GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 3: Western United States
Alaska: AK-54
St. Joseph Church
P.O. Box 9
Tununak, AK 99681
Phone: 907-652-6237
History: St. Joseph Church, Tunuak, Bethel Census Area, Alaska, has been a small and predominantly Native American (Yupik Eskimo) parish on Nelson Island of Bering Sea coast and in the Diocese of Fairbanks (Archives: Fairbanks, Alaska).
|
1889-1892 |
Jesuits (Turin Province) (Archives: St. Louis, Missouri) established and administered St. Joseph Mission (Yupik Eskimo), Tununak |
|
1890-1892 (closed) |
Jesuits established and staffed a school (Yupik Eskimo) at St. Joseph’s |
|
1892-1927, 1928-1934 |
Jesuits (Turin, Canadian, California, Oregon Provinces) (Archives: St. Louis, Missouri, and Montreal, Quebec) at St. Mary’s Akulurak, attended to St. Joseph’s |
|
1927-1928, 1934-1935 |
Jesuits administered St. Joseph Mission |
|
1931-1960s |
Catechists (Yupik Eskimo) staffed St. Joseph Mission |
|
1962-1990s |
Became a parish; Jesuits have administered St. Joseph Mission assisted by permanent deacons (Yupik Eskimo) |
|
1968-1976 |
A Jesuit lay volunteer staffed a Montessori school at St. Joseph’s |
|
1978-1987 |
A Dominican Sister (unknown) served St. Joseph’s |
|
1990s-present |
Permanent deacons (Yupik Eskimo) and lay administrators (Yupik Eskimo) have administered and served the parish |
|
1990s-present |
Visiting Fairbanks diocesan priests and diocesan ministry team members have ministered to St. Peter’s |
Jesuits from St. Joseph’s attended to the following missions and stations among the Yupik Eskimo:
|
1890s |
Bethel, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta; also attended from Holy Cross, Holy Cross |
|
1930-1970 (transferred to St. Catherine’s, Cheforniak) |
Umkumute station |
|
1964-1980s |
St. Peter the Fisherman Mission, Toksook Bay |
|
1979-1990s |
Christ the King Chapel, Umkumute |
|
1980s (became a parish) |
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Mission, Nightmute |
Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans:
Inclusive dates: 1890-ongoing
Volume: Several volumes
Description: Sacramental records (e.g. baptisms, marriages, burials) for Native American parishioners of St. Joseph Church.
Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the Marquette University Archives.
new2006/rev2020
