Historic church leveled, federal investigation to focus on arson
All that the congregation was able to salvage from the ruins of the 133 year old historic Holy Innocents Episcopal Mission Church in Parmalee, SD were part of a brass Niobrara cross and the church’s bell, which was damaged by its fall when the steeple collapsed in the fire. (Photos by Lauren Stanley)
PARMALEE—Lakota tribal members on the Rosebud Indian Reservation are grieving the destruction of historic Holy Innocents Episcopal Mission Church in Parmalee, SD, which was leveled Oct. 28 after serving the community for 133 years. The fire that destroyed it is now the focus of a federal criminal investigation.
“That little beautiful church can never be replaced,” said Prairie Rose Chapin in a social media post reacting to the fire. Chapin grew up on the Rosebud Reservation and Holy Innocents was her family church. “There is so much history with all our families made there, weddings, baptisms, gatherings, wakes and funerals, celebration, birthdays and memorials.”
The church was established in 1890, when the area was a ration station for the Sicangu, the ancestors of today’s Rosebud Sioux. The structure that burned was the original wood from 1890, according to Rev. Lauren Stanley, Canon to the Ordinary in South Dakota. Stanley said that the church actually predates the town of Parmalee. When the church was built, the area where it was located was called Wososo, a Lakota word meaning “cut meat.”
Arson is suspected, according to South Dakota Episcopal Bishop Jonathan Folts. “This is a tragic day of loss that is being felt far and wide. … Authorities already have begun their investigation and we will be supporting them to our fullest extent.” The community is asking anyone with information about the origin of the fire to come forward immediately.
Both Folts and Stanley traveled to Parmalee on Sunday, October 29, to pray with parishioners there. Folts will return on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, for a special eucharist at 11:00 am Central Time on the site of the ruins of Holy Innocents, weather permitting.
Stanley said that the building was insured and will be rebuilt. The congregation hadn’t worshiped in the church building since it was damaged by vandals in December 2022. The diocese had planned to finish repairs in time to resume worship in the church by Christmas, 2023. Instead, services will continue in a temporary worship space in the nearby guild hall.
To those who wish to donate to the rebuilding of Holy Innocents, Stanley offered the following guidance, “If you wish to donate money, please go to our Diocesan website, www.episcopalchurchsd.org, and click on the DONATE button. There you will see GIVE TO CONGREGATIONS AND MISSIONS. Once you click on that, you can fill in your amount, and under PLEASE SPECIFY, enter Holy Innocents Episcopal Church. Every penny will go to continuing the mission God has given us in Parmelee. If you wish to donate items, please give us a few more days to make a list. If you have questions, please contact me at lauren@episcopalchurchsd.org. For all of your support, we say Wopila Tanka (Thank you very much!)”
Rev. Danny Pegg of the Church of England was a seminarian on Rosebud in 2016 and visited Holy Innocents. Now a priest in the Church of England, when he heard about the fire, he decided, “I want to do something to help those people there rebuild and continue in their good work.”
Pegg pledged to walk 133km in 133 days – a kilometer for every year of life and ministry the church has been standing – and says in a social media post, “I would love it if you would sponsor me to do this in support of the Rosebud Episcopal Mission and specifically Holy Innocents, Parmelee and its community.” He also pledged to sing the Doxology in Lakota every day for 133 days. To sponsor Pegg go to tinyurl.com/yhmzvc8t.
Stanley commented, “The mission of the Church? That still exists. But the lovely, old, hornet-filled, creaky building, made of original wood? It is gone now. The police and federal agents will help find answers. The people will decide what’s next. For now, we weep and grieve and pray. And then we get right back to work.”
She concluded, “It’s a traumatic time and we are grieving deeply. We have 133 years of history in that building. …but we will rise up from the ashes. We will rebuild and we will continue to be a place where people meet God and know God’s love.”
Folts said in a statement to Episcopal News Service on October 30, “As followers of Jesus Christ, we are a people of hope. We are faithful, we are resilient, and we will persevere. We thank God that no one was killed or injured. We thank God for the volunteer firefighters who responded. We thank God for the lives and witness of those baptized, confirmed, ordained, married and buried here.
“We thank God for the memories made in this building for the past 133 years – memories that no one will ever be able to destroy or take away…. our Lord and his Church remain undefeated, unwavering in our faith, and ever confident in our ability to love and to serve as our Creator has made us to be and do.”
(Contact Grace Terry at grace@angelsabide.com)
SOURCES:
www.facebook.com/lauren.r.stanley.5
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November 3, 2023