Fr. Anthony – Page 11 – St. Joseph's Indian School

All kinds of talent at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good afternoon from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Fr. Anthony, St. Joseph's Chaplain — Fr. Anthony, St. Joseph’s Chaplain

I hope your Advent is off to a great start and that we can put into practice the message from Sunday’s scripture, ‘prepare the way of the Lord.’

Last week, we held Healing Camp for those who have lost loved ones recently. My mother passed away in September, so I thought I would take part along with our students and some of their family members. It is always tough to lose a loved one and this process gives participants the chance to deal with entrusting a loved one back to God. You can read more about Opiciye Okizi (Healing Camp) in Claire’s blog post.

We have good news from the basketball court! St. Joseph’s eighth grade girls won their tournament over the weekend. The girls were scheduled to play Lower Brule in the first game, but the team was not able to come, so the tournament shifted to a round robin format. St. Joseph’s beat Miller and then knocked off Pierre Indian Learning Center (PILC) to win the tournament. It was fun watching them play as a team and grow in confidence as their shots began to fall. Congratulations team members and coaches!

Thursday, the Lakota students will have their annual Christmas concert. Each grade has learned a few songs for the event. Some of the students who have been taking band lessons will share their skills on the instruments they are learning to play. Family members are invited to come and enjoy the performance, so hopefully the weather will be good.

St. Joseph’s students participate in many community activities in Chamberlain, including Dancing Dolls. — The girls in the Dennis Home were ready for their Dancing Dolls recital!

Another display of talent last weekend was the Dancing Dolls and Dudes performance held Sunday in Chamberlain. Many of St. Joseph’s younger students took part. It was a wonderful recital – everyone did a great job!

In closing, I would like to share what I thought was a touching scene I noticed coming back to campus the other day. If you have been to St. Joseph’s, you might recall that you cross a bridge over an inlet which leads out to the Missouri River. Though parts of the river are starting to freeze over, the inlet is still open and there were a large number of geese. This is a typical sight in our little community.

Parked on the bridge was a SUV from Wisconsin with two hunters dressed in camouflage. You could sense their awe as they watched these magnificent birds coming in droves to land in the inlet.

Have a great week! You and your intentions will be remembered in our prayers asking the Great Spirit to bless and reward you for your spirit of generosity.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

A quiet weekend at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s Indian School,

It was a quiet weekend on St. Joseph’s campus. It seemed that a quarter of the students were gone by early Wednesday morning last week for Thanksgiving break. We transport students who come from a distance, so our mini-buses took off early for the journey to key towns in all corners of the state to drop off students and meet families.

The Rosebud and Yankton Tribes send buses to help get students from their areas home, and we are grateful for the teamwork.

Six of the Lakota students stayed in the break home with staff to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy the long weekend.

Our local wildlife seemed to know it was going to be less hectic on campus for a few days. One morning, I walked into a group of about 20 wild turkeys! They were probably

Most of the Lakota students go home during breaks, but there’s always a safe place for them at St. Joseph’s. — Before leaving for Thanksgiving break, the Lakota students made decorations to take to their families.

looking for a safe hiding place from the hunters who were still looking for their Thanksgiving dinner…

We’ve also had several deer crossing campus to get a drink of water out of the Missouri River. I have not seen any pheasants around, but they may be in hiding since the hunting season is still open.

On Friday evening after Thanksgiving the annual Chamberlain Parade of Lights kicked off the Christmas season. It began with a community chili supper and was followed by a parade through the business district. The theme this year was “Cowboy Christmas.” The weather cooperated and everyone enjoyed seeing the lights on the floats and waving to Santa as he rolled through town.

All day today, we are holding a special Healing Camp for students who have lost a family member over the last several months. Some of the students’ families are coming to participate in a series of activities, prayer and remembrance. This is a special day set aside to help the students deal with the loss of a loved one now walking the Holy Road. The program also gives the student the opportunity to begin to let go of the hurt and understand they are not alone.

