St. Mary's congregation attempting to raise over $1 Million

St. Mary's Catholic Church of Rocky Boy is in the process of rebuilding after a December 2019 fire burned the church to the ground.

Church member Misty Brooks-Denny and others are raising funds in multiple ways including raffles and, in particular, a $1 million challenge on Facebook.

Brooks-Denny posted on the challenge Facebook page, "The goal and the challenge is to reach 1 million people to donate $1 each or more to reach our million dollar goal. Share this around the world. Tag your friends, family and contacts around the world and continue to share until we reach a million generous people to help us rebuild our Catholic Church. We only have until June to accept money and pass this fundraiser around the world! Please donate, tag, share and challenge your friends."

The church, built in 1979 in a community effort using 200 logs harvested on the reservation to replace the former church, was a total loss in the Dec. 14, 2019, fire.

Director of Religious Education and parishioner Lori Osgood said the fire was due to a faulty furnace.

Father Joseph Tran said nothing could be saved. Tran has been forced to get creative when it comes to hosting services.

"At first, we rented out the Lutheran church for a few months, but they don't have a lot of parking space so that's why we decided to go back to our own property. And now we have the service in our parking lot during the summer. Then in the wintertime. ... then we go inside our house where I reside," Tran said.

Tran said his home can only host about 22 people. The church has also been livestreaming on Facebook due to the pandemic. Church members have been trying to raise funds since the fire, but the pandemic has only added to their challenges.

The one-two punch of COVID-19

"COVID has made fundraising a challenge. Social gatherings were limited to a certain capacity most of the year 2020 and there are still limitations in place for in-person gatherings. This limited any type of in-person benefit or large-scale fundraising events to take place for fundraisers on behalf of St. Mary's Catholic Church," Brooks-Denny said.

Brooks-Denny added that some of the restrictions are lifting and outdoor events may start to be a possibility for later in the summer as far as fundraising efforts go. However people were and are still afraid to be exposed to COVID, so they may choose not to attend an in-person fundraising event whether it be indoor or outdoor.

At the time of this writing, the $1 Million Challenge had 73 days left. Simultaneously, church members are raffling off a Can-Am Defender side-by-side, which is at Red's Auto Parts. The winner of the Defender will be selected June 20. Raffle tickets for the Can-Am Defender are being sold in person by different members of the congregation.

"We had a difficult time trying to find available members to sell raffle tickets for a current fundraiser outside of store parking lots because people were afraid of being exposed to COVID," Brooks-Denny said. "Not only that, but families are struggling due to the pandemic and loss of income so that has also hindered fundraising efforts. Online fundraising seems like our only fundraising option and the safest at this point."

The $1 Million Dollar Facebook Fundraiser Challenge is being done exclusively through the Facebook page of St. Mary's Catholic Church. A donate button is on the page where people can click to donate. As of this writing, the challenge has generated a little under $1,500.

People wishing to donate to the $1 Million Facebook Fundraiser Challenge can visit the following link: https://www.facebook.com/donate/242046557670754/ .

Osgood said in a text message yesterday that due to a rise in construction costs, the amount needed for fundraising has been increased.

The coming months

Tran said no church events are planned at the moment, but he is hopeful there will be some form of summer Bible school for the younger members of the congregation.

Despite being able to do things virtually, the sense of community is something Osgood says she misses most about the church, in addition to her role being impacted.

"As the director of religious education, I am currently live streaming classes with the kids, which was really good when they were fully at home. Now that they're back in hybrid, it's hit and miss as to which kids can attend. ... We're trying to be very flexible. ... The school has after-school activities now. So, they tend to stay after for that and we just don't have a space to have them," Osgood said.

Church members are also selling squares at $50 a square to win a Playstation 5, an Xbox X, an Xbox S, and some cash prizes. Six winners will be drawn to win one of the prizes listed for the Gamers Raffle.

The Gamers Raffle is being done exclusively online. Squares can be bought through Brooks-Denny, Facebook Pay, PayPal, and Cash App. The drawing will take place as soon as all 100 squares are sold. 20 remained as of Monday.

Brooks-Denny said she has a rich family history with St. Mary's. She hopes these efforts will restore the church to what it was so legacies can continue.

"I am following suit," she said. "My children have been baptized here and will also attend church here. We've celebrated here, prayed here, mourned here and gathered numerous times as a family in our time of celebration or need, and in support of others during their time of need."