Indian Ministry

The primary purpose of the Department of Indian Ministry is to be at-one with the Indian people within the diocese, a listening presence in their midst and a promoter of Catholic Indian celebrations. Established and continued through a grant from the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, the director sponsors retreats, days of recollections, special Kateri Tekakwitha celebrations, an annual Indian Harvest Mass and attends the Kateri Circle Meetings. We are very proud of our youth Kateri Circle on the Grand Portage Reservation, the first in the state. The director represents the diocese at various church, civic and tribal functions and serves as the voice that brings Indian concerns to the attention of the Bishop, the diocesan officers, and other directors of diocesan offices.

The Anishinabe, as the tribe refers to itself, are also known as Ojibwe and Chippewa, each name having many variations in spelling. These, the first people in our area, generously shared the gifts of Mother Earth with the early trappers and fur traders who gave them the names Ojibwe and Chippewa.

Reservations within the Diocese of Duluth:
Bois Forte Reservation
Fond du Lac Reservation
Grand Portage Reservation
Leech Lake Reservation
Mille Lacs Reservation