Fr. J. Daniel Powers, SJ

Obituary Courtesy of JesuitsWest.org

Father J. Daniel (Dan) Powers, SJ, last Jesuit pastor of St. Anne’s Church on the Blackfeet Reservation at Heart Butte, Montana, died December 3, 2024, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 88 years old and a Jesuit for 70 years.

Fr. Powers was born in Pendleton, Oregon, on March 20, 1936, the son of Joseph Powers, a weaver in a woolen mill, and Myrl Daniel Powers.  The family moved to Spokane, Washington, and Fr. Powers attended Gonzaga Prep. After graduating in 1954, he entered the Oregon Province Jesuit Novitiate at Sheridan, Oregon. His Jesuit studies took him back to Spokane for philosophy and to Alma College, the Los Gatos, California campus of Santa Clara University, for theology. He was ordained a priest in Spokane on June 8, 1968.

Fr. Powers’ ministry for many years was in the high school classroom, where he taught mathematics and sometimes English and religion, first at his alma mater, Gonzaga Prep (1962-65), then Loyola High School in Missoula, Montana (1969-72), and Jesuit High School, Portland (1973-75).

Starting in 1977, he was engaged in pastoral ministry with the Blackfeet People and the larger community at St. Anne’s Church in Heart Butte. For 36 years he was the lone priest at the church, deeply committed to the people and serving their needs, frequently celebrating funerals. He also was involved in the Cursillo movement, providing intensive retreats for various groups. The Cursillo members, in turn, brought the retreats to Native Americans throughout the West. With his long braided hair, he adapted to the life of his parishioners and made himself available day and night to give guidance and support. During his tenure, a new church and residence were built.

He was the last Jesuit to serve the mission, which started in 1898. In 2013, at his retirement from the parish, the church was turned over to priests of the Helena Diocese. Always a man of deep prayer and faith, he retired to a ministry of prayer first in Spokane, and since 2017, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at 11:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center. The funeral will be available via livestream. Inurnment will be at St. Anne Catholic Cemetery in Heart Butte, Montana, on the Blackfeet Reservation at a later date.