A Catholic Tradition in Yankton
Our Catholic History in Yankton
Catholic education in Yankton reaches back to the earliest years of the Catholic Church in Dakota Territory. St. Martin of Tours High School is being planned as a new chapter in that long tradition.
From the Mother Church of the Dakotas
Yankton once served as the seat of the Catholic Church in Dakota Territory and became known as the Mother Church of the Dakotas. Yankton’s first Catholic parish was established in 1871, and the first Sacred Heart Church was completed five years later. Sacred Heart served as Bishop Martin Marty’s pro-cathedral until he relocated to Sioux Falls in 1889. Today, Sacred Heart Parish and St. Benedict Parish continue Yankton’s Catholic parish life as part of the St. Martin of Tours Pastorate.
Catholic education begins in Yankton
On March 25, 1881, the Sisters of Mercy of the Sacred Heart Convent announced the opening of Yankton’s first parochial school. Three days later, the first classes were held (the school was known as St. Martin’s). That early school was relatively short-lived and was succeeded by Sacred Heart School, which opened its first building in 1884.
Sacred Heart School continued to grow with the community. A new two-story school was completed in 1922. In 2002, new PreK–4 classrooms were added at the St. Benedict campus, and in 2011 a new grades 5–8 building was completed at the Sacred Heart parish site. Sacred Heart School continues to carry forward the parish-school tradition in Yankton today.
The Benedictine tradition and Catholic high-school education
Bishop Martin Marty also played an important role in establishing the Benedictine presence in the region. In 1887 he invited Benedictine Sisters to Yankton. Their ministries would eventually include education, healthcare, religious life, and the institution that became Mount Marty University.
Mount Marty Academy opened in 1922 as a secondary school for girls. The school later became known as Mount Marty High School, moved into a new building in 1966, and closed in 1969. The Benedictine Sisters had also founded Mount Marty College in 1936; the college became coeducational in 1969 and continues today as Mount Marty University.
Timeline
Catholic education across generations
The proposed high school would continue a story that began more than a century ago.
Continuing the tradition
For well over a century, Catholic families in Yankton have built institutions dedicated to faith, learning, service, and the formation of young people. The proposed St. Martin of Tours High School seeks to continue that tradition by once again giving families in and around Yankton the opportunity to choose a local Catholic high-school education.
Historical sources: St. Martin of Tours Pastorate, Sacred Heart School history, the Diocese of Sioux Falls / Bishop’s Bulletin, and Mount Marty University. Yankton Catholic History · Sacred Heart School History · Bishop’s Bulletin · Mount Marty History