‘Mother Church of Butte’ celebrates 125th, installs 15th pastor

By Cathy Tilzey

St. Patrick’s Parish in Butte celebrated two special events Nov. 5 – the 125th anniversary of its establishment, and the installation of its 15th pastor, Father Bob Hall.
Hundreds of people flocked to Butte’s first church, which has been called the “Mother Church of Butte.” The church was full, with Father Hall’s parents and relatives filling two reserved pews. A group of religious sisters and Brother Patrick McCormack, Butte’s only resident Irish Christian religious brother, sat together.
The installation began with Bishop George Leo Thomas, Father Hall and assisting ministers entering the church silently. With the assembly turned to watch, they stopped first at the main doors, where Denise Harrington, pastoral council chairwoman, welcomed the bishop.
The first of 10 parish representatives asked Father Hall if he will welcome, with nothing less than the love of Christ, all who come through the doors. “I will,” he answered.
Then the group moved to the baptismal font, reconciliation chapel, place for holy oils, altar, eucharistic chapel and the presider’s chair for additional questions pertinent to the location.
Near the ambo, parishioners presented the oils of catechumens and the sick, the Holy Chrism and the lectionary to Bishop Thomas, who passed them to Father Hall with words of entrustment.
At the presider’s chair, Bishop Thomas spoke to the pastor, then asked the assembly to welcome Father Hall, pray for him, work with him and recognize him as their new pastor. They did so by raising their right arms and singing a blessing to him.
Father Hall, a Butte native, graduated from Carroll College and studied for the priesthood at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. He was ordained June 21, 1985.
His first assignment was as associate pastor of Anaconda Catholic Community for five years. Then he was appointed pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Choteau and St. John the Evangelist Parish in Fairfield. In 1994, he became administrator of Resurrection Parish in Bozeman, and pastor there in 1995.
During the Mass, Bishop Thomas homilized about the remarkable age in which St. Patrick’s was built. The year 1881 was partly a time of crisis, in which President James Garfield was assassinated. But it was also a time of helping others, as the American branch of the Red Cross was founded, and the Salvation Army made its debut, he said.
Writers such as Helen Hunt Jackson, Joel Chandler Harris and Henry James wrote memorable and controversial books. Inventions and innovations were prolific, ranging from the safety razor to the first central electric power plant and the first major elevated railroad, both in New York City.
In the West, Butte was “on the cusp of major change after a period of fits and starts,” the bishop said. “It is a well-known fact that entrepreneur Marcus Daly was the catalyst of optimism and the reason why Irish immigration in particular took off like a shot.”
As immigrants poured into the bustling mining camp in the 1880s and 1890s, “Their need for services and supplies was also accompanied by a pressing demand for spiritual and pastoral care,” he explained.
In 1883, St. Patrick’s was granted parish status and the wood frame and brick veneer church was replaced by a solid brick structure at a price of $18,000. By 1889, the parish had 7,000 members and became the Mother Church and flagship parish for the region.
Bishop John B. Brondel, the Diocese of Helena’s first ordinary, praised the Irish immigrants, according to his journal, but also lamented the lack of Irish priests in Montana. So he traveled to Ireland and secured promises that Irish-born priests would go to Montana. They did.
He and his successor, Bishop John P. Carroll, created many ways of supporting immigrant cultures in Butte, including more churches, schools, a Catholic hospital (St. James), fraternal organizations and Bishop Carroll’s pride and joy in Helena – Mount St. Charles (later called Carroll College) which was founded to develop a native clergy for Montana.
Bishop Thomas talked about Butte Catholic schools, including the Christian Brothers High School for boys and a Girls’ Cenral High School under the tutelage of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, and how they evolved into the present Butte Central High School system.
“Many graduates, including yours truly, are here present,” he said.
The bishop encouraged the people to make certain the parish’s center remains the celebration of Eucharist; to live their sacramental life concretely, especially through solicitude toward the poor and needy; to give a special place to the New Evangelization in welcoming home those who have left the Church, and those becoming Catholic; to give a special place to youth and young adults, and to help the laity to participate fully in Church life.
A reception for Father Hall took place in Butte Central High School’s gymnasium that afternoon.
The 125th anniversary celebration continued that evening with a banquet at the Red Lion Inn. Entertainment included Karen Anderson playing her Celtic harp.

Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 22, No 11, November 17, 2006.