Please keep the team, the students and the families taking part in your prayers that God will bring healing and peace.

This coming weekend will be busy. On Saturday, teams from Miller, Lower Brule and Pierre will be on campus to take part in the annual St. Joseph’s Eighth Grade Basketball Tournament. Mass will be held Saturday evening and, Sunday afternoon, we will enjoy watching some of our students participate in the ‘Dancing Dolls and Dudes’ performance. It will be another of those ‘meet yourself coming and going’ weekends, but lots of fun!

Today was a tasty day at St. Joseph’s! We held our annual Sweet Sampler Challenge, which invites staff to bring a favorite holiday treat to share with everyone. We also request the recipe and calorie count. We are trying to encourage healthy eating, especially during the holidays when there are so many yummy temptations.

I hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving! We are grateful for your support of the Lakota boys and girls attending St. Joseph’s Indian School. As we move into the Advent Season, may we not be distracted by all the external preparation for Christmas that we forget the real reason for the season. May God’s blessings be with all of you through the month of December and coming New Year!

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Preparing for Thanksgiving at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start and your taste buds are ready for turkey and pumpkin pie.

Cousins and siblings enjoyed making Thanksgiving decorations together for their families. — Students gathered in family groups to make table decorations to take home for Thanksgiving.

Last Wednesday, St. Joseph’s students took part in the National Family Week Project. They gathered in family groups (siblings, cousins) so they could make up table decorations to take home for Thanksgiving.

One was a turkey and the other was a big pumpkin which had a slot in it that contained space for small pieces of paper. Students used paper ‘seeds’ to write things they are grateful for. Everyone enjoyed dinner together, followed by some fun playing bingo.

Also last week, we had 19 students from Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota on campus for two days. The group was made up of young men and women planning a teaching career. They got some firsthand experience in the classroom and it was a great learning experience for everyone.

Each year, students take home a table decoration and food boxes to help their family celebrate the holiday. — Last Wednesday, St. Joseph’s students took part in the National Family Week Project.

After basketball games at home tonight for the fourth, fifth and sixth grade Lady Braves, we will have fall sports awards at the rec center tomorrow. Cross country, volleyball and football players will receive their honors for Most Improved, Best Team Player and Coach’s Choice. Congratulations to everyone involved!

On Sunday, we held a Lakota Mass on campus. Deacon Bud is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band in North Dakota, serves on St. Joseph’s Board of Directors and helps out at St. James Catholic Church in Chamberlain; for Mass, he led us in the Lord Have Mercy in Lakota. LaRayne, one of our Native American Studies teachers and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, led us in reciting the Our Father in Lakota and Happy Birthday to those celebrating their birthdays this week.

Pilamaya – thank you – for your generosity for the care and education of the Lakota (Sioux) students. May your holiday be filled with many blessings and safe travels!

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

The first snow at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Welcome to Winter!!

The South Dakota winter is here! — It’s a cold, snowy day in South Dakota.

The big winter storm coming moving across the upper Midwest is hitting South Dakota today. Chamberlain is just on the fringe of the storm but we have snow, cold winds and some slush. We are expecting cold temperatures all week.

Boys in the Explorers Club learn valuable life lessons. — The Explorers learned the proper way to fold a flag at one of their recent meetings.

The Explorers, a local service group, have been out raking leaves but they may have to switch over to shoveling snow! In addition to community service projects, the boys learn useful life lessons. At one of their recent meetings they learned how to properly fold the flag in preparation for Veterans Day tomorrow.

Our kitchen crew will honor all the veterans on St. Joseph’s staff by inviting them to a free lunch on November 11. This is a small way of saying pilamaya – thank you – to those who protect our country and the freedom we enjoy every day.

Since November starts off with the Feast of All Saints and All Souls, we have put up a Remembrance Tree in Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel. Students and staff were asked to submit names of their loved ones who have passed on that could be put on the tree. It will stay up during November as a reminder to us of those walking their journey back to the Heavenly Father.

