< Marquette League for Catholic Indian Missions Records Index

MARQUETTE LEAGUE FOR CATHOLIC INDIAN MISSIONS (ML) RECORDS, 1904-1991

Records of a New York City-based fundraising organization that supported Native American Catholic missions and schools, 1904-1991. The records contain the minutes of the Board of Directors meetings and its newsletter, The Calumet. Gift of Monsignor Thomas A. Modugno, 1992.

Historical Note

The Marquette League was organized chiefly through the efforts of Reverend Henry G. Ganss as an auxiliary to the Preservation Society for the Preservation of the Faith Among Indian Children, a fund-raising organization directed by the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, which dispersed all funds raised by the Marquette League. Specifically, the Marquette League raised funds for the building projects of Indian missions, schools, and chapels, stipends for catechists, and scholarships for students throughout the United States, including Alaska.

To further its fundraising efforts, the Marquette League established branches in several Eastern cities (e.g. Baltimore, Washington) and published The Calumet, 1913-1958, a quarterly newsletter-magazine about evangelization and social concerns regarding Native Americans. The Calumet  featured several in-depth articles with illustrations, especially in its later years, but financial constraints led to its terminated in 1958. 

From 1952-1958, the Marquette League recruited volunteer lay persons to serve at Indian missions throughout the United States.

Scope and Content

Marquette League Series 1, Correspondence: Letters, clippings, brochures, and notes including those for a 1989 celebration commemorating the Marquette League's 85th anniversary.

The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records, Series 1-1, General Correspondence, includes correspondence between the Marquette League and the Bureau. 

Marquette League Series 2, Lay Apostolate File: An alphabetized card file of lay volunteers with names, home addresses, and description and location of service with dates.

Marquette League Series 3, Proceedings: Minutes of meetings with certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and resolutions interfiled in 1904, 1848, 1960-1961.

Marquette League Series 4, The Calumet: The Calumet on microfilm appears as Series 4 of this collection and Series 14-1 of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Mission Records with the BCIM version being less complete. The originals also appear in Series 14-1 of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Mission Records. Vol. 34, no. 2 (May, 1957) of The Calumet was misnumbered and issued as v. 45, no. 2 and the following 11 issues are missing from the Series 4 microfilm and the Series 14-1 BCIM originals: November, 1918; April-May, 1919; December, 1919; April-May, 1922; October, 1922; December, 1922; November, 1923; December, 1923; January, 1925; May, 1925; and February, 1952.

The Calumet provided a showcase for Catholic Indian missions and schools. Each issue featured several letters expressing gratitude from beneficiaries for mission  improvements attributed to supporters of the Marquette League. Many articles investigated the operations of missions and schools, the life and culture of Native American peoples, and the the lives of individual missionaries and Native Americans.

Several clergy were prolific authors and/or photographers who contributed a number of articles and/or photographs. The most notable were Bishop Joseph R. Crimont, S.J., 26 articles, re: Alaska, Jesuits, Prayers and Poetry; Reverend Eugene Buechel, S.J., 20 articles (no photographs cited), re: Dakota [Brulé and Oglala] Indians, Jesuits; Reverend John P. Fox, S.J., 16 articles (no photographs cited),  re: Alaska, Jesuits; Reverend Silverius Meyer, O.F.M., 14 articles, re: Franciscans, Navajo Indians, St. Michael’s Mission (Navajo Reservation, Arizona); Reverend Joseph M. Cataldo, S.J., 12 articles, re: Jesuits, St. Joseph’s Mission (Nez Perce Reservation, Idaho); Reverend Joseph A. Zimmerman, S.J., 11 articles (no photographs cited), re: Dakota [Brulé and Oglala] Indians, Fire and Natural Disaster, Holy Rosary Mission (Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota); and Reverend George Pieper, S.J., 2 articles (also numerous featured photographs cited after 1955), re: Mission Work (Evangelization), St. Francis Mission (Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota).

Women religious (nuns) contributed a few articles. Among them were Sister M. Claire Hartmann, S.S.S.F., 1 article, re: St. Paul's Mission (Fort Belknap Reservation, Montana), and Sister M. Macaria Murphy, F.S.P.A., 1 article, re: Schools-Catholic. 

Native Americans also contributed articles. They included various soldiers, 8 articles (letters), re: World War II War Efforts; Reverend John J. Brown, S.J. (Siksika), 2 articles, re: Jesuits, Native Americans-Catechists/ Priests/ Laity; Albert Calf Looking (Siksika), 1 article, re: Holy Family Mission (Blackfeet Reservation, Montana); Martin Good Rider (Unknown), 1 article, re: Schools-Catholic; Reverend Phillip B. Gordon (Ojibwa), 1 article, re: Native Americans-Catechists/ Priests/ Laity, Potawatomi [Pottawatomie] Indians; Joseph Humming Bird (Unknown), 1 article, re: Marquette League-“Marquette Boys”; Little Tommy (Siksika), 1 article, re: Holy Family Mission (Blackfeet Reservation, Montana), Marquette League-“Marquette Boys”; Lincoln Ne-Che-Kipa-Cee (Unknown), 1 article, re: World War II War Efforts; Sitting Bull (Dakota [Hunkpapa]), 1 article, re: Dakota Indians; Mrs. Swift Hawk (Dakota), 1 article, re: Dakota Indians. Reverend Gordon was also the subject of an article together with Navajo Indians.

Index to The Calumet: The index features a list of subjects, which are arranged alphabetically. There under articles are listed chronologically with authors noted.

The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records include substantial holdings of The Calumet (Series 14-1) that are missing 11 issues. This newsletter also appears in the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records, Series 14-1 microfilm, but is less complete than the Marquette League edition. 

Work in-progress: The Marquette University Libraries are developing bibliographic records for the publications in this collection. This includes all books, pamphlets, magazines, newsletters, prayer cards, published maps, published sound and video recordings, etc., and excludes clipping files and reprints of articles. As they are created, the bibliographic records will appear in Marqcat, the Marquette University online catalog. Furthermore, as an interim and supplemental search tool, most titles to publications in this and related collections appear in the Index to Publications in Native America Collections.