Lucien Galtier (c. 1812 – February 21, 1866) was the first Catholic priest who served in Minnesota, United States of America.
The year of his birth is somewhat uncertain, some sources claiming 1811 but his tomb at Prairie du Chien, WI, bearing the date December 17, 1812.
Much of the material were donated by Catholic men that Galtier had visited in logging camps on the Chippewa River.
Galtier discovered that many of the Native Americans in the area were good singers, so he taught them to sing several songs that had been translated into the Sioux language.
[5] In 1840, Galtier became ill as a result of "bilious fever" and the hard work necessary to minister in a frontier area.
In May 1844, Bishop Loras transferred him to Keokuk, Iowa, where he remained only for a few months, long enough to build the first Catholic church in that location.
[6] Following an absence of two years from America, Galtier joined the Diocese of Milwaukee in 1847 and served at St. Gabriel's Parish in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where he remained until his death in 1866.