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St. Ignatius Mission Finds Home for Sisters
March 18, 2010
Chicago, Ill. - Catholic Extension has announced it will award St. Ignatius Mission in the Diocese of Helena a $25,995 grant that will be used to provide improved residential housing for two Dominican Sisters serving the parish. The new housing is much closer to the St. Ignatius community, allowing the sisters to more effectively oversee faith formation and counseling programs and conduct concentrated outreach throughout the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana. Property owned by the church recently became available for the use of Sr. Mary Stauder, O.P., and Sister Margaret Hillary, O.P, who have been living 25 miles away from the St. Ignatius community. Catholic Extension's grant will help purchase a large new double-wide mobile home that will be located next to the priest's quarters, providing improved amenities and easy access to the church. The new mobile home replaces a smaller one that was poorly insulated against the harsh Montana winters. St. Ignatius' pastor, Fr. Andrew Maddock, will oversee the project with help from the parish's Property and Finance Committee. "These women religious who selflessly devote themselves to this Native American community are true examples of living the gospel," said Joseph Boland, Grants Director for Catholic Extension. "The fact that a 1300 square foot mobile home is considered an upgrade for these missioners reflects how much more concerned they are with their mission than their own wants and needs. It is our honor to provide them a more livable home that will enable them to become even stronger fixtures in the St. Ignatius Catholic community." The grant is one of more than 800 requests Catholic Extension will fulfill this year in poor and isolated communities across the U.S. and its territories. Last year, the organization invested $14 million in America's 84 "mission dioceses," geographic regions of the U.S. where the Catholic Church is growing and needs are great. Catholic Extension was able to do so through contributions from 47,000 individual donors who share its commitment to strengthen communities and sustain the Catholic faith throughout the country. About Catholic Church Extension Society
For more than 100 years, the Chicago-based Catholic Church Extension Society has empowered burgeoning Catholic communities by providing funds to aid in church construction, religious education and seminary formation, campus and outreach ministries, evangelization, and salaries for missionaries. Catholic Extension is the leading supporter of Catholic missions in the U.S. and has distributed more than $450 million over its history. |
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