On August 10, 1851, Fr. Pierre Jean De Smet S.J. celebrated Mass at what is now know as Lake De Smet. To mark this historic event, the priests in the area have had a memorial Mass at this site up until the 1980s or 90s. With this being 175 anniversary of that first Mass, we decided to bring the memorial Mass back.
This monument was erected in Fr. De Smet's honor back in 1940.
Needing some attention, the Knights of Columbus of Sheridan and Buffalo had the monument refurbished and did a lot of work around the site to restore its beauty.
With all our ducks in a row, parishioners came from Worland, Sheridan, Buffalo, Gillette, and New Castle to celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving.
Good stuff.
This was a great opportunity to recognize the missionary efforts of Fr. De Smet. In his 50 years as a Jesuit, Fr. De Smet traveled 180,000 miles across the Rocky Mountain frontier. He also made 19 crossings of the Atlantic in fundraising efforts.
Fr. Clement, visiting from Nigeria, concelebrated Mass with us.
About 100 Faithful were in attendance.
After Mass we had a nice reception and presentation. Lynn Dooley, of the Knights of Columbus in Sheridan, was responsible for much the work done here. He took time to thank all who had a hand in these renovation efforts.
After that, we rededicated and blessed the moment.
A fun time was had by all.
Such a great cause. Too big to comprehend, really. Fr. De Smet's missionary efforts are an inspiration for all of us. We are all called to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News of life in Christ, to those in our circle of influence. We do this first by our actions and then with our words. Special thanks to all who made today's celebration happen. Let's do it again next year!
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