Wolf Creek's Sacred Heart Mission Suspends Masses

The Sacred Heart Mission Catholic Church of Wolf Creek, Montana will have its last Mass on October 21st at 3:00 pm. The Catholic Diocese of Helena explained that this was due to a shortage of Catholic priests. They did say that the church was not closing, only that there were no definite plans for the near future. They mentioned a possibility of maybe having a Rosary once a month, but could not confirm.

In the book, "Dearborn Country, A History of the Dearborn, Wolf Creek, and Craig Areas", Viola Bennett recounted a short history of the church.

Before the church was built in 1917, Sunday School was held when a minister came by in the early days of Cartersville and Wolf Creek. From the late 1890s it was held first in the old Cartersville building and later in the school building in Wolf Creek when it was completed in 1910. For a short while, in 1913, Sunday School was held in the large dining room of the Forman Hotel. Later the American Sunday School Union Mission took over the services.

Through the efforts of Mr. Charles Powers, former owner of Rock Creek Ranch, a Catholic church was built, completed in 1917. Most of the priests came from Helena to hold services, mostly from Carroll College, but sometimes from Great Falls. Craig, too, sometimes had an itinerant minister stop by to hold services, and for a while they had a Sunday School organized by the American Sunday School Union. Later, when travel became easier, the Sunday School was held only at Wolf Creek for the two communities.