Post by cinemo on Feb 17, 2013 5:22:51 GMT -5
On February 1, 2013, Father Emmett Hoffmann, a legendary missionary priest, passed away. Father Emmett was made an Honorary Chief of the Northern Cheyenne Council of 44 in 1961, one of only two white men in history to attain that honor.
Father Emmett Hoffmann was born in Marathon, Wisconsin, in 1926. Father Emmett was posted to St. Labre Mission in 1954. At that time, he was a member of the Capuchin Order, which he joined in his twenties. (Later, he was a priest in the Diocese of Great Falls/Billings.) Following his seminary years and his ordination, he was sent to Montana in lieu of being sent overseas to a foreign mission. The move to Montana forever changed the course of his life, bonding him to the Northern Cheyenne people and to the Big Sky country that he calls his home.
Someone once told Father Emmett, "Father, if you hadn't become a priest, you might have made a good architect." Well, Father sure did a lot of building during his career! He helped build the multi-million dollar construction project at St. Labre Indian School and satellite schools on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations. Next, he helped found a bank in Ashland, rennovated the Northern Cheyenne Pine Company, a lumber mill that offered jobs to over 100 people. He also helped open a credit union and a first-class post office. Later, he helped build one hundred homes, 3 factories and the Heritage Living Center
Father Emmett also helped build a recreational facility for the community, which included a large gymnasium with an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool. The gymnasium bears his Indian name, Soaring Eagle, which was given to him when he was inducted into the Northern Cheyenne Council of Chiefs.
He retired from St. Labre Indian School in 1994, and in 1997 he founded Soaring Eagle, a public charity, with a primary focus on the Forgotten People, the Northern Cheyenne elders. The Heritage Living Center opened in 2002 . The Center provides a peaceful, safe haven for the elders, while allowing them to continue to teach and share their traditions with the young.
" My heart is filled with gratitude for your kindness and your concern for these older folks, who have often suffered without the basic necessities of life. When I say "God bless you" I am assuring you of my prayers each day. May our Creator bless you with health, happiness and the joy of knowing you have helped the poorest and most forgotten of people" .
-- Father Emmett, 1999
www.soaringeagle.org/hoffmann/
cinemo
Father Emmett Hoffmann was born in Marathon, Wisconsin, in 1926. Father Emmett was posted to St. Labre Mission in 1954. At that time, he was a member of the Capuchin Order, which he joined in his twenties. (Later, he was a priest in the Diocese of Great Falls/Billings.) Following his seminary years and his ordination, he was sent to Montana in lieu of being sent overseas to a foreign mission. The move to Montana forever changed the course of his life, bonding him to the Northern Cheyenne people and to the Big Sky country that he calls his home.
Someone once told Father Emmett, "Father, if you hadn't become a priest, you might have made a good architect." Well, Father sure did a lot of building during his career! He helped build the multi-million dollar construction project at St. Labre Indian School and satellite schools on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations. Next, he helped found a bank in Ashland, rennovated the Northern Cheyenne Pine Company, a lumber mill that offered jobs to over 100 people. He also helped open a credit union and a first-class post office. Later, he helped build one hundred homes, 3 factories and the Heritage Living Center
Father Emmett also helped build a recreational facility for the community, which included a large gymnasium with an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool. The gymnasium bears his Indian name, Soaring Eagle, which was given to him when he was inducted into the Northern Cheyenne Council of Chiefs.
He retired from St. Labre Indian School in 1994, and in 1997 he founded Soaring Eagle, a public charity, with a primary focus on the Forgotten People, the Northern Cheyenne elders. The Heritage Living Center opened in 2002 . The Center provides a peaceful, safe haven for the elders, while allowing them to continue to teach and share their traditions with the young.
" My heart is filled with gratitude for your kindness and your concern for these older folks, who have often suffered without the basic necessities of life. When I say "God bless you" I am assuring you of my prayers each day. May our Creator bless you with health, happiness and the joy of knowing you have helped the poorest and most forgotten of people" .
-- Father Emmett, 1999
www.soaringeagle.org/hoffmann/
cinemo