Tour of The Ursuline Centre in Great Falls, MT

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:29]Heat. Heat.

[00:00:34]Here we are at the Ursulin Center in Great Falls, Montana. And we're with Tom Trunkle. You are the >> director. the director of the whole place here. So, we're going to go on a tour with Tom and check out this amazing build building that was built in 1911.

[00:01:12]>> Yes.

[00:01:12]>> So, we're just going to head this way and follow Tom along the dusty road.

[00:01:18]>> Come on along.

[00:01:22]>> So, here he's got this chime.

[00:01:24]>> And before intercoms and before phone systems, each sister had a a melody that would be kind of our call signal to come down to have a visitor or something. So they would take a mallet and it's not doesn't quite sound like it used to because the mallet's like quite different, but it' be something like some >> So each one had a different tone.

[00:01:46]>> Yes.

[00:01:46]>> Oh, that's cool.

[00:01:47]>> So So you knew knew which one was which none was coming towards you.

[00:01:51]>> Very bond trap.

[00:01:52]>> Very bond trap.

[00:01:55]>> Yeah. That's awesome.

[00:01:56]>> Yeah. Absolutely.

[00:01:56]>> And this is the original.

[00:01:58]>> Mhm.

[00:01:58]>> Oh wow. Absolutely.

[00:01:59]>> That's so cool.

[00:02:00]>> Isn't that something?

[00:02:01]>> Yeah. So when the building was built, um the bishop had asked the sisters who had were in Montana, they were previously at the St. Peter's Mission near Cascade, um to establish a school here in Great Falls. And so they came and looked at different sites and chose this one, which is at the time was called Boston Heights. And there was nothing out here at the time, just prairie. And so um they broke ground in 1911. In less than a year, the building was finished. So, it was ready for school the fall.

[00:02:34]>> Took a year to build this thing.

[00:02:35]>> Yes. At 65,000 square ft.

[00:02:38]>> We'll show you some pictures of the outside of the building. This is a not a small building whatsoever.

[00:02:43]>> No. And we have this a fantastic heritage gallery, this photo gallery here, which really chronicles >> uh from day one, you know, even when the building was being built.

[00:02:54]>> Wow.

[00:02:56]like you're all dressed up like British royalty or something.

[00:03:00]>> Obviously, we have an auditorium. We'll take a look at that. So, there's a lot of theater, a lot of plays. Uh, Mother Rayfield did a lot of the costumes. She showed the costume. She did set design.

[00:03:09]When we go up to our gallery, you'll see the the scope of her work. But, yeah, just some amazing um the original rendering, architectural rendering from George Shanley, who is just a a renowned architect in this area and throughout the Northwest.

[00:03:23]Um, so just a fantastic image of the building.

[00:03:27]>> Wow. Yeah, that's really cool.

[00:03:30]>> So we have a heritage museum which houses this kind of historical pieces and um a native collection of art pieces loan to us from the Ursulan order.

[00:03:41]>> This is cool.

[00:03:42]>> And so this room started off as the dorm room for uh the high school girls. And so if they didn't have an individual bedroom, they could have a bed in here and there might have been four to a side and separated by the linen dividers. Um the room next door would have been the dorm room for the grade school girls that were boarding students here. And so later on in its years, it became a ballet studio and then eventually became the museum to house just an incredible collection of this beaded um native um artwork antiquities and a collection of of artifacts from the mission in Alaska as well. So, >> um, Ursulan's established eight other missions in Montana and this here in Great Falls became the mother house for the order.

[00:04:34]>> And, um, >> and were there um, the Ursland? I was doing some research, but was >> this establishment somewhere else before this building was here? Like, yes, >> like in Sunburst or >> Oh, it was out here. St. Pet.

[00:04:50]So this is a remarkable uh painting by Ralph Damp and so Ralph is uh has an incredible talent unto himself. Uh he would he and his wife would spend summers out here at St. Peter's Mission and you could that this would be a fantastic place to visit as well.

[00:05:06]>> Yeah. Is that still out there?

[00:05:07]>> Yes. So >> where is that again?

[00:05:09]>> So you would go to Cascade and then hang a right on it's I think it's the Cascade to Fort Shaw Military Road. Wow. And then you're going to when when you come to a divide in the road, you're going to hang a left. There's signs along the road which kind of guide you along the way.

[00:05:22]>> But both those buildings are still just in >> No. So what's left of these buildings?

[00:05:26]This would have been the Jesuit house and school and this would have been the Ursulan Academy.

[00:05:30]>> Okay.

[00:05:31]>> Um and then in the background they even had an opera house which is still actually still there and standing.

[00:05:37]>> Is that on private land? No, >> it is private land. The chapel which is depicted here on the right and a little model thereof is still standing and it's pretty close to the road where if you pull off they've installed some new historical placards out there that talk about >> historical figures that were a part of this mission site including Lewis Riel uh Mary Fields Mother Armadus Stunn. So it was really kind of this cultural epicenter in the in the middle of nowhere. It's called Bertail Rock um is kind of the name of the site. And so as they they farmed, they had fresh water.

