The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-09-14
VENERABLE INDIAN MISSIONARY
REV. JEROME HUNT, o. S. B., HAS
SPENT THlRTY-FIVE YEARS
AMONG THE SIOUX INDIANS OF
NORTH DAKOTA.
Resides at Fort Totten Reservation
Built Three Churches Attended BY
Twelve Hundred Catholic Indians
Publishes Paper in Sioux.

Forty years ago the Reverend
Jerome Hunt, o. S. B.. was ordained
to the holy priesthood at the COM
pletion of his theological course in
St. Meinrad's Abbey, Ind. Five years
later, accompanied by Brother Giles,
the young priest came to Fort Yates
in North Dakota and began his
Sioux Indians At that time there was
only one other priest in the whole
district west of the Red River, and
the Dakotas had not been organized
into Vicariate.
Since then his whole life has been
devoted to the advancement of the
spiritual and temporal welfare of the
Indians. On his arrival at Fort Yates
he found it necessary to build a
church which he completed in the
church at the South Farm School, six
teen miles from the Fort.
Thirty years ago Father Jerome, as
he is familiarly called, came to Fort
Totten from Fort Yates and since
that time he has labored increasingly
among the Indians of the reservation,
and has made hundreds of friends
among the Redmen. When the first
little mission church was built on the
reservation in 1883, it took one thou
sand dollars of Father Jerome's pri-
vate funds to pay for it. Since that
time he has expended his income in
establishing two additional parishes,
one at Grow Hill, dedicated to ST..
Jerome, and one at st. Michael under
the patronage of st. Michael. In the
course of time the latter became too
small and an addition was built to it
and the whole structure remodelled.
The new church was re-dedicated by
the Right Reverend Bishop O'Reilly of
Fargo in the latter part of August
There are about twelve hundred
Catholic Indians in the three parishes
attended by Father Jerome. At Grow
Hill, five miles west of Fort Totten,
two hundred of them worship in the
little church. At St. MichaePs, To-
Gated on beautiful hill on the south
shore of Devils Lake, four hundred
and fifty Sioux compose the congrega-
ton. At the Fort Totten Reservation
school there are four hundred and
fifty Indian children who are members
of the mission church of the Seven
DoIors.
Among the most noteworthy
achievements of Father Jerome is the
translation of a large part of the
Bible into the Sioux language, and its
publication on a little printing press
which he established, and on which he
has printed translations of catechisms,
prayer books and hymnals for the In
dians. He has also printed and dis
tributed many thousand copies of an
illustrated Bible History. From this
printing establishment at Fort Totten
is sent forth the supply of religious
literature needed by the missionaries
among Indians in South Dakota, Mon
tana and Nebraska.
In addition to this Father Jerome
edits and prints little monthly paper
in the Sioux language, known as the
"Sinasapa Wocekiye Taeyanpaha," or
ssThe Herald of the Catholic Church" !"
This is said to be the only Indian
monthly paper published in the coun-
try.
Despite his years and the hard
ships of life spent among the,Indians,
Father Jerome is still vigorous and
hearty and those who know his worth
pray that he may spend many more
years of useful missionary work
among the people whom he loves and
to whose spiritual and temporal well
fare he has devoted thirty-five years
of his priestly career.