Montana is Big Sky country. The land of the Rockies, the great northern plains, iconic wildlife and the enduring spirit of the American frontier. A trip to Montana never fails to provide an appreciation for the glory of God’s Creation and a reminder of the courageous steps undertaken by the early Catholic missionaries in this beautiful region of America. The perfect trip to Montana is book-ended by visits to two of the country’s most awe-inspiring national parks: Glacier National Park and Yellowstone, with stops along the way to visit the historic Catholic missions south of Glacier including the site of a Marian miracle, and the capital of Helena, home to one of the most impressive cathedrals in the United States.
Whitefish: Gateway to Glacier National Park and the Missions
In the northern part of Montana, along U.S. 93, is the resort town of Whitefish. It is a natural gateway to the stunning mountain scenery of Glacier National Park, as well as to some great ski resorts and mountain biking trails. Its historic downtown also provides a good sense of the old northwest.
It was to this corner of northwest Montana that the first Catholic missionaries arrived in the nineteenth century. Somewhat remarkably, these missionaries only came at the invitation of the local Indian tribes – the Flathead and the Nez Perce – who had sent emissaries to St. Louis three times to request a “Black robe” come to their communities to teach them the truth about the “Great Spirit.” The local tribes had been told about the Jesuits and Christianity by visiting Iroquois Indians from the St. Lawrence River Valley and yearned to learn more about the Christian faith. This followed on a vision that a local Indian chief had in the late 1700s that one day men would come in black robes teaching important new truths.
The missionary enterprise to Montana was led by Fr. Pierre DeSmet, the famed “Apostle of the Rockies.” He celebrated the first mass in Montana at Three Forks (the headwaters of the Missouri River) in 1840 baptizing the chiefs of two of the tribes and over 350 members. The following year, Fr. DeSmet returned to establish the first permanent mission in Montana along the banks of the Bitter Root River, south of Missoula: St. Mary’s Mission. The nearby mountain peak, the tallest mountain to the west rising over 6,000 feet above the plain, was also named by Fr. DeSmet as Mary’s Peak. The mission church was the first parish of the North West and “where Montana began.”
Historic St. Mary’s Mission
St. Mary’s Mission is located in the present-day town of Stevensville, about 160 miles south of Whitefish. The town was aptly named for the Mother of God and it was the site of two miraculous Marian apparitions.
The first miracle, the apparition to Little Paul in 1842, is immortalized in painting inside the mission church by Fr. Ravalli and is also well documented in the writings of Fr. DeSmet. Little Paul was a young boy who yearned to be baptized, but was unable to learn his prayers or catechism. One night, he entered the house of the catechist, only to find Our Lady there instead. In an instant, his heart was cleared and he knew all his prayers. Our Lady later returned to him in a dream noting how pleased she was that the missionaries had named the town after her. This apparition and the testimony of the boy led to the conversion of many of the Indigenous persons across the region.
The second Marian miracle is attributed to the site of the church itself. St. Mary’s was constructed over the burial site of “Little Mary.” Unbeknownst to the missionaries at the time the church was built, this young girl had been buried there following a dying request for emergency baptism. After receiving the sacrament, she had a vision of Heaven, with Mary waiting to greet her, and Little Mary conveyed to the Indigenous tribes around her a heavenly instruction to follow the teachings of the Black robes, prophesying that on this very spot where she died, a church would one day be built.
Visitors to the mission can tour the mission chapel, the original log cabin/pharmacy belonging to the first pastor of the mission, Fr. Ravalli, the cabin of the Indian chief (now a Native American History Museum) and a visitor’s center and museum.
St. Ignatius Mission
St. Ignatius Mission is located in the present-day town of St. Ignatius, about 90 miles south of Whitefish. It is situated within the Flathead Indian Reservation and remains an active parish ministering to the many Indigenous Catholics living on the reservation. In fact, it is one of the oldest continuously active Jesuit missions in the western United States.
The mission was originally established in Washington state in the mid 1850s by Fr. DeSmet and Fr. Adrian Hoecker, but was relocated to St. Ignatius in 1854 at the invitation of Chief Alexander of the Kalispel Salish tribe. The town of St. Ignatius grew up around it and it was site of the first Catholic school, hospital, and order of religious sisters in Montana. The current church on the site dates from the 1890s.
In addition to its vibrant parish community, the mission is well known for its beautiful paintings, 58 murals to be precise, which were painted by Brother Joseph Carignano. What makes these paintings remarkable is that Brother Joseph was not a trained artist; rather he was the humble cook for the mission and yet was able to execute stunning murals that would rival those found in European churches.