[00:06:10]Here's a fantastic photo image of the buildings. So over time, many of the buildings burnt. Um the last fire, which kind of was the end result, was I think in 1918. Um but over time, so what's left of the two schools is parts of the walls or corner parts of the wall. You and you see that when you go out there.

[00:06:31]>> Okay.

[00:06:32]>> Um >> so it's kind of just like dilapidated.

[00:06:35]>> Yes. You can see the archways of the windows. This was the material that that it was made from this this limestone um which was milled out there. But um beautiful area though, just gorgeous.

[00:06:48]There's a cemetery out there as well. So this this that was their mother house before they came to Great Falls. So um they came at the request of the bishop said, "Would you be interested?" So, um, they established a school, um, and it's been everything from a K through 12, uh, it's the, it was the home of the University of Providence, or at the time College of Great Falls for many years, and now we operate, uh, an Ursulan preschool.

[00:07:17]>> There's so much to see. Check out that camera down there.

[00:07:21]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:07:24]>> This This one here, it's a Bow and Lom.

[00:07:28]Um when they moved to this building, it was the first building they had that was electrified, right? So cuz before they had no indoor heat, no indoor really central heat, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, etc. So when they had this building, um they purchased this Bow and Lawn projector could project horizontally and vertically. Still works.

[00:07:48]>> That's of course it does.

[00:07:50]>> Predecessor was the version out at the mission sites which was lit by a candle.

[00:07:56]So that's a candle box on the back. Oh, wow.

[00:07:58]>> Yeah, >> that's cool.

[00:08:01]>> Old Kodak box.

[00:08:08]>> Old microscope.

[00:08:13]>> Yeah, this is an amazing collection.

[00:08:15]>> So, we have the setup of what their bedrooms may have looked like back in the day, but it's hilarious because the rooms actually still look like this. We still have the same brass beds, the same oak furniture. Um, it's quite remarkable, but it kind of gives you the sense. There's a great picture in the background there on the mirror of showing Oh, yeah. Um, the room set up back in the day. But, um, >> tight quarters.

[00:08:38]It's like bed bed.

[00:08:41]>> Oh, certainly. Yes.

[00:08:45]>> Yeah, that would have been Oh, 1920.

[00:08:48]Yeah, that was like his 184 1984.

[00:08:55]Great set of carpentry tools that were found in the basement.

[00:08:58]>> Oh, wow.

[00:08:59]>> Decades later.

[00:09:01]>> Is that like dumbbell type workout stuff or is that >> I'm not sure what that is unless it describes it on one of these. I don't see it depicted though.

[00:09:14]Um.

[00:09:16]>> Wow. Yeah, this is really neat stuff.

[00:09:20]Holy smokes. So when the other mission sites closed, a lot of their furnishings came here, you know. So that's why we have a large collection of of furnishing items. And then um the collection in the middle is is are gifts that were given to sisters or were educational items, the tactile items like the cradle boards in this case.

[00:09:40]>> Um these would have been items that were made by children. Um >> those are so cool.

[00:09:45]>> There's dolls uh that were that were fashioned by families and children.

[00:09:56]They're in really good condition. Like everything's in such >> good. So, we're going to cycle this out.

[00:10:01]Um, and I think there's going to be some discussion really about really that rep repatriation of some of these items to their respective tribes. Um, and that's something that's a dialogue. This is a collection again that's on loan to us from the Ursulan order. So, um, we feel quite honored to to be able to host, you know, it's it's this it's collection here. So, >> that's a good thing to get them back to who they belong to, obviously.

[00:10:31]>> Right. Absolutely.

[00:10:32]>> But it's amaz I'm I'm just astounded.

[00:10:34]Like, you hardly see them in this good of condition.

[00:10:36]>> A lot of these things over decades were stored in in these steamer trunks because these were items or gifts that were given to the sisters and then humbly they would just put the item away or wrap it up and put it in. So, so after their passing, many of these items in these trunks were opened up and and it was quite a treasure trove of spectacular gifts and items and um fantastic. And so, um >> Tom, how do people come and visit this?

[00:11:05]What are your hours for this museum?

[00:11:08]>> So, we're available by appointment uh right now. So you can call us at 45528585 and we'll we'll arrange a dosent to lead you on a tour. Um takes about an hour and it's free.

[00:11:22]>> Yeah, absolutely.

[00:11:23]>> That's amazing.

[00:11:25]>> So the sisters uh Charlie the there's the six original nuns that came out here from Toledo, Ohio. And so story starts with them. Um they arrive in Miles City.

[00:11:36]it's, you know, minus 32 degrees. And they quickly establish in Mile City a school uh and a convent and then also go to the northern Cheyenne reservation and establish a school there and then over the course of the next 10 years have has established eight uh mission or school sites. So, >> well, this is a colorized photo.

[00:12:02]>> So, it's Yes. I just realized I was like, is this a painting or >> a hand tinted?

[00:12:08]>> Yeah, that's so cool. I love that style, that old school.

[00:12:13]>> So, the building behind them would have been their church, their school, and where they lived. So, >> um certainly tough go.

[00:12:21]>> Where is Tongue River?

[00:12:22]>> Tongue River. That's on the northern Cheyenne Reservation St. Yes. in the sense of um she uh not take no for an answer. And so if she felt especially just in service to others, her mission work um she was adamant um to find any and avail any available resources to to reach those those missions, those goals.

