The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-11-26
OF CATHOLIC INDIAN
BUREAU, INDIANS FRIEND Is
CALLED BY DEATH--HAD BEEN
ACTIVE IN WORK AMONG TRIBES
FOR MANY YEARS-WAS CON-
VERT TO FAlTH-LOVED BY
MANY INDIAN TRIBES.

The death of the Right Rev. Mon
.signor William H. Ketcham, Director
of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Mis-
sions, with headquarters in Washing
ton since 1901, and known as the
greatest apostle of American mission
ary activity of this generation, has
caused general mourning in the ma
tion's capital, and on Indian reserva-
.tions throughout the United States.
Monsignor Ketcham died at Tucker,
Miss, November 16, after an attack
of apoplexy. He had been visiting the
Catholic missions among the Choc-
taws of Mississippi and had been en-
gagged in other research work being
done at the request of the Board of
Indian Commissioners of the Depart
ment of the Interior, of which he was
a member.
Monsignor Ketcham was a convert
to the Catholic Church and was born
of Puritan ancestry at Sumner, Iowa,
in 1868. He became a Catholic in
1885 while student at ST. Charles
College, Grand Coteau. La, from which
he graduated in 1888. He attended
1.-the theological seminary of Mt. St.
Mary's of the West at Cincinnati.
After his ordination in 1892, he was
appointed missionary to the people of
the Creek and Cherokee Nations and
of the Quapaw Agency in Indian Ter
ritory, now Oklahoma, with head
quarters at Muskogee
| Made Director of Bureau.
He elabored for ten years with un-
firing zeal among the Indian tribes
before being appointed Director of
the Bureau of Catholic Indian Mis-
sions. He completed the church at
Muskogee for the Creek Nation and
Iestablishel boarding and day schools
for boys and girls. with Sisters in
charge. He also erected churches for
the Creeks and for the Cherokees.
He established another church, with
Ia boarding and day school for boys
land girls, among the Quapaws of the
lQuapaw Agency and among the Choc.
taws, and made preliminary plans for
| the building of churches at Cayuga
for the Seneca Nation, at Tulsa for
the Creek Nation and at Lenepah for
the Cherokee Nation.
He also established mission sta
tions in other portions of the Greek
and Cherokee territory and among the
EWyandottes, Peorias and Miamis oi
the Quapaw Agency. These mission
ary activities resulted in the conver
sion of hundreds of Indians to the
faith.
Rights for Indians.
AS Director of the Bureau of Indiar
Missions, Father Ketcham, was instru
mental in bringing about cordial rela
Itions between missionaries and gov
lernment officials, and he secured the
Iabolition of the Browning rule where
by the right to choose school fol
an Indian child was taken from thu
lparent and vested in the, agent. Ht
secured the recognition of the righ
of Catholic pupils in government
schools to attend Catholic services ant
: secured priests for their instruction
One of his most important activities
, was that whereby he secured the us,
iof Indian Tribal funds for the suppor
and education of Indian pupils in Mis-
sion schools, thereby bringing a rev
enne of 100000 year to Catholi,
mission contract schools, having al
! Ienrollment of about 1900 pupils. III,
; Idirected the opening of many ney
! lschools and missions and was activ,
!. in the Society for the Preservation
Iof the Faith among Indian Children.