Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Lander Wyoming




These photographs depict Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Lander Wyoming. The same grounds are the temporary grounds for the Wyoming Catholic College.

I am unsure when this church was built. A preserved 1928 corner stone for the original Holy Rosary church is preserved as a memorial, but obviously, this church was not built in 1928.

This church is a bit unique in that, while it is a Roman Catholic Church, it does feature an Eastern Rite Mass (Byzantine Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom) such as is used in Ukrainian Catholic Churches. This is done in order to accommodate Eastern Rite Catholics attending the College.
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 7, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    http://www.holyrosarylander.com/AboutContact.html

    The above link gives a little "about" the church. I ran across your blog while researching the church.

    The original church still stands in the main town of Lander, WY. It was erected by my great great uncle, Daniel Moriarty.

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  2. Pat, Marcus & AlexisDecember 7, 2011 at 6:57 PM

    Any chance you can let me know where that original location is? I'll add the church in here next time I go through Lander.

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  3. Melissa Moriarty DuncanDecember 8, 2011 at 9:36 PM

    I think 3rd & Garfield? It is now an insurance company. Here is the pic on my fb account

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2448097170530&set=a.2448096490513.2140971.1494965498&type=3&theater

    Here is how it was founded

    http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NEBRHeritage/2000-01/0948754770

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  4. Melissa Moriarty DuncanDecember 8, 2011 at 9:45 PM

    Another article (bottom of page)

    http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/religion/catholic/Franciscans/pages/pt2/fine0015.htm

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  5. Pat, Marcus & AlexisDecember 8, 2011 at 9:53 PM

    Thank you. Next time I'm up there, I'll swing by there and take photos of that one. I had no idea it was there.

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  6. Melissa Moriarty DuncanDecember 8, 2011 at 10:04 PM

    I had no idea either. I knew we had family in WY but didn't know (just me...the un-ancestory person that is trying to embrace her history) about Lander. It was a pleasant surprise. I am so proud. We just happened to be passing through on a trip to Yellowstone...my dad (the ancestory guru) had me search it out. We are pretty sure that is the original church.

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  7. Pat, Marcus & AlexisDecember 11, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    In looking into the history of this church, it appears that the original Holy Rosary in Lander was built in 1883, although it was at first called the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The church's name was changed to Holy Rosary in 1911. Father Moriarty was indeed instrumental in causing it to come about (and you should indeed be proud). He returned to Nebraska in 1884. During his time in Wyoming, he was actually covering a fairly vast expanse of country, not just Lander. I'd be curious to know how he traveled about, as his parish expanse covered 22,000 square miles.

    The original 1883 church ad to be abandoned in 1920 however as it became an unsafe structure, and a new church was built in 1928. That's where the 1928 cornerstone came from. The current church dates from 1965, which makes it a bit older than I would have guessed.

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