[00:12:48]And so she lived her entire life in Montana um was buried out in St. Ignatius, western Montana. Um so her life is uh is quite remarkable. um the courage um she lived much of her life out at St. Peter's Mission here as well.

[00:13:05]So, >> is she also in this one as well?

[00:13:08]>> She is not in this picture. Um but the six these six nuns also spent their entire um lives in Montana from the get-go. And they had no prior training, no experience. I mean, they came out here on train um wagons and horses and so uh it was really quite remarkable and future sisters that came out to Montana um some of them didn't quite make or didn't want to stay, you know, um and maybe went back to >> I'm sure that there was a bit of a turnover. Montana has >> absolutely you know in that day and age.

[00:13:46]So, >> wow.

[00:13:49]Just everything is And it's got that old that old smell too that I don't know what that is. It's It's not a bad smell.

[00:13:56]It's just that old musty goodness.

[00:14:00]>> Yeah. Right.

[00:14:04]This is cool.

[00:14:09]So they later admitted boys I think in the 30s and then um so you'll see the integration of sports and athletics here after they built the uh the gym out back and so um Gio Shanley. That's interesting.

[00:14:26]So my dad's na dad's name is George Shanley Willlet.

[00:14:31]>> Really?

[00:14:31]>> Which I wonder if that >> if he's named after him >> because I was his mom went here. I do wonder that actually now I've I was never heard that name before either.

[00:14:40]Shanley.

[00:14:41]>> Huh.

[00:14:43]>> Always wondered where it came from because >> I don't know.

[00:14:47]>> That's interesting.

[00:14:50]A lot of these guys, these brick layers and stonesmith are cro from Croatia >> and so group of them from the Lewistown area worked on this building. So, it's a timber beam uh frame construction with a brick veneer and all the materials were were collected locally >> and it's got like a Gothic style to it.

[00:15:10]>> Yes, it's called a revival uh collegiate gothic style. So, the parapet roof line where you have it kind of was jigsaw across the top >> and the ornate uh scroll work. We'll see that replicated up in the chapel and on the what I find fascinating just the details, you know, and the fact that they built this in the year.

[00:15:32]>> Um the details in the door plate handles here. So you'll see it the Gothic, you know, style tops of windows.

[00:15:39]>> Oh my gosh.

[00:15:40]>> And you'll see that in the chapel along with the pews and the windows. So it's just amazing that he was able to really dial in the details. Um, >> yeah, that's amazing.

[00:15:51]>> Going forward.

[00:15:52]>> Yeah. And one thing I you just notice is just room after room after room here.

[00:15:56]It's just like all these different themes. Like we've been going through all these different rooms.

[00:16:00]>> Absolutely.

[00:16:01]>> There's a harp.

[00:16:04]>> It doesn't have all the strings, so it's in process. Are you a harp player?

[00:16:07]>> She's just always >> Oh my gosh.

[00:16:10]>> It's our goal.

[00:16:12]>> Oh my gosh. So, this is the green parlor and this was a a room that was a classroom. It was a recital room. It was a room where they held high tea. Um, when a when a sister would pass away, her casket was placed on the side of the room. And so, um, you could see the wear pattern in this carpet in which the children would come down, the grade school children, um, would come down to pay their last respects to a sister had passed away. And so, there's a wear pattern in which they would go around the casket and go in one door and out the other.

[00:16:42]>> Well, that's quite the Bible there.

[00:16:44]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:16:45]>> Holy moly.

[00:16:50]That's probably got some interesting things in it.

[00:16:56]>> Yeah, this is just I mean it's a treasure trove here. It's just every everywhere you turn these paintings are huge. They're all of them there's no small paintings at all. I mean, there are, but many of them are by Mother Raphael and and uh some of them are just prints, religious prints, but um we'll see a lot of her work as we move through the building for sure.

[00:17:21]>> And then I was just like every every room we've gone into, there's another door. There's another door.

[00:17:26]>> So So some closets and that door I think will go out to the main the grand entryway. And then um we'll take we'll um poke across the um to the auditorium and well actually we'll just go out this door maybe and the University of Providence started in this room.

[00:17:47]>> So again with that emphasis in music and arts this again blows my mind that they have practice rooms that they built and integrated in the auditorium ones. So, we have a couple that are on display, you know, as they might have been. You know, some have pianos, musical instruments, and uh Huh. Are they soundproof?

[00:18:08]>> They're pretty effective for for the air. That's amazing. How many? One, two, three, four, five, six. There's 12 of them.

[00:18:15]>> Yes.

[00:18:16]>> Holy smokes. That's amazing.

[00:18:18]>> Imagine just like having to having to get or getting to go to a school like this, you know, like >> Oh, completely.

[00:18:24]>> Going to a public school.

[00:18:25]>> They are. I mean, from what they were coming from, really from the wilderness >> to set up shop here in Great Falls.

[00:18:31]>> I'm sure this like blew people's minds.

[00:18:34]>> Oh, completely.

[00:18:35]>> I mean, it's blowing my mind because I look at this as like the school system we have now and it's just like what what happened, right?

