Holy Cross - Holy Family Catholic Church
Holy Cross, founded In 1888, is located 279 miles upriver on the right bank of the Yukon. The name "Holy Cross" was given to it by its Jesuit founder, Fr. Aloysius Robaut so that it would comply with the wishes of the Most Rev. Louis Lootens, retired Bishop of Idaho. The Bishop had given the Seghers party, to which Fr. Robaut belonged, and, before it left Victoria, British Columbia for Alaska, his pectoral cross containing a relic of the true cross. He asked that the first mission founded in northern Alaska be given the name "Mission of the Holy Cross." Actually, Nulato is where the first mission in Alaska was founded in 1887.
Holy Cross is where two distinct cultures meet: the Athapaskan people of the Interior and the Central Yup'ik Eskimos of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
Holy Cross' long Catholic history began with a little two story log cabin mission (originally intended as a Jesuit house). It quickly became a convent when the Sisters of Saint Ann arrived. The convent soon became a boarding school for its first student, Anutka Neumann. Anutka was the daughter of the Alaska Commercial Company agent who was stationed at St. Michael.
Holy Cross became the earliest training center for Alaskans living in the remote regions of the Bush. Since its foundation, students were educated by the Jesuits and Sisters of Saint Ann. Boys were trained to be mechanics and carpenters, while girls were trained in the skills of gardening and sewing, as well as homemaking. The first high school on the Yukon opened at Holy Cross in 1953. Sister Ann Rita, S.S.A., and Fr. William Loyens, S.J., were the first high school teachers to provide basic instructions. The boarding school was closed in 1956 and all students were moved via airplane to the newly built Copper Valley School near Glenallen. The move was recorded in a film known as, "Operation Snowbird."
The lovely wooden frame Catholic Church was the village's focal point. It was completed in 1906 and stood for over 60 years until was torn down in 1969. A new frame building was built along the same design in 1989. Since 1929, the Holy Cross parish has been under the patronage of the Holy Family.
The Jesuit Priests and Brothers as well as the Sisters of Saint Ann who served at the Holy Cross mission are too numerous to mention here. Of special note is Fr. James Spils, S.J., (1938-1948) who was known not only for his building skills but also for his productive gardens. It is said that produce grown at the mission under his supervision was sold to the Army base in Galena. "Profits from the sales helped improve conditions at the Mission during the war years when the mission was left to its own resources."
Fr. William Cardy, O.F.M., served as Visiting Priest until July, 2000. Jim and Mary Jean Smith served as Co-pastoral Administrators until June, 2000.