Good Shepherd Station to commemorate new rectory Oct. 28

The new rectory for Good Shepherd Station in Driggs was completed this year. It will be a place for priests to stay after celebrating Mass and not have to make the arduous journey back to their home parishes in inclement weather. (Courtesy photo)

By Good Shepherd Staff

For the ICR

Years of planning and strategizing have finally come to fruition at Good Shepherd Station in Driggs, Idaho, where construction of a new rectory was recently completed.

A Mass of dedication and blessing of the new structure is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 28.

“The beauty of the Teton Valley in the Driggs and Victor Communities and Good Shepherd Station have been a mixed blessing,” said parishioner and project team member Stephen Earney. “The parishioners have access to all the things that the area has to offer: world-class hiking, skiing, fishing, kayaking and more. However, that also means long, snowy winters and difficult traveling conditions.”

The logistics are daunting, Earney said. The priest serving Good Shepherd typically arrives just before Mass and leaves immediately afterward to attend to obligations at the other parishes in the cluster, which includes Good Shepherd, St. Patrick Chapel in Rexburg, and Mary Immaculate Parish in St. Anthony, the parent parish of the cluster.

“Our community had no priestly presence,” he said. “Three years ago, parishioners got together to address the issue, with pastors citing difficult travel conditions and distance.”

Good Shepherd Station in Driggs is part of a three-parish cluster with the parish office located some 50 miles away in St. Anthony. With an average snowfall of 145 inches in Driggs, at the base of the Teton Mountains, travel for the pastor in winter is difficult and dangerous. Two years ago, the road between St. Anthony and Driggs was closed 13 times, according to Earney.

Meanwhile, growth has created a greater need for a pastor’s presence at the station.

“Teton County, Idaho, was listed in the most recent census as the fourth fastest-growing county west of the Mississippi River,” Earney said. “About 10 years ago, Mass attendance was in the teens. Today, the two Sunday Masses draw between 300 to 350 attendees. With the rapidly growing parish, the demands, particularly the sacramental demands, on the pastor have also increased.”

The kitchen are dining area are large enough for guests. (Courtesy photo)

Building for the future

As part of a long-term plan, the Pastoral Council in 2022, under then-Pastor Father John Kucera, approved the construction of a rectory. The new home allows the current priest to stay in Driggs during busy winter events, making the drive from St. Anthony more manageable. The rectory includes three bedrooms and three baths, with one bedroom temporarily serving as a parish office.

“A Capital Campaign was concurrent with the construction, and enough money was raised to cover the entire cost of construction,” Earney noted. “However, it was the donated labor costs of the contractors that made this project debt-free. Generous contractors and donors contributed 45% of the total cost for materials and labor.”

The benefits of the new rectory are already being felt. The pastor has expanded the daily Mass schedule from one to three days a week. He now arrives on Tuesday and stays through Thursday, giving parishioners more opportunities to attend Mass and visit with him during office hours.

Long term, Earney said parishioners at Good Shepherd hope the parish’s rapid growth and expanding ministries will lead the Diocese to consider assigning a full-time resident priest. Plans are already underway for a fully functional parish hall attached to the church to accommodate celebrations, classrooms and future expansion to meet the needs of a growing congregation.

A corner of the rectory is dedicated to the priests who served at Good Shepherd Station. (Courtesy photo)

Until a full-time priest is assigned, the new rectory will serve as a place for vacationing clergy. The only requirement is that they celebrate the Holy Mass during their stay.

“From its humble beginnings in the 1980s, when parishioners gathered for Mass in their homes, Good Shepherd has taken a major step forward with the construction of a rectory, moving closer to becoming the kind of parish community many others already enjoy,” Earney said.

Father Caleb Vogel will represent the Diocese on Oct. 28 by presiding over an 11 a.m. Mass and blessing of the new rectory.

All former pastors have been invited, and attendees will be treated to a reception afterward.

Earney said he and his fellow parishioners can’t help but gaze optimistically toward the future as they watch their station expand.

“These are exciting times for Good Shepherd, and the best is yet to come!”

The new rectory, left, sits adjacent to Good Shepherd Station, right, in Driggs. (Courtesy photo)