St. Joseph's Indian School

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Our maintenance crew had their annual holiday dinner. Many times in the past they had a wild game feed. I’m not sure if they weren’t successful hunters this year, or didn’t want to cook and do dishes, but this year they decided to go to a local restaurant for a salad, soup and some good South Dakota beef. The occasion gave the opportunity for us to thank them for all they do. While the students are gone, instead of vacation, this will be on of the busier and more productive times for them. They can get into the homes and school and work uninterrupted. The have to pull/run a lot of wire in the school and work on an overhaul of the heating system.

With the chance for extra work, we also brought on five college students who worked for us over the summer. They will do some of the dirty and tedious jobs, dismantling and hauling away an old boiler, and helping with remodeling. Three are sons of our staff. One of our helpers, Stefen, is an alumni of St. Joseph’s Indian School who just finished his frist semester at South Dakota State University. Stefen, adjusted quite well to college, and said that St. Joseph’s had prepared him well.

 

Monday, December 20, 2010

A tale of two dinners.

Our development office is one of the busiest groups on campus this time of year, handling the volume of Christmas mail and end of the year donations coming in. But we always take a break to celebrate with some holiday spirit together. For lunch we gathered for our Christmas Potluck, with all kinds of delicious and wonderful creations. Kory, the director of development, thanked everyone at the gathering for their dedication.

Some people like to take part in the Secret Santa, and have exchanged little gifts in secret for a few weeks. Most folks already had a good idea who had their name, but today the names of those Secret Santa’s were revealed. Then we had a few door prizes to draw names for, which is always good fun.

This evening brought all the SCJs (members of my religious community) to our house for hors d’oeuvres and conversation. For those who work in the parishes full-time, Christmas on a Saturday affords little chance for a break, so we made the time together tonight. We welcomed Fr. Vincent from Indonesia, who will help for a while as he improves his English. He is lively, extroverted and excited about working on the reservation. After our social we went to Al’s Oasis (a local landmark) for supper.

Today, Fr. Anthony and I met with the head of maintenance to take a look at carpet samples. Since we got the church structure stabilized, with a new roof to prevent leaking or dripping, it’s now time to get some new carpet. The Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel carpet is over 20-years-old and with so many little Native American feet tracking in mud and snow over the years, it is worn and in need of replacement.  I myself, am not good with artsy or visual items, so I defer to others for their advice. But, they wanted to ask my opinion anyway.

This afternoon our High School students came together in the Recreational Room and found out who had been selected to go on our Germany exchange program next June. D’Kera was still at basketball practice, so I didn’t see her reaction, but Trinity had the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. They will work these next months with their chaperon to prepare.

 

Sunday, December 19, 2010

We have only our High School students left on campus, and Fr. Anthony had a special mass just for them this morning.I find it easier to connect with students when they’re in smaller groups, and you can gear your words to their age level. It’s very different preaching to a 7-year-old versus an 18-year-old.

My new home testing equipment to measure the INR/protime  level of my blood came in and the home health care nurse called to set up my training. I have to prick my finger, then get the blood quickly and safely onto the test strip for the machine to do a readying. It’s a relatively new machine, about the size of a hand-held calculator, and only the 2nd one in our area that the trainer had introduced. Even with her there, it took us 6 pin pricks and the whole batch of strips we had on hand before we got it right. Thankfully, the reading was within the range the doctors want it to be. Once I get a new batch of test strips, I can check it on my own instead of making trips to the hospital.

The event that really got me in the holiday spirit was tonight’s Christmas Cantata held in Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel. It was an ecumenical effort, put on by several churches in town. Holiday music, especially the religious music of Christmas, is so uplifting and inspiring. I was tickled watching the conductor, who teaches music at Chamberlain High School, because she was so animated and kept the harmonies and timing just right. It reminded my of choirs I sang in long ago. Some singers just look inspiring when they sing, like the music itself is transformative.

 

Saturday, December 18, 2010

I spent much of the day at my third funeral of the week. Bill, graduated from 8th grade at St. Joseph’s in the 70’s and died at his home in North Dakota . I didn’t know him well, but his brother served on our staff for several years as principal and cultural specialist, and has been a great support and inspiration to me. I wanted to be there to offer him and his family my condolences and support.
A first service took place in North Dakota; and this second, smaller service took place in Fort Thompson, South Dakota, where he grew up. It brought his mom, brothers and sister a sense of relief and closure to bring him home for ceremony here.
I was told the services would be at 3:00, and arrived around 2:00. They had actually been changed to 5:00, which meant lots of waiting time. Patient waiting is a strong theme during this Advent season. I’ve also learned from working among Lakota (Sioux) people, this many years that things happen in their own time. I was glad for the extra chance to talk with relatives and learn more about Bill’s life and theirs as well.
Several of our houseparents also came in support. Four of our St. Joseph’s students were relatives. I appreciate a different side of our students when I see them in their communities outside of school. When the meal was ready to be served, they were the first ones to prepare plates for the elders. Only after everyone else was served did they sit down and eat.

