About the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City, South Dakota:
The Diocese of Rapid City covers western South Dakota, some 43,000 square miles in size, on the edge of the Black Hills, sacred ground for the native Lakota tribe. At one time, great herds of bison once roamed the Great Plains in such immense numbers that they could appear to stretch from horizon to horizon, and in some cases, a single herd could take an entire day to pass.
The cry of “gold” changed the life of western South Dakota. Mining, farming and ranching developed and small settlements sprang up, grew and, in some cases, withered away. This area had its portion of famous and infamous people and its moments of romantic glory. Soon western South Dakota stabilized and our diocese became a story of sacrificial love and deep faith.
The Catholic faith began with the native Lakota who were catechized by the early missionaries to South Dakota. The white settlers brought with them the memories of European cathedrals with spires raised like arms in prayer. To them it was a far different thing to have an occasional Mass said in a schoolhouse or celebrated on a kitchen table. In time, as priests became more plentiful and communities thrived, the circuit driving priests gave way to small wooden churches with small raised wooden spires. In larger communities, stone and brick churches became the homes of faith communities. In some communities, schools were added to assist parents in the formal education of their children in the ways of our faith.
This all meant sacrifice. This new land was not always kind. The Lakota knew well what the white settlers discovered. Drought browned the earth and dried up the water holes; grasshoppers darkened the sky; swift vengeful hail cut brutal swaths in the grain, and blizzards chilled and destroyed. Those who survived were people who had both hope and faith and who understood and lived the charity that marks our Catholic faith. Thus grew our Diocese of Rapid City. It did not grow by convulsive leaps and mighty instances of immediate heroism, but rather by daily growth built upon prayers, sacrifice and an intense desire to build a faith in what had once been a wilderness.
The original missionaries who shared the good news with the native Lakota were joined by additional priests and sisters. Their names are written in sacramental registries or forgotten records of one kind or another. The faith they lived and instilled in those they worked with remains strong in our diocese. In 1902, the Diocese of Lead was carved out of the Dakota Territory. In 1929, the see was transferred to Rapid City.
On the edge of the Black Hills, sacred ground for the Lakota, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was begun in 1960. It became the third Cathedral of the diocese following St. Patrick Church in Lead and Immaculate Conception Chapel near downtown Rapid City. It became the third Cathedral of the diocese following St. Patrick Church in Lead and Immaculate Conception Chapel near downtown Rapid City.
Like the granite spires of the beautiful hills, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help reaches up to God. Like the sweeping vest prairie it expands into a sanctuary where God chooses to live on earth. Its steel girders and ordered stones reflect the faith of hard working and dedicated Catholics throughout the parishes and ages of our diocese who sacrificed to bring it to completion. Its stunning stained glass windows and beautiful art work lift the minds and hearts of our whole faithful diocesan family to the wonder of God’s magnificent presence with us. Our Blessed Mother, who is honored at the Cathedral, calls us to faithful discipleship in her Son through the many images that recount her own faithfulness to God in her Son Jesus.
Its stunning stained glass windows and beautiful art work lift the minds and hearts of our whole faithful diocesan family to the wonder of God’s magnificent presence with us. Our Blessed Mother, who is honored at the Cathedral, calls us to faithful discipleship in her Son through the many images that recount her own faithfulness to God in her Son Jesus.
Traveling to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City, South Dakota:
Address: 520 Cathedral Dr, Rapid City, SD 57701
Phone: +1 (605) 342-0507