[00:18:42]>> We got 12 practice rooms right here in this auditorium. It's you don't see that anywhere.

[00:18:48]>> So, it gets a lot of use. Our outside groups include like the Great Falls Theater Company. Oh, cool. uh with the group of individuals that provide music lessons, recital. Our preschool uses it for their spring and their Christmas programs. Um it's a wonderful stage.

[00:19:03]It's it's a a dual tiered stage. It's got a trap door uh back in the middle there so you can spring forward. Uh it's really quite And the acoustics here, you can tell I'm just hardly speaking and it's just uh >> Yeah, this is great.

[00:19:18]>> White echoey.

[00:19:20]>> Yeah, this is amazing. And then these I I love the musicians on the wall, >> right? The great conductors and composers of Bach and >> Hans. Yeah, it's it's wonderful. And those are period. And then the fixtures, all of them are also correct. They're also many of them are the original um globes and light fixtures. Obviously, the internal the electricity, the new roof, the new windows have all been replaced. And so uh um the fact that to be able to maintain that is super important for us for sure.

[00:19:53]>> So was that late 90s when that happened?

[00:19:55]Early 90s >> uh the electricity and stuff like >> so that happened early 2000s up through 2012 >> with some masonry work, some repointing and concrete work out front. U and that's always ongoing. Um >> yeah, >> you know, as far as that type of work.

[00:20:13]So we celebrate 115 years next year. And to me that just blows my mind. I always think of those six women in that museum and uh you know I would like to ask them do you think that this building would still be here 10 or 15 years later and and it and it's used so wonderfully uh by outside groups and um the programming that we do and our students. Yeah.

[00:20:35]>> Oh yeah. This is amazing. All the woodworking too. I'm I love wood work.

[00:20:38]>> Oh completely. So, George Shanley, when he was a college student, he studied in England.

[00:20:43]>> And so, the story goes that he would often spend his weekends ducking into these Anglican um hill uh side chapels, these ancient chapels and churches, and do field sketches.

[00:20:57]>> And from those field sketches were was the >> inspiration >> inspiration for kind of the look and the feel. Uh and you certainly get that when we go into the chapel upstairs. It's like, wow.

[00:21:09]Yeah, this is great.

[00:21:13]>> Yeah, it's some fantastic artwork up there as well. It has a balcony. Um, it's in fantastic shape. We'll go out.

[00:21:22]We'll go up in this front foyer area.

[00:21:23]I'll show you just the entry and we'll make our way upstairs, which you rarely see.

[00:21:29]>> Yeah, I've never seen anything like that.

[00:21:31]>> Yeah, it's just an incredible design for that era for sure. Oh, well, you know, it's a, you know, a Catholic school like nothing there.

[00:21:42]Everything's in such good condition.

[00:21:43]Like, you know, like I always think like the kids I went to school with, I mean, half of the stuff would be broken, >> you know, but everything was like nice and orderly and >> Oh, sure.

[00:21:53]>> something like this would have kids hanging on it, >> right?

[00:21:58]>> That wouldn't have happened, though.

[00:21:59]>> No.

[00:22:01]>> No. It's a beautiful entryway, though, for sure.

[00:22:04]All this in here is really interesting.

[00:22:07]It's the coloring stuff. Is that plaster? I think it's all plaster.

[00:22:14]>> Yeah, it's amazing. I just am always, you know, always in awe just because now design and building techniques is not near as good as it.

[00:22:26]>> No, not even close.

[00:22:28]>> How long have you been doing?

[00:22:29]>> I've been here 10 years.

[00:22:31]>> 10 years.

[00:22:31]>> Yeah. and my kids had had gone to school here as little kiddos um and uncles had gone to school here as older students back in the 30s and 40s. So um she this was painted by mother Rael both all three of these scenes and this one in particular is really of interest because of the style she painted in. Um mother Rael was a prodigy when it came to art. Uh she was offered an art scholarship when she was living in Barbaria, Germany to the Dusseldorf Art Academy. Came to the United States, attended the University of Notre Dame, got her MFA, became an Ursulan sister, joined the Urselin order here in Great Falls and became a longtime educator.

[00:23:11]She taught here for over 50 years until until her passing in about 73.

[00:23:17]So these paintings, these murals in particular, this one just really highlights and showcases her knowledge.

[00:23:24]Yeah. the style that here uh if you look if you're looking straight on you'll see she utilized a technique from the the Renaissance called leo which means to fool the eye and so what happens if you're directly in front of it you'll see um the Christ his eyes are directly looking at you the arms of the throne come out the toes everything is just kind of evenly balanced but as you move either to your right or your left you'll notice that the eyes will follow you and the arm one arm will shorten up on the throne and the other one will lengthen out. So, it's a fantastic representation of that knowledge base she had uh for a painting like this.

[00:24:03]>> Yeah, even the chair kind of does >> everything does a little shift. Yeah.

[00:24:07]And it's just a weird perspective >> trick that she knew.

[00:24:11]>> We should get a shot of it just moving across >> too is like the proportion when you start painting that large like it gets easier to like do that >> eye trick.

[00:24:24]And and that's cool because like now those the he looks like he's facing me like right the heck.