Friday, December 17, 2010

I stayed overnight at one of the Rapid City parish rectories, and enjoyed the camaraderie with the priest there. When I concelebrated the morning mass, Fr. Brian had me read the Gospel – the Genealogy of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel. There are many tongue twister names in there, but it all shows us that God works in the lives of real people throughout history. And there are even a few black sheep in that family tree, so God can build great things despite our failures.

St. Joseph’s took 2^nd place in the Knowledge Bowl, and I was mighty proud of our team.  The first match of the day was low scoring, and we were behind until late in the game. We eked out a 9-6 win to make the final four. Then, we blew the competition away,  first 17-1 and  then in a rematch with the team that had beaten us earlier, 22-3! In the final, we faced the very strong undefeated team. We stayed close, but in the end fell 18-13. Our one senior, Andrea, carried a lot of the load, but had great help from the rest of her teammates. With the experience the others gained, watch out for our team next year!

The Lakota Nations Invitational is one of my favorite events, because besides all the ballgames, contests, and activities going on, it feels very much like a family reunion. As I wandered the halls of the Civic Center, or dropped in at one of the gyms to catch some of the action on the hardwood, I ran into so many people from my past. It’s a wonderful chance to visit, catch up, reconnect. The three-hour trip home seemed to fly by because of all the memories I carried with me.

I got back home in time for our staff Christmas party. While the High School students are still with us until next Wednesday, this was the last day of school for our elementary school. Most of the houseparents and all the teachers now have 2 weeks off, so there is always a sense of relief and relaxation in the air as Christmas break begins. It’s the one night of the year when people from all the departments get together, and I get to spend some time with people’s spouses or guests that accompany them. We have a nice meal at the local convention center, draw for a few door prizes, give away a star quilt, and spend a relaxing evening together. Tonight we gave away a second Star Quilt to Brother Clay – a going away present before he packs his bags to finish seminary studies in Chicago. Staff enjoyed his presence and encouraged him to think about coming back to work here when he finishes.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Lakota Nations Invitational in Rapid City started out as a basketball tournement 34 years ago. Most of the Indian Schools in the state are represented, and a few other teams round out the field. But, it has grown into much more of an event, to include Lakota language games, a juried art show to showcase the talents of the next generation of artists, a Lakota Hand Games competition, socials, dances and a Knowledge Bowl. To encourage learning, there are also individual tests in each of the regular High School subjects.

We don’t have our own High School at St. Joseph’s, but we do field a team in the Knowledge Bowl, and five of our students made the trek last night. I set off early this morning and drove the 200 miles to Rapid City. I arrived just in time for our first match. We faced Cheyenne Eagle Butte, where I was pastor for 10 years. Children I knew as babies were now lined up on the team against us. I also recognized all of the judges and officials, since they were from Lower Brule, where I also served.

By day’s end, we had won three matches and lost one. With double elimination, the field has been narrowed from 15 to 6 and we’re still going. Architecture was our best category, followed by a strong showing in Children’s Literature, Precipitation and National Parks.

The students had heard the Olive Garden is a nice restaurant and were wondering if they might be able to have a meal there. When facing elimination in the 3^rd match, I told them if they won we could go there – but joked that if they lost I’d buy a loaf of bread and some peanut butter. The laughter broke the tension, and between the incentive and what they had studied, they won! They enjoyed getting to eat out at a nice restaurant. We’ll keep going in the competition tomorrow.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Most of our donations come from individuals, who have been especially generous during this holiday season. This morning we met with some people who work with non-profit organizations that try to find matches with corporate donors. There may be some possibilities for us, and we’ll see how that all works out.

Glenda, who works in Central Receiving, laid her husband to rest today. To support her and the family, I went to the memorial service held at the Oacoma Community Center. A good number of Glenda’s co-workers at St. Joseph ’s were there in solidarity. Losing a loved one is hard most any time of the year, but doubly so near Christmas.  

I got back to school in time to catch the Christmas program our students put on. Each grade practiced a couple of songs, and some of the students stand out for singing with extra gusto. I laughed loudest when 7^th grader Braydon mimed Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song.  He whirled his hips around every time the “Me, I want a hula hoop” line came around. Besides the cute songs, I also appreciate the religious songs, which especially root put me more deeply in the Christmas spirit.

