Founded in 1950, the Mother Butler Center was established in Rapid City as a Catholic community center serving primarily the local Native American population. Named in honor of Mother Joseph Butler, founder of Marymount College in New York, the Center was much more than a parish hall. It housed a gymnasium, health clinic, meeting rooms, and chapel. Jesuits from the Wisconsin Province lived onsite and ministered to the community. MBC quickly became a vibrant gathering place for youth programs, athletics, community events,  and social life. Even after the devastating 1972 flood, which severely damaged both the Center and St. Isaac Jogues Church, MBC remained central to Native American life in Rapid City. Its partnership with the Jesuits  shaped the spiritual identity of both the Center and St. Isaac Jogues Parish while contributing to the broader cultural life of Western South Dakota.