[00:24:29]>> And one of the students we was at a tour yesterday uh she go she was a student here in the 60s. So um she said that the sisters would say you know remember Christ is always looking out for you.

[00:24:43]And then some of the other sisters say watch out Christ is really looking don't misbehave you know that sort of thing.

[00:24:49]So, um, >> you go down here. Yeah, >> definitely.

[00:24:54]>> It just it works any which way cuz I mean that forcehortening of the of the arms is what's what's getting me that that particular arm over there really just moves >> completely. Right.

[00:25:07]>> Just moves back and forth wherever I look.

[00:25:09]>> The lighting isn't quite great right now, but you know, usually when it's a little bit brighter in this area, you can really see that happening. So >> yeah, >> wonderful. So she painted the murals upstairs and then I'll point out any paintings that we see along the way by Mother Rael. Um I'll show you a beautiful room in a library. This is called the bishop's parlor and it was originally titled the mother's room or the mother superior's room, but later at some point it became the bishop's parlor. And it was a room there's a little apartment in the back, but it had its own little private library. It's one of the few rooms that has its own private bathroom. There's only like three or four rooms in the house that have private bathrooms, >> but an incredible uh collection of books that go way way back. Uh collection of just kind of the classics and religious theory, law books. Um incredible examples of alabaster lamps from the art deco period in the 20s and 30s. And so >> let's see the the history of Ireland.

[00:26:10]That's crazy.

[00:26:11]>> Where is your oldest booking?

[00:26:13]>> Uh I'm not quite sure. It's quite a lengthy list because we have another library that has a similar collection of books as well. And so a bishop would stay here. This was before they had an office. And then he had his own entryway out that side door. Um had really quite a a nice setup for him when the sisters were pretty living.

[00:26:34]>> My dad has a copy of this. I know. I've seen this before.

[00:26:37]>> Oh, sure. that particular when the pope visited Great Falls, you know, that was is that was that in 1983?

[00:26:47]Is that what that says?

[00:26:48]>> Was that when it was cuz he used to he was friends with Mon Senior Gluc?

[00:26:55]>> He was a skier. He was uh he skied somewhere in Montana maybe showdown.

[00:27:00]>> It might have been actually. Well, I was born in ' 83 and I pretty sure that that was I mean I've seen this for sure.

[00:27:05]>> Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And my dad would definitely get a hold of one of those if he could.

[00:27:09]>> Oh, for sure.

[00:27:12]>> So, quite a setup for them as far as, you know, a bishop being able Now, anybody can stay in this room that the room uh the adjoining room next door, like I said, has it own private bathroom and bedroom. It's it's it's nice. It's usually retreat directors will book the room. Um, >> and this is the bathroom over here.

[00:27:29]Well, >> that's the bedroom.

[00:27:30]>> The bedroom.

[00:27:30]>> Bedroom and bathroom.

[00:27:33]>> Oh, wow. Yeah, that's something.

[00:27:36]>> Pink. Pink. Yeah, right. I always wondered. My dad always had a fascination with pink. I just keep wondering if all this is like somehow tied.

[00:27:48]Oh, that famous old painting. I can't remember the name of that painting there. Straight ahead with the sheep, but grandma had that in her house.

[00:27:56]Actually, >> there's some lights in there. I can get for it.

[00:28:09]Oh, very very nice pink. Calming pink, I think they call that.

[00:28:18]You feel calm?

[00:28:23]>> We're back kind of at the beginning here >> right here. And uh we'll just take the stairs up up to the chapel.

[00:28:36]So is that the first floor?

[00:28:38]>> That's the second floor technically. And then so most of our preschool pre kindergarten classrooms are on this third on this third floor. So um and then as well as on the first but uh um we have some private rooms on on the east end here. We have some staff from the University of Providence that stay with us. And then on the uh west side we have the bedrooms. We'll take a look at those as well. But those would be the bedrooms that the boarding students stayed in. So they're really quite remarkable. But let's go take a look at the chapel here.

[00:29:10]>> Chapel time.

[00:29:29]So again, that scroll work, that design you see evident here and the top of the windows here.

[00:29:35]>> And the stained glass is is notable because of the style um being a prairie style stained glass with the long stem divers which was quite popular. But um they have also well been refurbished by stained glass artists locally. But exquisite. So in the morning when the sun comes up and you can tell right now the room just glows a soft yellow glow really quite breathtaking and so um there's a choir loft above us um and we celebrate a they do a Catholic mass here on Sundays at 10:00 and feast days and holy days of obligation as well. We can they can do uh weddings here if they're not a part of an official parish. But uh yeah, it's really quite a quite a chapel and not many chapels are on the third floor of any particular building, right?

[00:30:24]And so it's quite a quite a design.

[00:30:27]>> You get these vaulted ceilings are incredible.

[00:30:31]>> It's very that English feel to me anyways in the sense that I think he was definitely inspired by that that look and that feel in in England. But uh >> yeah, I loved how you know. Have you ever been to the Bear Museum?

[00:30:45]>> I don't think I have. That's a really fascinating place because the sisters, the bear sisters, >> Oh, the Alberta. Yes.

[00:30:51]>> Alberta Bear. Absolutely. Yep. Yep.

[00:30:53]Okay.

[00:30:54]>> And yeah, they just brought >> That's incredible.

