Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-22
Rev. Father Jerome Hunt Is
Still Carrying On Work
Among The Sioux Indians
Which He Started As
Years Ago; Established
Indian Paper.
tHerald Special service.)

Devils Lake, N. D., Aug. 22.-Fffty
years a priest, forty-nve of which
were spent teaching Sioux Indians
christianity, is the RECORD which Rev.
Father Jerome Hunt, of the Fort
Totten Indian mission, near here,
IL celebrating today. The Devils
Lake Council. Knights Of Columbus,
plans have been made for the enter
tainment Of at least fifty priests and
several bishops from the Dakotas and
Minnesota WHO are attending the cele-
bration.
Father Jerome, bent under years Of
privation spent when the Indians were
still unsubdued IN the Dakotas rather
than from his ~ years, still says mass
for the Sioux Indians in his little
church at Fort Totten reservation, but
he has been so feeble the last few
years that he is constantly attended
by Brother Giles. who has been his in
s%eparable companion for ove 45
years. Brother Giles today will
also celebrate the 50th anniversary Of
taking the vows, and the jubilee there
fore will be a double one. and un-
airy in the history Of the Catholic
church in America, OF account Of the
long close co~mpanionship Of the two
mon who are the leading actors in it.
Each of the priests has his own ad-
venturous tale to tell. and their ac-
counts of the early days in the Dakota
read like pages from the pioneer
days Of the Northwest full Of the life
of he prairies, struggles with hostile
Indians, the long cold winters, ,when
hunger lurked about the homes Of the
priests and the Indians; stories Of
miles travelled on horseback through
winter SHOWS and w1lds to administer
the last holy rite to someone dying
beyond the reach Of established par
fishes. Such in brief describes the
lives Of Father Jerome and Brother
Giles, yet despite their hardships, their
~endeavour to turn the superstitious
and barbarous Indian into the paths of
iChristia nifty, these two priests have
smiles for all. more especially for the
| back-sliding Indian who at times feels
the mysterious urge Of the Man I Of
Nazareth and to the home Of
the priest for advice or sacntuary.
Father Jerome's feeble figure does
not prevent him from visiting day in
and day out with all who. happen to
pass his way. and he Is strong in his
hope for the future Of the Indians who
are fast embracing his faith, thus
making them a useful link in the chain
iof American and new world civiliza-
ton.
Learned Sioux Language.
: The aged missionary brooks no dis
couragement. One OF the first great
tasks he tackled and accomplished
when he was sent into the Standing
Rock Indian reservation in 1877. five
years after hi was ordained at Fulda,
Indiana, was to learn the Sioux Ian
guage. This was a difficult task for
3 q man who vas born and lived in
Baden. Germany, until he was II
years Of age. He had just mastered
fthe English language, but he found
the Sioux unlike any of the classical
tongues he had learned in the college
and seminary both in Germany and in
TITS country. but it was not long be-
fore he could talk to the Sioux in their
own tongue as fluently as they talked
to each other.
Wrote Bible In Sioux.
But Father Jerome did more than
merely talk Sioux. He took the Latin
wrote a history Of the Bible for the
Sioux. His next task was to trans
late the Catholic prayer book into
Sioux, which he accomplished, even
Incorporating into the book a number
Of Hymns, which are now being sung
at the masses held in st. Michael,s
mission at the reservation. the choir
Indians, who sing the hymns in their
own language.
Father Jerome did all these things
since coming to Fort Totten from
Standing Rock reservation on Sep
TENDER 80, 1882. He came to Fort
Totten by way>of Jamestown but
could get only al far as Larimore, the
farthest western point Of the Great
Northern railway sat that time. He