Construction on new St. Mary Catholic Church begins Sunday

Construction on the new St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation will begin with a groundbreaking ceremony Sunday 20 after a Mass that begins at 11:30 a.m.

Father Joseph Tran said the ceremony will last between 15 and 30 minutes, and Bishop Michael Warfel will be in attendance.

The old church, built in 1979 in a community effort using 200 logs harvested on the reservation to replace the former church, was a total loss in the Dec. 14, 2019, fire, which was caused by a faulty furnace.

Since the fire, Tran has been hosting Mass at his house, but it’s not large enough to hold more than 22 or so people.

“My house is just too small,” he said.

Tran said, between the fire and COVID-19, attendance to Mass has been down significantly, but he suspects when the new church is finished, which he said would likely be about a year from now, attendance will rebound quickly. He said he’s already expecting about 100 people at the ceremony Sunday.

He said it’s been a difficult year for the church, but the groundbreaking this Sunday will be a welcome milestone.

“(I’m) excited, excited and relieved,” he said. “... It’s been a hard year.”

Tran said this feeling is shared by the rest of the congregation, and they are looking forward to the new church’s construction.

He said the new building will not be the same as the old, the most substantial upgrade being the amount of space, which has more than doubled.

He said the old church was about 3,600 sq. ft. and the new one will be more than 8,000.

Tran said he invites anyone who’s interested to attend the ceremony.