[00:30:56]>> brought culture to Montana in like such an interesting way just like this. It's It's so cool because I mean, especially in the early 1900s, it was just I mean, I can't imagine a lot of people just minds completely blown, >> right, >> by some of this stuff.

[00:31:12]>> Yeah. What a character. Gosh, the murals on the wall. So, these are kind of I consider kind of the the the crown jewels of Mother Rael's work, but the story on the left is the story of St. Ursula, the namesake of the order.

[00:31:27]>> And then the story on the right is the story of St. Angela Marici welcoming new women to the order. But of note, on the mural, on the painting on the left, the young handmaidens that are in the foreground were her students at the time. So they posed >> for her um so she could get those sketched in and she had these stretched on the canvas upstairs in the studio and the studio is not that big and so the size of these they were stretched diagonally in the room and she had done these in about 1926 >> building again. So the murals the the wall everything was a little bit different when the building was initially built but um they later she painted those on canvas and then applied them to the wall. And these are all donated. These are just donators.

[00:32:13]>> India. Yeah. They must have done a fundraiser at some point and then get your name on a plaque if you donate so much.

[00:32:19]>> Well, I I heard that there was like the renovation of this place in the early 2000s. They raised a few million dollars to get all this stuff.

[00:32:28]>> Yeah. And we're doing that again. We started that process just because like I say, the repointing about every 25 years repointing work needs to be addressed.

[00:32:38]We just installed a new boiler last summer. Um, it's just constant stewardship, which is fantastic because we're able to identify grants that could really supplement that as well as donors and fundraising that we do. So, um, it certainly is a labor of love because, uh, what the building means to so many people.

[00:32:58]>> That Christ figure is made out of alabaster, a rose alabaster. And so, >> holy smokes.

[00:33:04]>> Yeah, it's incredible. If the sun hits that, that thing just glows.

[00:33:09]>> It's beautiful.

[00:33:11]>> Yeah, that is.

[00:33:13]>> If you want to walk up closer and get a closer shot of those like their faces or anything like that.

[00:33:19]>> Yeah, it's absolutely worth looking closer at. And then behind the chapel, there's a a priest's apartment. So, the apartment and that's fully, you know, has a little bedroom and living room.

[00:33:32]And then above that there's another apartment called the crow's nest and that's where the caretaker would live and it's just a tiny little studio apartment and has a little greenhouse off. It's really quite >> you go through these doors.

[00:33:43]>> Yeah. You go up these side steps. My kids call this Downtown Abbey because of you know the this steel and the the the and also what is it? Um Harry Potter.

[00:33:54]They compare it to Harry Potter.

[00:33:55]>> It certainly seems like a a movie set, >> right?

[00:33:59]>> It does. Especially this room. I mean, this is I you don't you don't see this very often.

[00:34:08]>> I agree. And really just the man when they did a lot of that work in the '9s and early 2000s that they were committed to it like, "Hey, we're going to replace all the windows. We've got to replace this leaky roof. We've got to get a new boiler." I'm glad they did that because, you know, it would be so easy to say, "Let's take a wrecking ball to it."

[00:34:28]Yeah.

[00:34:28]>> And that happened to St. Thomas. you know, it's just >> it had fallen into hard, you know, dilapidated state and much like in the 70s there was a malaise, there was disrepair and so it was about that timing and so uh fortunately they came up with like an idea like well what what are we going to do? We have no eighth grade class anymore. let's do a retreat and conference center and that's what they started to do and that helped keep the doors open and a lot of fantastic people that >> well it's such a good resource for Great Falls even even today you know >> it's very much like a community center I I I have to share that with you in a sense that it's a community center where you can stay and live um in a living museum you know historic museum yeah it's much like the the some of the government lodges in in Glacier park. A beautiful character and history that even though it's old, you just love staying there.

[00:35:22]>> So, >> yeah, this this is definitely one of a kind.

[00:35:27]>> Amazing. I can't get over these vaulted ceilings, though. These are This is That's my favorite part of it. It's just unbelievable work on that wood.

[00:35:40]Amazing.

[00:35:43]My eyes have finally adjusted. When I first came, I did not expect the the bright.

[00:35:47]>> Oh, sure.

[00:35:48]>> That color. It's not even necessarily bright. It's just it's >> Yeah, definitely in the morning. Gosh, it really glows here. And there's some people that come and pray in here and just, you know, sit, meditate, but um it's just very like very powerful for sure. The glow of it. So, >> get some sunset light coming through and mixing.

[00:36:08]>> Absolutely. Oh my gosh. Yeah, it's a beautiful, beautiful room. show you real quickly some of the the o what the overnight rooms are like, you know, um housekeeping. Hi, Connie.

[00:36:19]>> How are you?

[00:36:20]>> Oh, wow. Yeah.

[00:36:21]>> So, you know, like I said, we're still using the existing furniture, the same sinks that are are original. So, the bathrooms are shared down the hall.

[00:36:30]There's men's and women's sha showers, cubicles, you know. Um we still utilize the same heating system here, the boiler heat in the building.

[00:36:41]could be you.

[00:36:42]>> So there's rooms that have two beds and rooms that that are a little bit larger, maybe a little bit smaller. So we just >> How often are people stay in here?

