The early years Iroquois Indians were the first to bring Catholicism to what is now Montana – arriving in the area of what is now Plains, Mont., between 1816 and 1820. Later, Native Americans went to St. Louis to request Blackrobes, and in June 1840, Jesuit Father Pierre DeSmet came to Montana for the first time. St. Mary Mission in present-day Stevensville was established in 1841. In the 1850s, St. Ignatius Mission was established, and other missions followed.
By 1883, the Territory of Montana was seen as a potential diocese. As a first step, it was established as a Vicariate Apostolic, and Bishop John Baptiste Brondel was assigned here. He was told by the Archbishop of Portland, Ore., to “Go with haste into the mountains,” and he arrived in Arlee in June 1883. On April 18, 1884, the Diocese of Helena was established – at the time comprising the entire Territory of Montana.Bishop Brondel was named the first bishop.
John Baptiste
Brondel
John Baptiste Brondel was born in Belgium in 1842. As a young priest he came
to the Pacific Northwest and eventually was named the Bishop of Vancouver Island
(now Victoria, British Columbia). He became the first Bishop of Helena in 1884
and served in that capacity until his death on Nov. 3, 1903. Just prior to his
death, he proposed that there be more than one diocese in Montana – and the
division was made in May 1904, with the second diocese centered in Great Falls.
John Patrick
Carroll
John Patrick Carroll was born in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1864. As a young priest he
served on the faculty of St. Joseph College in Dubuque, and in 1894 was named
its president. In 1904 he was named Bishop of Helena and was consecrated a bishop
in Dubuque on Dec. 21, 1904. He was installed in Helena on Jan. 30, 1905. During
his tenure as bishop he established numerous parishes, began and completed the
Cathedral of St. Helena, and established Mount St. Charles College, which was
later named in his honor – Carroll College. Bishop Carroll died Nov. 4, 1925,
while visiting in Switzerland.
George Joseph
Finnigan
George Joseph Finnigan was born in 1885 in Potsdam, N.Y. He was ordained a priest
of the Congregation of the Holy Cross and served at the University of Notre
Dame. In 1926 he was elected as Provincial and in 1927 was appointed the third
Bishop of Helena. The first Holy Cross priest to become a bishop, he was consecrated
at Sacred Heart Church on the Notre Dame Campus on Aug. 1, 1927, and was installed
in Helena on Aug. 18. Bishop Finnigan had a special interest in promoting religious
education in the diocese. Bishop Finnigan died of a heart attack on Aug. 14,
1932, at the age of 47, and after only five years as Bishop of Helena.
Ralph Leo
Hayes
Ralph Leo Hayes was born in 1884 in Pittsburgh, Pa. After his ordination as
priest in 1909, he served as mission director and as superintendent of schools
for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and in 1925 was appointed pastor of St. Catherine
Parish. In 1933, he was appointed as Bishop of Helena, and was consecrated in
Pittsburgh on his 49th birthday, Sept. 21, 1933. He was installed as Bishop
of Helena on Oct. 5. After only two years as Bishop of Helena, Bishop Hayes
was appointed Rector of the North American College in Rome. Later, he served
as the Bishop of Davenport, Iowa.
Joseph Michael
Gilmore
Joseph Michael Gilmore was born in 1893 in New York City. The family moved to
Anaconda in 1898. After ordination as priest in 1915, he served at Mount St.
Charles College and a few parishes before being appointed chancellor in 1927.
He was consecrated and installed as the fifth Bishop of Helena on Feb. 19, 1936.
During the 26 years he served as bishop, the diocesan Church grew and expanded,
both in parishes and institutions, in the number of priests, and the number
of Catholics. Bishop Gilmore died April 2, 1962, while attending the installation
of the Archbishop of San Francisco.
Raymond Gerhardt
Hunthausen
Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen was born in Anaconda on Aug. 21, 1921. He graduated
from Carroll College and attended St. Edward Seminary near Seattle. Following
ordination as a priest in 1946, he was appointed to the Carroll College faculty.
In April 1957 he was appointed as president of Carroll College and in 1962 as
the sixth Bishop of Helena. His consecration was at the Cathedral of St. Helena
on Aug. 30, 1962. In October, he traveled to Rome to participate in the Second
Vatican Council, and he spent much of his time as bishop implementing the decisions
of that council. On May 22, 1975, he was installed as the Archbishop of Seattle
and served in that position until retiring in 1991.
Elden Francis
Curtiss
Elden Francis Curtiss was born in Baker, Ore., in 1932. He was ordained as a
priest for the Diocese of Baker in 1958. He served that diocese until 1970,
when he was appointed to the faculty of Mount Angel Seminary. He became the
first diocesan-priest rector of the seminary in 1972. In 1976, he was appointed
as the seventh Bishop of Helena and was consecrated in Helena on April 28, 1976.
Among the many events which occurred during his time as bishop were the celebration
of the 100th anniversary of the diocese and a Diocesan Synod. On June 25, 1993,
he was installed as the Archbishop of Omaha, Neb., a position he still holds.
Alexander
Joseph Brunett
Alexander Joseph Brunett was born in Detroit, Mich., in 1934. He was ordained
a priest for the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1958, and served several parishes
of that Archdiocese, including the Shrine of the Little Flower. He was archdiocesan
ecumenical officer for many years and was instrumental in dialogue with the
Jewish people. In 1994 he was named the ninth Bishop of Helena. He was ordained
and installed July 6, 1994, in Helena. During his tenure here, he was chosen
to be chairman of the United States Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenism. On Dec.
18, 1997, he was installed as Archbishop of Seattle, a position he still holds.
Robert Charles
Morlino
Robert Charles Morlino was born in 1946 in Scranton, Pa., and graduated from
Jesuit High School in Scranton. He entered the seminary for the Maryland Province
of the Society of Jesus, and was ordained in 1974. Father Morlino taught philosophy,
continuing education for priests, religious and laity, and directed parish renewal
programs. In 1981, he became a priest of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich., and
served in diocesan positions as well as in parishes. He was about to become
a full-time theology professor when he was appointed Bishop of Helena on July
6, 1999. His consecration and installation took place Sept. 21 in Helena. His
episcopacy was marked by an increase in vocations. On May 23, 2003, Bishop Morlino
was appointed Bishop of Madison, Wis.
Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 20, No. 6, June 18, 2004.