About

St. Francis Mission is a ministry of the of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) among the 20,000 Lakota (Sioux) people on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in south-central South Dakota. It is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1886.  The purpose of the Mission is to  re-evangelize Catholic Lakota people and bring the Gospel of Jesus the Christ to those who have not heard it. We respect the traditions of the Lakota people as we collaborate with them to meet the spiritual, educational, social, and physical needs of the community.

Our ministry is supported by gifts from those who share our mission. Three Jesuit priests, one Jesuit brother, and one Jesuit preparing for the priesthood work with a team consisting of a Lakota deacon, seven commissioned Lakota lay ministers, and numerous Lakota lay men and women who make the work of the Church possible.

St. Francis Mission is the largest not-for-profit organization on the Rosebud Reservation that is not a governmental controlled or funded program.  Currently it supports work in six parishes, Icimani Ya Waste Recovery Center, the White River Recovery Center, the Father Jones Religious Education Center in St. Francis, the CYO Religious Education Center in Rosebud, the Wiwila Wakpala after school center in Spring Creek, the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum, and KINI Radio 96.1 FM.  All work is done in cooperation with Bishop Robert D. Gruss of the Diocese of Rapid City.