There is a considerable amount to see for visitors to the mission. The site consists of four buildings: the original 1854 log mission (now the museum), the 1891 church (which contains beautiful the Carignano murals), the 1960 rectory, and the 1864 Providence Sisters Residence. Following the visit to the Mission you can spend the afternoon hiking the rustic Mission Reservoir Trail, which runs for over 3.5 miles and is located about seven miles outside of town.
Helena
After exploring Glacier National Park and the missions, head east to the state capital of Helena, which was built up over one of America’s most famous gold rush destinations.
Indeed, Helena is steeped in the tradition of the gold rush, and was known as the “last chance gulch,” the last place for gold prospectors to turn up gold before giving up and heading home. In the immediate aftermath of the Gold Rush, Helena was home to more millionaires per capita lived than anywhere else in the country, earning it the nickname of the Queen City. The legacy of this excess remains preserved in the ornate homes of the city’s Mansion District and its iconic cathedral.
Cathedral of St. Helena
This grand Cathedral of St. Helena appears a bit out of place in rustic Montana. Indeed, it is modeled on the Votive Church of the Sacred Heart in Vienna, Austria. Its twin spires rise majestically toward the surrounding mountain peaks and the gilded interior is accompanied by graceful arches, vaulted ceilings and hand-crafted stained glass windows from Bavaria.
At the mass consecrating the new cathedral, the Archbishop of St. Louis magnificently summed up what visitors to the Cathedral continue to recognize to this day: “Wisely did he [Bishop Carroll], too, plant here amidst the mountain, pine and peak, the architecture that reproduces the beauty of the one and the glory of the other.”
Among the Cathedral’s many treasures are the remains of a twelve year old early Roman martyr, St. Leo the Martyr. His relics and wax effigy were gifted to the first bishop of Helena while he was in Rome and brought back to the Cathedral, preserving a direct link between the earliest Christian martyrs and the missionary enterprise among the settlers in Montana.
In the area immediately around the Cathedral, there are a number of impressive sites including the Old Governor’s Mansion, the stately homes of the Mansion District, the State Capitol Building and the cobblestone and brick-lined Reeder’s Alley, which captures life as it was in the mid nineteenth century at the height of Helena’s gold rush boom. As for the site of the gold deposits, that is now a large outdoor mall named Last Chance Gulch, lined with unique shops, restaurants and a man made stream coursing over the veins of where the gold was discovered. From the downtown, you can also easily hike over 5,000 feet to the summit of Mt. Helen for incredible views over the city and the surrounding mountain ranges.
Butte
About 70 miles southwest from Helena is the town of Butte, whose copper deposits once made it known as the “richest hill on earth.” Here in this former mining town, are two fantastic sites: you can can one hundred feet underground and explore the World Museum of Mining (built over an actual mining site) and you can also ascend to the heights of the Rockies and the Continental Divide, encountering Our Lady of the Rockies.
Our Lady of the Rockies is one of the largest Marian statues in the world. A ninety foot steel statue of Our Lady is perched over 8,000 feet above Butte on the eastern ridge of the Continental Divide. It was built in 1979 to fulfill a promise that a local resident made to Our Lady if she were to intercede for his wife’s healing from breast cancer. Visitors can take a half day trip up to the top of the mountain to observe the statue up close and take in spectacular views from the Continental Divide.
Bozeman: Gateway to Yellowstone National Park
The final leg of the trip through Montana takes you to the college town of Bozeman, located about 80 miles from Butte. The historic main street is lined with excellent restaurants and is a great place to stop for a Montana cattleman’s cut, bison burger and locally brewed beer before continuing your journey. Bozeman is also home to two significant museums: the one of its kind American Computer and Robotics Museum and the Smithsonian-affiliated Museum of the Rockies on the campus of Montana State University. Also not to be missed is the Gallatin history museum, housed in the old jail building. Not only can you see the jail cells and the old gallows, but the exhibits tell the story of this region dating back to its days as a gold rush destination. Some of the best skiing in America is nearby at Big Sky Resort, which receives over 400 feet in annual snowfall and boats over 300 distinct runs.
From Bozeman, it is about two hours to the Wyoming border and the northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is America’s oldest national park and home to Old Faithful, the geyser that shoots steaming water into the sky every 81 minutes. The park sits atop a dormant volcano and is home to more geysers and hot springs than anywhere else in the world. Driving through the park also brings you up close with some of its iconic wildlife, including the deer and buffalo. This is a wonderful place to end a vacation-pilgrimage to Montana, reflecting on the splendor of God’s creation.
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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