[00:36:51]>> Pretty. We just had a re just that's why they're just flipping rooms right now, but u a a spiritual retreat this past weekend. It was about three days.

[00:37:00]>> Um and then we have one that they're getting ready for that starts tomorrow actually. So >> Oh, wow. So yeah, >> pretty pretty steady there.

[00:37:08]>> You had a really good time.

[00:37:09]>> What's that? We just we caught you at a good point >> in in between the turnovers.

[00:37:13]>> Yeah, completely. No, and I mean the groups here when they start usually it's on the weekend, but more and more they're going Monday through Thursday now as well. So, >> um there's quilting retreats there.

[00:37:24]There's writing workshops and uh uh spiritual all kinds of secular and government meetings here as well.

[00:37:32]>> So, yeah, I say we're still using the same old >> How many How many rooms do you have?

[00:37:36]>> How many rooms, Connie?

[00:37:38]>> 24. 24 on this floor and 24 roughly on >> Yeah. Thank you.

[00:37:44]>> The old intercom box from the 50s. Yeah.

[00:37:47]And that's something you would have, >> you know, you'd use this to call down to the office.

[00:37:52]>> Doesn't work anymore.

[00:37:52]>> It does not. But, uh, there's a few of these around in the building.

[00:38:02]>> Now, was something like that installed later, you think? Yeah, that would have been probably from the 50s and 60s, I believe.

[00:38:11]>> Say if they were having intercom boxes in the 1900s, they were way >> exactly right. Oh my gosh.

[00:38:24]>> Is it just me or the hallways getting wider? Every They seem like they're getting bigger. odd that we have to come up to the floor floor, take three more steps, and then come down. That's a weird And I think maybe it was to match up maybe with the choir loft here. I'm not quite sure.

[00:38:41]>> Oh, here's the top.

[00:38:43]>> Yeah, that you can take a peek in here while I unlock the other door, but um it gives you kind of a bird's eye view.

[00:38:50]>> Look at that key.

[00:38:51]>> Yeah, >> that is so cool.

[00:38:54]>> So, >> that's an original.

[00:38:56]>> We use these all the time.

[00:38:57]>> Gosh, >> skeleton key. Yeah.

[00:39:01]Oh, >> hit those. Uh for me to get those get the uh Yeah, I'm just like fascinated with like how they put that together.

[00:39:20]That's such an accomplishment of woodworking.

[00:39:39]Look at this. I love this. They they they bent the pipe around here.

[00:39:51]>> That's great.

[00:39:52]>> There's just cool stuff. was like a cassette an old school cassette record player eight track player.

[00:40:00]>> So on this floor we have more classrooms and then some of the classrooms may be converted into dorm rooms for uh schools that come to great falls. Uh their students can stay in the dorm rooms here on this floor. So the art studio um this was the classroom and now it's kind of a museum that where we can honor and educate um mother Raphael's work and her legacy.

[00:40:25]>> Look up there just get give it just that shot of those steep steep stairs.

[00:40:33]>> That's cool. Are we going up there?

[00:40:34]>> Yeah, we're going up.

[00:40:35]>> Awesome.

[00:40:36]>> Yeah. So, uh, um, this was the classroom and it was, uh, now it's a museum of her work. And so, we kind of have it set up as it was as a classroom. So, I think you'll enjoy this. There's another set of stairs.

[00:40:52]>> Oh my goodness.

[00:40:53]>> Whoa.

[00:40:55]Wow.

[00:40:57]Oh, wow. And this is where she painted those big ones in the chapel.

[00:41:01]>> Yeah. So they would have been set up diagonally up here, but it was, you know, mainly the art classroom and you could only come up here with a special privilege to take art. Um, you could only come up here if you were an art student. And so the stools and the easels were set up. We have a little staging area where a model would have sat and posed much like those pastel drawings on the back wall there. But um, now we just use this room to hang and showcase her work. you know, she would do paintings of people from the neighborhood and priests and students.

[00:41:35]Um, she would do biblical scenes, spiritual scenes as well. Um, >> yeah, she was very good, very talented.

[00:41:45]>> Yeah.

[00:41:46]>> Salame and head of John the Baptist.

[00:41:49]Yes. It's funny because the the last remaining sister here had told me that although it was it was quite a popular work, it was never displayed publicly and it and it wasn't because of the head. The gruesome head there, but it was because she was showing so much leg.

[00:42:06]>> You can see her knees.

[00:42:07]>> Yeah. Knees and ankles, >> right?

[00:42:10]>> A little shoulder almost a little too much.

[00:42:16]Wow. Yeah. This is so everything in here is her work >> almost. You know, there's some that I see that were from students. A couple of her students went on to have successful art careers like Gary Olds and a couple of others that you know the works that the pieces like the one on the left is by a au student. Uh the one in the next to that on the right with a glow of the Christ around him that was done by Mother Rayfield as well. So um yeah, she would do set design for plays. Um she her sewing machine is up here because she sewed a lot of costumes for these plays for the students over the years.

[00:42:57]So she was one of the beginning sisters here. Um just an amazing lady, very passionate about art. All our students that that are probably in their 60s and 70s tell me the same thing is that she was very loving and wanted if you were open to learning art, she would love to teach it. So >> it's wonderful to hear.

