Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-08-08

Grant home until the first log church
was completed on Main street On
Dec. 8. 1866. the first mass was cele-
brated in the little church and Father
De Ryckere dedicated 1t to the I'm
maculate Conception. This was the
first church In the Deer Lodge valley
the mother Of all Montana secular
parishes, as st. Mary's and St Ig-
natius missions were in charge Of the
Jesuit fathers.
Prom here the young missionary
priest visited the mining camps Of his
mission. Day and nights were spent
in the saddle. Gold Creek. Pioneer.
Pixies Peak. Black Foot. Bear Gulch.
Mcclellan Gulch. German Gulch, An
derson. Butte, Silver Bow, Philipsburg
New Chicago. Flint Creek and Ne
vada Creek. he visited them all. Ac-
cidents In the mines were frequent
and so were shooting scrapes and
brawls among the turbulent miners.
Over almost impossible trails, in bitter
winter weather. through scorching
summer heat Father De Ryckere rode
to reach them in time for the last
comforts of their religion.
Stories are told of his riding all
night in a binding snow storm in
answer to sick call only to find the
patient sufficiently recovered to cook
his breakfast. His was a Spartan ma
ture. Serious of manner always. &C.
centric, but never sparing himself.
One of the Sisters of Providence at
Missoula once told me how two OF
the members of the order came here
from Walla Walla, Wash, to beg
money in the mining camps. When il
came time for them to return. Father
De Ryckere escorted them back tc
Walla Walla. This journey of hun
dreds of miles on horseback was taken
simply as part Of his work.
In 1881, Is years after he came to
Deer Lodge, Father De Ryckere felt
that the camp at Butte would be per-
manent. He built st. Patrick's church
there. His also was the labor of erect
ing churches at Helmville, Philips
burg. Granite, Stone Station Church
afterwards moved to HalD, Gold
Creek, and he formulated the plans
for church in Anaconda which was
built by Father De Siere.
Known As Builder
~ ID ao DuIIutI tIldI catIleT DE
Ryckere has carved for himself a place
among those dauntless priest pioneers
who blazed the trail and brought to
this land Of shining mountains" the
gospel Of the cross. The honor and
glory of being founder goes to the
great De Smet, but if Father De Smet
was the founder of religion in Mon
tana, Father De Ryckere built. ce-
mented and made permanent what
Father De Smet established. The scene
OF his work was principally as ex-
tensive as his native Belgium and
what astonishing success met his eff
forts! This principality to this day is
dotted with churches which are monu.
ments to his zeal He can scarcely be
called man of destiny, but he can
truly be titled the Spartan builder OF
a spiritual empire as solid as the
granite of our towering hills. He bull,
as many mission churches as there
has been parochial churches founded
in the same territory during, or since
his time, and where he labored un.
aided and alone there are over 3(
priests today carrying on his great
work.
No story of the history of the Deel
Lodge valley would be complete with.
out the record of the work of the
sisters.
In October, 1873, the sisters opened
their first hospital in Deer Lodge. II