Tag: students

Fr. Steve’s updates

Jesus was noted for his companionship with people at table, and that’s often part of my “work” at St. Joseph’s.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Jesus was noted for his companionship with people at table, and that’s often part of my “work” at St. Joseph’s.

After mass, I visited the Speyer Home for brunch. The 6th – 8th grade boys were most welcoming. They filled me in on how the track team is doing, made predictions about their upcoming home run derby.

We talked NBA playoffs over scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy. Eighth grader Sean helped his houseparent with most of the cooking, and it turned out great.

Then for supper, I was off to a pot luck shared by the six homes that make up our middle school grades. We had a lull in the rains, and sitting across from each other on the picnic tables was great fun.

Campus comes more alive when we can be outside in the warmer weather.

Fr. Steve’s updates

During the prayer service, one of our counselors read some prayer reflections on what people got out of the weekend – mostly the chance to more deeply appreciate one another.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Home in Chamberlain!

Fr. Hendrick from Lower Brule helped with the driving, and we made it back last night. While cliché, there really is no place like home.

Today was a settling back in day, doing laundry and starting to dive into the piles of mail and paperwork surrounding my desk. It was also a day to start reconnecting with students and staff.

I feel a great sense of relief and will be happy to return to as much of a normal routine as I can over the next month.

This morning we had the graduation for our FAST (Families And Schools Together) program.

Ten families took part over four weekends; they appreciated the structured activities our program offered to help them improve parent/child communication and relationships.

During the prayer service, one of our counselors read some prayer reflections on what people got out of the weekend – mostly the chance to more deeply appreciate one another.

After certificates and an honor song on the drum, we gathered in the school assembly room for a meal. Rain squashed plans of an outdoor picnic, but the grilled food tasted almost as good inside.

Fr. Steve’s updates

St. Joseph’s is a special place because of the people who carry one another through whatever trials and hardships we endure.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

My radiologist took her time meeting with me today, and I so appreciated it. She asked the bigger overview questions – how am I feeling after meeting with all the doctors last week? What are my questions now as I wrap up and go forward?

In this age of specialists, I appreciated one doctor looking over the whole process and asking how I’m doing with all of it. That in itself felt healing.

I’ve been blessed to make it through with limited pain. We still have a long way to go, and more tests have been ordered, but there is hope, and at least a short reprieve coming up.

The doctor also cautioned about rushing back into work full time when I get back to St. Joseph’s and frantically try to make up for time away.

Since January, I’ve delegated so much, and team members have responded generously and graciously. Life at school is being carefully attended to.

My doctor said I must be at a very good and special place for that to happen. She’s right!

St. Joseph’s is a special place because of the people who carry one another through whatever trials and hardships we endure.

Fr. Steve’s updates

Back at St. Joseph’s for the weekend! I didn’t always find out a lot new because the conversation quickly turned to my treatments and prognosis. It would have been easier to share all at once, but in each home I repeated the process.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Back at St. Joseph’s for the weekend!

It’s been four weeks since I’ve been gone. It felt so good to sleep in my own bedroom.

Even better was the chance to enjoy the warm sunny day by walking around campus and stopping in at many of the homes to visit students and houseparents and find out how they’re doing.

I didn’t always find out a lot new because the conversation quickly turned to my treatments and prognosis. It would have been easier to share all at once, but in each home I repeated the process.

Staff have been concerned about me and praying for me and seemed relieved that I’m able to be out and about and still have energy and an upbeat spirit. And, God willing I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to make the rounds more regularly.

I only encountered four girls in the Summerlee Home, but saw a softball and gloves in the yard and quickly organized a little batting practice. When pitching to younger kids, the challenge of pitching is not to try to get it past them, but to try to figure out where they swing so the ball has a better chance of hitting the bat.

Since they started intramural games last week, a few of the girls looked like batting champs!

Fr. Steve’s updates

Saturday is a good day for me to be in the office, with few calls or interruptions. I spent the afternoon finishing up the weekend homily and lining up things for church tomorrow.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

A former houseparent is now working at a school in Wisconsin, and led a group with eight sixth grade girls to St. Joseph’s for a cultural exchange.

Yesterday, they shadowed our sixth graders to see what a day at St. Joseph’s is like in school. I watched them learning how to make dream catchers. The girls ate supper in the homes and over the dinner table could talk about the differences and similarities in their lives.

Today, the Wisconsin visitors played in a four team basketball tourney at our Rec Center. We must have shown good hospitality, because they were relaxed and fresh and beat our St. Joseph’s team quite handily. But, they left definitely more friends than rivals.

Saturday is a good day for me to be in the office, with few calls or interruptions. I spent the afternoon finishing up the weekend homily and lining up things for church tomorrow.