Tomorrow, we’ll be starting the Novena of Masses for all our benefactors’ special intentions.

Recently, a new program was introduced to the Lakota boys and girls entitled “I See You.” The purpose is to encourage positive actions all over campus. Staff have been given dog tags inscribed with a positive act such as Hope, Belonging, Independence, Sacrifice, Accepting and Loved, which are written in English and Lakota (Sioux).

In November, we are remembering deceased loved ones in prayer. — Our Remembrance Tree will be in the chapel for the month of November.

When staff members see a student showing one of these positive things, they give the tag to the student to let them know their positive act was witnessed. The students then have the opportunity to pass on the tag when they see a fellow student or staff member doing the act mentioned on their tag. The program’s purpose is to encourage everyone to have a positive attitude and good interaction with one another.

Wishing you a great week, and may you experience God’s blessings in a variety of ways. Pilamaya – thank you – for your support and encouragement of everything we do at St. Joseph’s!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

High School Academics, Basketball Season at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good afternoon from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

The Lakota students had a great time dressing up for Halloween! — A cowboy and a Smurf were some of the many characters on campus Friday.

Hope everyone survived Halloween. We had ghosts, goblins, princesses, ninja warriors and other various costumed students swarming the campus on Friday afternoon. They collected a few treats prior to the Grand March at 4:15 PM in the rec center. There, we had contests for the Funniest, Scariest and the Most Creative outfits. Prizes were also given out to the homes for the best Halloween decorations and to those who had carved or decorated pumpkins.

As Chamberlain High School just finished their first quarter, it was time to give out some awards. St. Joseph’s five high school homes compete for best grade point average and the home with the highest score gets a nice traveling trophy to keep until the next quarter. Crane Home had a 2.46 average, Giles a 2.52, Carola a 2.54, Sheehy a 2.87 and Hogebach was the winner with a 3.29.

We also want to congratulate Angela, one of our seniors, as she has a 4.17 GPA – way to go Angela!

To encourage the students to not fall behind in their class assignments, we also have a trophy for the home with the least missing assignments. The winner this time was Crane Home with ZERO missing assignments. It was also the first time that a home which is predominately freshmen won the award. We’re so proud of everyone’s hard work!

Congratulations Shawn on your record-breaking football game! — Shawn, a St. Joseph’s senior, established two new school records in his last Cubs football game!

Also in high school news, the Chamberlain football team is done after making it into the play-offs. Their last game of the season was against Crow Creek and Shawn, a St. Joseph’s senior, established two new school records! He gained 280 yards on 26 carries and scored 6 touchdowns in the 65-12 victory. The Cubs then beat Todd County 42-16 in the first round of the play-offs. Madison, the number one seed for the state in their classification, ended the Cubs’ season. Congratulations on a great run!

Football may be over, but the basketball seasons are picking up speed! Inter-city basketball has been going for two weeks and all the young men involved seem to be having fun on the court.

Yesterday our Lady Braves kicked off their basketball season. Our fifth and sixth grade teams hosted PILC (Pierre Indian Leaning Center) and earned a pair of victories. On Thursday the seventh and eighth grade teams will also host PILC while the fourth and fifth grade teams journey up the road to take on Crow Creek for their first away game. Go Braves!

St. Joseph’s Indian School received some good news last week that we have passed inspection and were re-certified by the Council on Accreditation out of New York. We are honored to have achieved certification so quickly. It is a great compliment to our students and staff, along with the support and encouragement YOU give us. Pilamaya – thank you!

Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Lakota children celebrate Red Ribbon Week

Good morning friends of St. Joseph’s!

This week, the Lakota (Sioux) students join thousands of others in celebrating drug free lifestyles with Red Ribbon Week. Monday, students wore their pajamas to class to remind one another ‘Follow your dreams — don’t do drugs.’ Tuesday, they showed their drug free school spirit by wearing blue and gold. Later in the week, they will be wearing special sobriety celebration T-shirts that say ‘Our School has SWAG (Students Who Achieve Goals).

