a Theophostic Prayer Ministry, twice-yearly furniture distribution, and an ecumenical partnership through the local ministerial association. The Mission also partners operationally with the Rural Office of Community Services and Indian Health Service in caring for Natives in need.
- Bible studies
- Intercessory prayer ministry
- Needy Nook — food and clothing
- Theophostic Prayer Ministry
- Furniture distribution (twice yearly)
- Working alliance with Rural Office of Community Services and Indian Health Service
- Ecumenical outreach via local ministerial association
Mission Service Week
Each summer the Mission coordinates Mission Service Week, a week of service projects and catechetical opportunities. A group of 15–25 people typically comes from St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Racine, Wisconsin, to assist with home improvement projects and to share evangelization with children on the Reservation.
- Annual summer service and catechetical week
- Partnership with St. Paul the Apostle Parish, Racine, Wisconsin
- Home repair and youth evangelization projects
Okodakiciye Newsletter
The Mission publishes 'Okodakiciye,' a quarterly newsletter for benefactors and friends of St. Paul's Indian Mission, keeping supporters across the country connected to the parish's ministries on the Yankton Sioux Reservation.
- Quarterly newsletter for benefactors and friends
- Reports on ministries, events, and prayer needs
Historic Mission Campus
The Marty Mission complex grew piecemeal as donations permitted. The earliest buildings were salvaged frames from nearby towns, including the original 1920 church moved from Wagner. By the 1930s the mission was building substantial brick, stone and concrete structures. The three-story Gymnasium (1935, stripped Classicism) and four-story St. Therese Hall (1947, Art Deco, designed by Cincinnati Catholic architect Edward Schulte) are the two buildings nominated by the Yankton Tribal Historic Preservation Office to the National Register of Historic Places for their statewide significance in Education, Religion, Art, Ethnic Heritage and Architecture.
- Original 1920 frame church moved from Wagner (13 miles)
- Gymnasium — 1935, stripped Classicism, brick
- St. Therese Hall — 1947, Art Deco, brick and limestone, designed by Edward Schulte (Cincinnati)
- Both buildings nominated to the National Register of Historic Places
Visit, Contact, and Visitors
St. Paul Parish welcomes all visitors to its liturgical services and outreach. The parish office can be reached at [email protected] or (605) 384-3234; the Marty Office Manager is Cathy Kreeger at 605-491-1986. Mailing address is PO Box 266, Marty, SD 57361. The Mission is located at 102 Church Drive in Marty, Charles Mix County, South Dakota, on the Yankton Sioux Reservation.
- Address: 102 Church Drive, Marty, SD 57361
- Mailing: PO Box 266, Marty, SD 57361
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Visitors are welcome at all services
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B.1921–
Benedictine missionary from St. Meinrad Abbey assigned permanently to St. Paul's in 1921; built up the day school, boarding school and mission complex; published 'Notes on History of St. Paul's at Marty.'