By Laurie Hallstrom

The historic St. Martin Chapel is on 5th and Sherman Sts., in Sturgis. Built in 1911 by the Benedictine Sisters of St. Martin, it is the last standing building in a complex that once had six structures. In 1962 the sisters moved to a new campus in Rapid City. For a time the chapel was not used and it began to deteriorate. In 1988 the St. Aloysius Cemetery Association assumed the title to the chapel. It is used as a burial chapel for interments in the adjoining cemetery, weddings and other occasions. The chapel is laden with paintings, stained-glass windows, and an ornate altar donated in 1919.

The 300 Club has been established to support the upkeep and continuing restoration of the chapel. There are currently 100 members and they are looking to increase that number to 300 members. The fees are $300 dollars for initial membership and $100 to renew annually.

Now living in the St. Martin Village Good Samaritan Village, there are eight sisters who once lived in the Sturgis convent. These include Sisters Therese Marie Furois, Carol Kovarik, Lorane Coffin, Eleanor Solon, Michele Aldrich, Margaret Hinker, Mary Wegher, and Yvette Mallow.

Sr. Yvette shared some of her memories from life in the old St. Martin Academy, “I was sixteen when I came to Sturgis. Where the postulants and novices stayed, the beds were separated by curtains. We had one bathroom on each floor with a shower, a tub and four toilets. Each sister had a water basin to put on her overnight stand to wash up in the morning. We did not talk during meals — someone read during that time.”

The sisters followed the Rule of Saint Benedict closely. They didn’t talk from after evening prayer until after morning prayer and Mass. Then, they prayed the Divine Office and it was written in Latin. “Thanks be to God, it had an English translation on the other side, “ she said.

They came to the Chapel daily for prayer at 6:30 a.m. in the morning, at noon and in the evening. “After, we always had recreation in the evening. And that was always a fun time,” she said.

In the 1940’s the sisters were thinking about starting a college in Rapid City. About this time 560 acres came up for sale and the sisters bought the whole valley. As the community steadily grew, the convent in Sturgis was not large enough to accommodate the sisters.

There were 156 sisters when they moved to the large St Martin campus in 1962. That building is now owned by the Diocese of Rapid City and called Terra Sancta Retreat Center.

“My novitiate class of eight sisters was the last class to make final vows in the Sturgis Chapel,” she said.

At the time of the move the sisters had three hospitals, St. Joseph in Deadwood, St. John in Rapid City, and Our Lady of Fatima in Hot Springs. They had ten schools including the Boarding School in Rapid City

“There is a lot of history to the chapel in Sturgis. There was a railroad track that ran past below St. Martin and a lot of hobos were on that train as it came through Sturgis. Many of them got off the train in Sturgis, they found the sisters and asked for food. The sisters called these people St. Josephs,” said Sr. Yvette. She thinks it is important to preserve such a sacred and beautiful place.

A lot of work has been done already to preserve the chapel. Upcoming projects include new stucco, new stairs, refinishing the floors and finishing the basement for event use.

Donations can be mailed to St. Francis of Assisi Church, Attn: Chapel/Cemetery Committee, 1049 Howard St., Sturgis, SD 57785. To join The 300 Club call Mary Weber, 605-490-9873; Joanne Harmon, 605-490-2426; or Mike Palmer, 605-347-0642.