Indians of North America—Religion; Indians of North America—History; Indians of North America—Religion; Religion; Missionaries; St. Christopher's Mission (Bluff, Utah); Health; Newsletters; Maps;
Place names
Bluff (Utah); San Juan County (Utah); Utah; Monument Valley (Ariz. and Utah);
Keyword
Navajo; Navajo Indians; Navajo Indians -- History; Father Liebler; Brother Juniper; Liebler, Harold Baxter 1889-1982; Missionaries; Religion; St. Christopher's Mission; St. Mary's of the Moonlight Chapel; Maps;
Tribe
Navajo;
Description
This document provides a basic description of St. Christopher's history, purpose, and principles. The document contains photographs from the Mission;
Publisher
Digitized by: Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library;
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives;
Language
eng;
Coverage
Bluff (Utah); San Juan County (Utah);
Rights
Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Library Western and Mormon Americana curator, phone (435) 797-2661;
Holding Location
Utah State University, Special Collections and Archives;
r
T;is Nee2.
Ariz..
~ Church buildings or stations where services are held regularly.
t Statj.ons where frequent services are held, mostly in hogans of Catechumens.
THE STORY DJ A PThlYON NUT SHELL OF ST. CHRISTOPHER'S, BLUFF, UTAH:
BEGUN in 19h3 ry.J a group of si."C volunteer missi ona.ries acting under the jurisdiction of the
Bishop of Utah, who committed to their care the Utah portion of Navajoland, St. Christopher's
is the only completely volunteer l-ussion to Indians in the Episcopal Uhurch. Pi tching their
tents near Bluff, Utah, they established a center from which to work out into the entire
area of 2,000 to 3,000 square miles. At that time there was no church, s chool, or medical
center for the Navajo of this area except for the one to three grade GovernIilent School at
Navajo 1'1ountain. In 1944 St. Christopher's School was opened. Clinical help was made available
at all times to the extent of the mission's resources. The same year, services vrere
held at strategic centers - Hontezl.h"TIa Creek, Oljeto, I10nUlTJent Valley, and Navajo ]'lountain.
At present (19.54 ) there are permanent chapels at Blu.ff, NonteZTh'11a. Creek, and Oljeto, and at
Bluff a school, a clinic, and a hospital under construction. From these bases t he surrounding
count~J is evangelised.
Basic principles of the lussion are: (1) Volunteer Ilt1.ssi onaries earning their l i ving bJ
gardening, canning, hunting can work Ii'JOst economically; (2) Christianity does not involve
destruction of t he good features of na"tive religion; (3) Al";1erican Indians do not need to
be hampered in spiri tual progress btJ controversial issues of European theological warfare,
but can be won directly to the full faith and practice of the historic church; (4) Religion,
education, and a constructive health program TID.l.st go hand in hand.
All that has been accomplished would have been :iJnpossj.ble vrLthout the help of generous
contributors. Contirmance of their voluntar"lJ help is a necessity for t he extension of
the work of t he Mission.
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