Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions facts for kids

The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions is a Roman Catholic organization started in 1874. It was created by J. Roosevelt Bayley, who was the Archbishop of Baltimore. Its main goal was to protect and support Catholic missions and interests among Native Americans in the United States. It helped Native American communities and Catholic schools.

History of the Catholic Indian Missions

Starting the Mission Bureau

In 1872, Catholic leaders sent Jean-Baptiste Brouillet to Washington, D.C. He was there to help settle issues for Catholic missions working with Native Americans. Soon, this effort grew to represent all Catholic areas in the U.S. that had worked with Native Americans. In 1873, Archbishop Bayley named General Charles Ewing as the Catholic Commissioner of Indian Missions. His job was to speak for the Catholic Church.

The Peace Policy and Its Impact

President Ulysses S. Grant had a "Peace Policy" from 1869 to 1881. This policy aimed to work with Christian churches to keep peace with Native American tribes. It also tried to stop corruption in the government's Office of Indian Affairs. Under this policy, the government gave certain Native American reservations to different religious groups. Catholic missions expected to be given 38 reservations. However, they only received seven. This meant that Native American Catholics on other reservations could not always go to Catholic churches or schools.

The new Office of Catholic Commissioner worked to fix these issues with the government. It also asked for help from Catholic bishops and regular church members. In 1879, the office was reorganized and renamed the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. The Holy See (the Pope's main office) approved the Catholic Bureau that same year. In 1884, a big meeting of Catholic leaders in Baltimore confirmed it. They also created a special collection during Lent to support missions for Native Americans and African Americans.

Catholic Schools and Government Contracts

During the Peace Policy, the government worked with Christian groups to provide schools for Native Americans. The government paid for tuition and boarding. The religious groups provided teachers and buildings. The Catholic Bureau helped many Catholic schools for Native Americans grow. In 1873, there were only three such schools. By 1893, there were 38 schools receiving $395,000 in government money.

This growth worried groups like the Indian Rights Association. They thought Catholic schools were a threat to American culture. They also worried about the idea of separation of church and state. In 1889, Thomas Jefferson Morgan, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, proposed a new plan. His plan would stop new contracts with religious schools. It would also slowly end existing ones.

Joseph Stephan, the Catholic Bureau director, tried to save the Catholic schools. He worked to get money directly from the United States Congress. But he faced strong opposition, which he believed came from Morgan. Relations between them became very bad. Morgan even stopped all contact with the Catholic Bureau in 1891. Even after Morgan left office, his school plan continued. From 1896 to 1900, Congress ended most contracts with religious schools. This caused many Catholic schools to close.

Saving the Schools and New Support

The Catholic Bureau worked hard to save the remaining Catholic schools. They asked bishops and missionaries to raise money. They also started a group called the Society for the Preservation of the Faith among Indian Children. This group published The Indian Sentinel magazine. They also worked with other fundraising groups like the Marquette League.

A lot of help came from Katharine Drexel. She saved many schools by donating over $100,000 each year. She also provided school staff through the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

Parental Rights and Trust Funds

In 1896, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Daniel M. Browning said that the government should decide which schools Native American children attended. However, Catholic Bureau director William H. Ketcham told President William McKinley that this was wrong. He said it went against parents' rights to choose their children's education. In 1901, McKinley ordered the ruling to be changed.

In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt made an important decision. He said that if Native Americans agreed, their "trust assets" could be used for private schools. Trust assets are private funds held by the government for Native American tribes. The Indian Office then gave contracts to the Catholic Bureau for eight schools. Opponents sued, leading to a Supreme Court case called Quick Bear v. Leupp. In 1908, the Supreme Court ruled that tribal trust assets were private funds. Native Americans could spend them as they wished. Over the next 50 years, Native American parents paid Catholic schools over $100,000 using these trust assets.

Later Developments and Modern Work

In 1934, the Indian Reorganization Act caused much discussion. The Catholic Bureau supported it. They believed it would help fix old problems. They also saw it as helpful for Catholic missions and schools.

During World War II, government money for Catholic schools on reservations dropped. But after the war, the Catholic Bureau worked hard to increase funding. By 1952, funding for these schools reached $289,000.

By 1962, the Catholic Bureau served 129,000 Native American Catholics. They had 394 Catholic mission chapels and 54 Catholic schools. By the 1970s, money from tribal trust accounts ran out. This caused some schools to close. To help, Catholic Bureau director Paul Lenz started the Association of Catholic Indian Schools. This group worked to keep schools open through fundraising.

After 1967, Native Americans began to become deacons (church leaders). Some found it hard to learn from regular textbooks. So, in 1986, the Catholic Bureau helped create new textbooks. These books were designed for Native American deacons and lay ministers.

In 1977, U.S. bishops asked the government to be fairer to Native Americans. The Catholic Bureau supported the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, which became law in 1978. Also in 1977, the Catholic Bureau began to support the Tekakwitha Conference. This group represents Native American Catholics. The Catholic Bureau also started to promote the sainthood of Kateri Tekakwitha, a 17th-century Mohawk convert.

In 1980, the Catholic Bureau's offices became known as the Black and Indian Mission office. This office also works with the Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians. Paul Lenz successfully fought to keep the independence of the Catholic Bureau and its fundraising efforts. The "Black and Indian Mission collection" grew to over seven million dollars by 1994.

The Catholic Bureau also helped identify two talented priests with Native American backgrounds. In 1986, Donald E. Pelotte became a bishop. In 1988, Charles J. Chaput also became a bishop.

Fundraising Organizations

The Catholic Church uses several groups to raise money for its missions. Some of these groups specifically support missions among Native Americans. They often work with the Catholic Bureau.

• Catholic Indian Missionary Association (1875–1887)

Catholic women started this group. It raised money for the Catholic Bureau and missions. It stopped when the Catholic Bureau started getting government contracts for schools.

• Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians (1884-)
• Society for the Preservation of the Faith among Indian Children (1902–1922)

William H. Ketcham started this group with The Indian Sentinel magazine. Members paid a small fee and received the magazine. It raised significant funds, especially from Catholic churches and schools in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

• Marquette League for Catholic Indian Missions (1904–1991)

Catholic Commissioners

• General Charles Ewing (1874–1883)
• Captain John Mullan (1883–1884)

Directors

• John-Baptiste Brouillet (1879–1884)
• Joseph Stephan (1885–1901)
• William H. Ketcham (1901–1921)
• William Hughes (1921–1935)
• John Tennelly (1935–1976)
• Paul Lenz (1976–2007)
• Wayne Paysse (2007-2015)
• Maurice Henry Sands (2015-)

See also

• Lists of United States Supreme Court cases; Quick Bear v. Leupp in volume 210

Archival Collections

Marquette University Special Collections and University Archives keeps the historical records for the Catholic Bureau. It also holds records for related groups like the Commission for the Catholic Missions among the Colored People and the Indians and the Catholic Negro-American Mission Board. Together, these groups are known as the Black and Indian Mission office. The records are mainly called the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records. Marquette University also has some images from these records and The Indian Sentinel magazine available online.