Tonight was the wake for Erika’s (one of our students) stepfather.  Services were held in Lower Brule, 30 miles away. On the reservation, wakes usually go late into the night and sometimes all night. Ministers from different churches are all welcome to get up and say a few words of comfort or encouragement to the family. Friends may get up and reminisce. Elders use the time as a teachable moment to pass on cultural values.

While many people were prepared to stay late into the night, the Giles Home (High School girls) had to get back to St. Joseph’s and get ready for school the next day. One of the houseparents made a move to go, but one of our girls told her they needed to wait until they had a chance to shake hands with the family. I was proud that one of our students felt enough self-confidence to help teach her teachers. The only fly in the ointment was that the minister speaking kept going on for a long while. When there was finally a break, everyone was too shy to be the first to approach the family, so I led the group up to Erika and her mom. We exchanged our condolences, hugs and a few tears.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

At our Child Service Team meeting we went over plans for which students will be in the break home, which opens the day after Christmas. Many of the High School students who are in sports will be back to take part in practices and games scheduled between now and the start of the school year. Sadly, there are also a few students who wrote down “no home” as their reason they need to stay. We especially want to accommodate the kids who might not have a good situation to go home to over the holidays or during other school breaks. It’s always sad to hear of families who are struggling.

On the brighter side, we again heard from a student who graduated high school when I first arrived at St. Joseph’s six years ago. JT finished a tour of duty with the Navy, then went back to school. He just completed his two year degree in Commercial Heating and Air Conditioning. He plans to continue his education in mechanical engineering, and we wish him all the best. We are trying to steer all of our students into some form of higher education and career path.

After school, we gathered in the Rec Center to announce the fall sports awards. Some of the students had great intentions when the season began, but didn’t stick to it; the coaches put in a plea for perseverance. I was happy for the students who did finish what they started and did it well – many of them added some hardware to their desk or bookshelf by taking home a trophy to proudly show their families at break time.

Besides the day-to-day activities, our management team started dialogue with a facilitator about strategic planning. Where do we hope to be five years from now? I can’t exactly say, but that’s what we will try to figure out over the course of the next year. It’s important not just for our young people, but for us as a group, to identify where we want to go. With a vision, then we can figure out ways to get there.

Monday, December 13, 2010

I usually spend Monday morning with Kory, our Director of Development, but he was flying back from a trip and was part of that unfortunate group of travelers who have gotten delayed and snowed out all over the Midwest. It gave me some unexpected time to answer Christmas cards and work around the office.

Jalynn and Mikeal will be traveling with us to St. Augustine next month to speak to our friends in that area during an appreciation luncheon. As they practiced for the first time, they both giggled and weren’t sure what to say about themselves, but that is why you practice – to build up their confidence. One of the girls lives close by the school, and goes home many weekend to help her elderly grandmother who has raised her. She cleans floors, takes out trash and does lots of work that Grandma cannot. Talk about assuming responsibility at an early age!

The William Home (4^th and 5^th grade girls) held their annual Christmas open house, with goodies they themselves had made. They spent the weekend baking and cooking and had many delicious treats. Staff members stopped off after school to partake of the holiday spirit. When I arrived, Laslie greeted me and took my coat. Winona offered me some hot cider and showed me where the food was set out. Later the girls offered tours of the home to those who wanted to see.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

I joined the Rooney home for lunch after mass. Some of their weekend they had spent “super-charging” the home, cleaning extra before getting ready to leave on Christmas break on Friday. Lot of the boys are big sports fans, and wanted me to look at their collection of football and basketball cards.

I got called to the Giles Home (High School girls) where one of the moms had come to tell her daughter that her step-father had died in a car accident. As pastor, I regularly spent time in prayer and conversation with grieving families. We talked about memories, worries, plans and hopes. The Giles Home put together a big box of food for the family to take home, as they face the task of feeding the many visitors who will drop by.

When the mom asked what kind of counseling St. Joseph’s has for her daughter, I explained that the Family Service Counselors, houseparents and Pastor Care would work together and all be available as time unfolds. Grief takes a long time, and we are prepared to help our students through these troubling times.

Today was our last day for boys inter-city basketball play. The four teams played a tournament to crown the champion. One team finished the season undefeated, and another winless. With the goals of sportsmanship, self improvement and having fun, everyone played. At the tournament’s completion, awards were announced. Each team had two boys chosen who worked hard and showed team spirit.