Friday, of course, is Halloween. The children have had a wonderful time preparing ghoulish costumes and decorating their homes. Wendy manages our in-kind gifts and has collected a good supply of costumes and accessories for the day. After trick or treating on St. Joseph’s campus, students will gather in the rec center for the Costume Grand March. Prizes will be awarded for best costume, scariest pumpkin and the home with the cleverest decorations.

St. Joseph’s holds sobriety celebrations with the Lakota students three times per year. — Monday, students wore their pajamas to class to remind one another ‘Follow your dreams — don’t do drugs.’

Pilamaya – thank you – for your donations of gently used decorations and other items for every holiday of the year!

In addition to these festivities, preparations have begun for those students participating in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) program to receive Baptism, First Communion or Confirmation. With the support of their families, students have the chance to learn about and deepen their faith commitment in a special class offered each week. Families join their students on campus for a one-day retreat to offer support and encouragement to their child. Please keep these young people and families in your prayers as they prepare to receive these Sacraments in April.

I spent Monday at a board meeting in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. As part of St. Joseph’s outreach to Native Americans, we support a domestic violence shelter, a thrift store and an adolescent care facility on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation You can read more about their work and other outreach programs of St. Joseph’s Indian School.

I hope each of you has a great week and a fun Halloween! Remember, this weekend we move our clocks BACK an hour. Enjoy that extra hour of sleep!

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

An education for life at St. Joseph’s Indian School

At St. Joseph’s Indian School, we strive to educate the Lakota (Sioux) children we work with for life – mind, body, heart and spirit. With a safe environment and enough to Continue reading “An education for life at St. Joseph’s Indian School”

Ending one season, starting another at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good afternoon from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Last week, we had a staff appreciation breakfast and handed out a small lapel pin to everyone. We’ve shared a pin each year over the last several years and ask staff to wear them, especially on the 19^th of each month. This day corresponds with the feast of St. Joseph in March and is also when we end the monthly novena of Masses we offer for our benefactors (the novena begins on the 11^thof each month).

The pin gives all of us a visual reminder of our benefactors’ generosity. As we lift all of you up in prayer, we renew our commitment to use the resources you provide to the best of our ability in reaching out to meet the needs of the Lakota (Sioux) students and their families. Pilamaya – thank you – for sharing your blessings!

The St. Joseph’s Braves finished their season playing the Chieftains from the Crow Creek Reservation. — St. Joseph’s football team burst onto the field to start their last game!

Our volleyball and football seasons were also wrapped up last week. The girls earned a victory against the Warriors from Pierre Indian Learning Center (PILC) to close their volleyball season. At home, the football team hosted Crow Creek.

There are several students from the Crow Creek Indian Reservation who attend St. Joseph’s, so many players knew each other. There was great cheering from the crowd as many students and staff had come out to watch the boys play.

It was a close game! Everyone played hard and the Crow Creek Chieftains came out with a 50-46 win over St. Joseph’s Braves.

As the nets, cleats and pads are put away, our students will unpack their sneakers and gym shorts and get ready for basketball. The girls begin team practices next week and the boys will play in St. Joseph’s inter-city league on Sundays. After Christmas break, the boys and girls will switch – the boys will begin their regular basketball season and the girls will play inter-city league.

We hope you all have a great week.

Know we keep you in our prayers asking God to bless you and keep you healthy and happy.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

A visit from Fr. Steve, Native American Day and more!

We had a very busy weekend at St. Joseph’s Indian School, including celebrating Native American Day yesterday. South Dakota has celebrated Native American Day instead of Columbus Day since 1990.

We were also honored to have Fr. Steve on campus for part of the weekend!

One of St. Joseph’s students took second place in the hand throwing pumpkin contest. — Seventh grader Haesel came in second in the hand-throwing section for her age group.

