Today, Holy Rosary Indian Mission is where Father Bob Goodyear, S.T., serves the Choctaw people who live on the reservation. In many respects, the reservation is like its own country. Residents speak their own language and have their own schools, hospital, and police force. Years ago, Father Bob translated the Mass into the Choctaw language and is the only priest who can celebrate Mass in that language. Through the years, the tribe has managed to preserve its identity and culture which is no small feat considering its history.
Most Choctaw Indians were forced out of Mississippi in the 1830s during the Trail of Tears when the federal government relocated Native Americans to reservations out west. Few remained but those who did had no rights, no identity, and very little hope of surviving as a people. The Missionary Servants first came to Holy Rosary in 1944. We’ve been privileged to live and serve among the Choctaw people.