[00:43:17]>> Seemed like a busy lady.

[00:43:19]>> Yeah, absolutely.

[00:43:20]>> Doing lots of stuff.

[00:43:21]>> Yeah, she did the church out at uh uh Holy Family and and H and so forth. But uh we keep the window shades closed just to kind of keep the light to to a minimum. But um the views are spectacular, you know, as far as they there's early writings as far as their journals. They say, "Oh, we can see the spray of the Black Eagle Falls from the vantage point of the art room."

[00:43:45]>> Oh, wow.

[00:43:45]>> And so, uh just amazing to me. And you know, when this was built, it was just all prairie grass around here. So, it took a little while for the city to catch up and grow around it.

[00:43:57]>> Yeah. This is >> like >> it does actually. Is his dad >> Oh, his character Joey. Is it Joey?

[00:44:08]>> Joey. Yeah.

[00:44:10]>> Oh, man. Oh, you should get some pictures of this. We need to show Kyle this.

[00:44:14]>> Okay.

[00:44:14]>> Holy Oh, man. We have a a good friend of ours is a professional artist and that stuff back there.

[00:44:21]>> Some old old stuff back there. Yeah.

[00:44:24]>> Might not ever want to open them up.

[00:44:26]might might get a little >> no >> catch a whiff of something.

[00:44:33]>> I just I always love anytime I go to old buildings like in Nheart we have that the school there and I used to go and play in there when I was a kid.

[00:44:41]>> Oh, sure. You >> just open up a door, you go into another door, there's another door and then all of a sudden you're in this weird room that nobody's been in for 20 years. I I always see things like little closets and stuff.

[00:44:52]>> Oh yeah, absolutely.

[00:44:54]where all the where all the mysteries are.

[00:44:56]>> Oh yeah. Yep. Yep.

[00:45:00]>> Oh yeah.

[00:45:04]>> Yeah. She's an excellent painter.

[00:45:07]>> Like way more way more vibrant. It's like >> Right. I Yeah, I agree.

[00:45:12]>> are are much more >> the colors are rich. Especially like in a painting like that where the colors are just really really intense.

[00:45:19]>> Very rich, too. Like rich, vibrant.

[00:45:21]>> Yes.

[00:45:22]Even like this, the the colors of like kind of the rainbow halo around there just >> absolutely >> really pops his eyes out.

[00:45:46]>> You guys okay with going on the roof?

[00:45:47]>> Yeah. Okay.

[00:45:49]>> Yeah. That's the head that's missing there. Kind of a gruesome replacement that pipe, but uh >> Oh, yeah. Jeez. I'm so And then this one's missing it jaw. So, that's part of the the next work, the scope of work is replacing some of that.

[00:46:09]I have to say that's probably one of the coolest art studios uh in Great Falls.

[00:46:14]>> Yeah, I would say. Yeah. Incredible light. if you were to open the shades.

[00:46:17]Yeah, the lighting, natural lighting is wonderful.

[00:46:23]>> Yeah, I'll fly the I'll fly the drone up too and >> Oh, right. Wonderful.

[00:46:27]>> Some stuff around.

[00:46:28]>> Oh, that would be cool.

[00:46:28]>> We get done with this and get a good bird's eye view of this place.

[00:46:37]>> So, the Columbus Hospital he designed as well. So, it's a similar style.

[00:46:41]>> Yeah. a little bit more gothicky, but uh >> yeah, I got those like spires.

[00:46:48]>> Yes.

[00:46:49]>> Oh, wow. There's a interesting gap. Oh, this is Is this the No, really.

[00:46:54]>> So, we're about Yeah, we're kind of above They had previously back in the the 20s and 30s, there was decking down here. So, that's why there's an exterior door there.

[00:47:04]>> Yeah. Yeah. Um, so they were covered uh decks or porches for them lot to hang their laundry to to dry out their their their uniforms or cassics. I guess use it the dog club uses it for dog training. Uh, homeschool associations for volleyball, that sort of thing.

[00:47:21]People can rent it out. Um, that was the little greenhouse I was telling you about that's attached to the crow's nest. And there's the obviously the outside of the uh the chapel there.

[00:47:34]All right. Well, thanks, Tom.

[00:47:35]>> Yeah. Thanks, Charlie. Thanks for coming. Amazing trip.

[00:47:38]>> I appreciate it.

[00:47:39]>> Here and showed us all the cool little things about this and, you know, I I really hope that people see this and, you know, they want to connect with this place and what's the best way that they can connect.

[00:47:50]>> They can check us out online atucenter.org or give us a call at 4528585.

[00:47:57]We're open Monday through Friday.

[00:47:58]>> Cool.

[00:47:59]>> Absolutely.

[00:48:00]>> Yeah. This was an amazing trip through history and it's an amazing place here right in Great Falls. Just beautiful.

[00:48:07]So, we really appreciate it.

[00:48:08]>> Thank you both very much for stopping by.

[00:48:10]>> Cool.

[00:48:11]>> Yeah.

[00:48:11]>> Thank you.

[00:48:24]Heat.

[00:48:39]Heat.