Fr. Steve, now our SCJ Provincial Superior, was back on campus to take part in St. Joseph’s semi-annual board meeting. It was good to see him; his health is good and he’s

The Lakota boys and girls participated in the parade for the River City Band Festival in Chamberlain. — St. Joseph’s students carried banners in the parade for the River City Band Festival.

enjoying his new position.

During his visit, Fr. Steve was able to take part in Enrichment Night activities with the Lakota boys and girls and visit with some of the Hogebach girls who took part in an inipi ceremony the afternoon he arrived.

Saturday, he attended the River City Band Festival Parade with many of our students and staff.

Local and regional bands march in a parade and then perform in the field competition at the Chamberlain High School football field. During the parade, 40 St. Joseph’s students helped by carrying banners to advertise the local sponsors.

Sunday was the parish festival at St. James Catholic Church in Chamberlain. Several young men from the Cyr Home (fourth, fifth and sixth grade boys) volunteered to set up, help with some games and then take part in the clean-up. One of their houseparents is the parish secretary, which inspired them to volunteer.

St. Joseph’s students and staff participated in a local pumpkin throwing contest. — St. Joseph’s maintenance crew constructed a pumpkin chucker for the local fall festival.

At the Chamberlain community fall festival the St. Joseph’s Chuckers won the contest for who could shoot a pumpkin the farthest with a catapult. Several members of our maintenance crew worked together to construct a launcher and won 1^st place. Haesel, one of our seventh graders, came in second in the hand throw contest for the 10-15 year age group.

As the autumn days slip away, we see the football and volleyball seasons wind down and come to an end. The seventh and eighth grade football team will have their last game of the season this week as they host Crow Creek. The girls’ volleyball teams will be on the road to Pierre to play PILC (Pierre Indian Learning Center). Our flag football season is also winding down and the students had another good year.

May God continue to bless and reward each of you for your generosity for the education and care of the Lakota boys and girls. Be assured of our prayers for you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

College visits for St. Joseph’s high school students

Greetings from a chilly Chamberlain!

Throughout the school year, St. Joseph’s high school students visit various colleges and trade schools as they consider their future. Last week, several or our seniors, juniors and sophomores traveled to the University of South Dakota to learn more about the campus and classes offered there.

On the trip to USD, our students were thrilled to catch up with St. Joseph’s alumni Errol and Wyatt, who graduated in 2014 and now attend the University of South Dakota. It was great to have their insight about the transition from high school to college. Thanks guys!

You may have heard about the recent difficulties at Chicago’s airports. The ripple effect of this disruption in air travel made it all the way to South Dakota. Our team going to the donor luncheon in Chicago this past weekend had their flight cancelled. In an effort to keep our scheduled events, the decision was made to drive to Chicago.

Everything went great!

The Lakota (Sioux) students prepare for the future by visiting colleges and tech schools. — St. Joseph’s high school students visited USD and met up with alumni Errol and Wyatt.

Justina and Treyah did a great job speaking to our donors. The trip was made extra special by a visit from Fr. Steve Huffstetter, SCJ, past Director of St. Joseph’s and our current Provincial Superior. He joined the team for the Saturday lunch and sightseeing. Fr. Steve grew up near Chicago and was excited to show the team the local sights.

During the donor events we hold in different cities around the U.S., two of our Lakota (Sioux) students share with our benefactors how their generosity touches the lives of the children who attend St. Joseph’s. Our next luncheon will be in San Francisco, California in January. You can register online or call 1-800-584-9200. We’d love to have you join us if you are in the area!

Within the next few days, St. Joseph’s will be hosting exchange students from Germany. In June, we send a couple students to visit Germany and France. In the fall, our European counterparts become our guests and visit St. Joseph’s Indian School. They will attend a few days of classes with our students at Chamberlain High School, do some sightseeing and make a presentation of what life and school are like in Germany.

I hope that everyone has a great week. May God continue to bless and reward you for your generosity.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain