Our Lady of The Mountains Catholic Church

Our Lady of the Mountains is the only Roman Catholic Church within 70 miles of beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming. OLM serves not only a sizeable regular parish population, but also a very large contingent of second homeowners from around the world, along with the thousands of visitors that are attracted to this magnificent valley throughout the year. A world renowned ski resort, the amazing Teton Mountain range, many rivers, lakes and streams are only a few of the stunning attractions that are bordered by some of the most breathtaking scenic vistas anywhere.

The lovely 75 year-old Chapel of the Sacred Heart in nearby Grand Teton National Park is a Mission of and part of the OLM Church community. A magnet for tourists from GTNP and Yellowstone, it is one of only two chapels located in any US National Park.

Another Mission church of OLM is Holy Family, a beautiful church south of Jackson in Thayne, Wyoming serving our vibrant and growing Catholic community in the Star Valley area.

History

Prior to a church in Jackson, Masses were held in homes and the American Legion building. Father Gerard Schellinger came once every six months. Between 1936 and 1955, priests came to Jackson whenever they could to serve the needs of the people. Father John O’Connor tried to come once a month. We were a mission church served by Kemmerer. During this time bazaars, bake sales, and breakfasts were held in order to raise funds to convince the Bishop that we should become an independent parish. At this time there were thirteen Catholics in the valley.

Lots for the first church were purchased for $ Our Lady of the Tetons and the Sacred Heart Chapel were built in 1935 by Henry Dale at a cost of $ The original church was located on property now occupied by Provident Federal Savings and Loan (First American Title, today). The original church building now stands as the Virginian Restaurant.

It took parishioners several years to decide to build a new church. The new Our Lady of the Mountains Church was designed by Kellogg and Kellogg in 1955. Ground was broken for the new church in 1962 on land donated by Josephine Spicer. The estimated cost of the church was $90,000 but the final cost came to $116,000. Slim Wassenberg was the contractor. The John Wort home was purchased as the rectory. The 25th Anniversary of the parish was celebrated in 1980. Father Doudican was the first permanent priest and faithfully served the parish for 11 years.

We continued to grow and in August, 1987 the parish had 192 families.

During the ensuing years, Our Lady of the Mountains parishioners saw many modifications and improvements to the church building accommodating the growing and changing Catholic population within the Jackson community. In 1988, under the direction of Father Richard MacLellan, the parish hall was expanded and additional classrooms were added. Year-round tourism and an influx of Latino residents began to impact the services offered on the weekends as overcrowding became a serious problem. Thirty years after the second church was built, it was again time to expand and change. This time it was a major undertaking.

Serious planning began in 1995. Planning received considerable attention for a time and then circumstances delayed continuation. Time passed and then in early 2000, a $ million Capital Fund Campaign was launched for a complete renovation of the church with the prayerful theme, “Something Beautiful for God and Our Lady.” Under the leadership and spiritual guidance of Father Carl Beavers, the present Our Lady of the Mountains church was dedicated on August 10, 2003. More than 1000 people attended the Dedication, Mass and Reception. The project was designed by Ward + Blake Architects, with Ken Mahood as lead designer, architect, and parish agent. Ormond Builders was the contractor, with Gerg Hostert as Superintendent, and Byron Beck as Project Foreman.

Our Lady of the Mountains celebrated its 50th Anniversary on May 31, 2005. The Parish community had 685 families and single people registered.

As of 2015, Our Lady of the Mountains continues to grow with over 1000 families and single members, about half of the parishioners being of Hispanic descent.