Fr. Anthony – Page 14 – St. Joseph's Indian School

The days leading up to graduation at St. Joseph’s Indian School

School is out! The last few days of school leading up to graduation were busy indeed.

Students in grades 1-5 were divided into teams for St. Joseph’s field day. — Go Team!

Last Tuesday was devoted to Field Day activities, which kept everyone in grades 1-5 hopping.

During the morning, there were several different activities: Bingo for prizes, an obstacle course and various relays—tug of war, potato sack, scramble through tunnels races, etc. In the afternoon, activity move into the rec center where there were some very imaginative contests inspired by such shows as Minute to Win It and Fear Factor. One of the messiest was Digging for Worms – students were face to face with a plate of whipped cream, chocolate syrup and gummy worms. They had to go in and get the gummy worms – no hands!

On field day, students fished for gummy worms in a plate of whipped cream and chocolate sauce – no hands! — Students went “Digging for Worms” on field day!

On Thursday St. Joseph’s eighth graders enjoyed their annual retreat and graduation practice. During this time, we shared letters of encouragements from benefactors. Our Lakota students got a small taste of how many people are proud of their achievement and wishing them well with their futures.

If you wrote a letter, sent a card or kept our graduates in your prayers, thank you. The students were impressed and humbled by the well wishes of so many.

Later that afternoon, we had fourth quarter awards for Honor Roll and attendance. I’m pleased to announce 91 students had perfect attendance for the quarter, and there were several who had perfect attendance for the year!

Several made honor roll for the quarter and some even made it all four quarters. For this achievement, they were presented with a sweatshirt that showed they were a St. Joseph’s Indian School Honor Roll student. It was exciting to have several families present for the awards, on campus to sign children out for the summer.

Friday morning was graduation for 17 eighth graders. They made a banner that will hang in the rec center displaying their motto—‘You can’t master your future if you are still stuck in your past.’

Three students earned a Presidential Academic Award – a first for St. Joseph’s Indian School. Two young men received citizenship pins for their work with the local Explorers – another first. Proud families were in attendance and Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel was jammed full.

We hope you and yours had a wonderful Memorial Day and remembered our service men and women who gave their futures that we might enjoy our freedom today. May they rest in peace.

God bless you,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Celebrating graduations, end of year at St. Joseph’s Indian School

One graduation down and one to go!

On Sunday, nine St. Joseph’s students (out of a class of 61) took part in the Chamberlain High School graduation ceremony. The armory was packed with graduates, family

and friends. It was an especially important day for Errol – he is the first St. Joseph’s high school graduate to do so with honors. He is also a Regent Scholar and member of the National Honor Society. Congratulations Errol!

As the last graduate was leaving the stage after receiving his diploma, Chamberlain Principal Mr. Bertram, commented that

this was the largest number of graduates we’ve had from St. Joseph’s Indian School to date.

This brought a very nice round of applause from those assembled. It definitely brought a proud smile to the faces of all the St. Joseph’s staff, families and supporters attendance.

Pilamaya – thank you – for helping these students reach this milestone!

Congratulations to St. Joseph’s Class of 2014! — Thanks to your generosity, nine St. Joseph’s seniors graduated high school this year!

Chamberlain school is out for the year, but St. Joseph’s students still have the remainder of this week.

Spring sports awards were given out yesterday. Archery and track participants were recognized for their accomplishments, houseparents were thanked for helping with ball games. T-ball coach Leonard spoke about a young lady who began the season not even knowing how to hold the bat – it was almost bigger than she was! But in the last game of the season, she smacked two home runs! It’s wonderful to watch our Lakota students learn and grow throughout the year.

After the awards were handed out, it was on to the softball diamond for the annual eighth graders vs. staff softball game. The rules are a bit different than a standard game – staff had to hit big 16” softballs, while students hit a normal-sized one and also had the benefit of getting five outs per inning. A good time was had by all and the game ended in a 20-20 tie.

Please keep our eighth grade students in your prayers as they receive their certificates on Friday.

We hope all of you have a very safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. As always, we are grateful for your generosity which enables us to offer the programs our Native American students and families need.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Thank you for your generosity!

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s,

As you may know I celebrated my birthday last Monday, May 12. I was informed there were a lot of birthday greetings popping up on St. Joseph’s Facebook page. Since I do not have a personal account, I went to another office to take a peek at the greetings.

Needless to say, I was overwhelmed.

There were over 180 greetings! One hoped that my birthday would be “out of this world.” It came close as there were greetings from France and Sweden, from both coasts and even from a fellow May birthday celebrator.

I am very grateful for your kindness and thoughtfulness and I give thanks to God for the chance to be here at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

I am also grateful that many of your kind wishes for a happy birthday were accompanied by statements of support for our school and the Lakota (Sioux) children we serve. Your generosity makes it possible for us to offer so much to the Native American students and their families. Because of this important work, nine of our students graduated high school yesterday!

Pilamaya – thank you – again for your thoughtful greetings! I appreciate the prayers you offer up – we can always use them.

May God’s blessings be with each of you on your special day when you celebrate the gift of life given to you and the many gifts and talents with which you have been blessed.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Awards Banquets for St. Joseph’s Seniors

Greetings once again from South Dakota – the land spring has forgotten! Although we have not had any of the snow that Rapid City and the Black Hills have received

Fr. Anthony and the Lakota children. — Fr. Anthony spends time with St. Joseph’s students.

recently, it has been cold and wet over the last few weekends. We are grateful for the moisture, but would be happy to share some of it with the drought areas in California.

As the school year winds down, activities pick up for the Lakota (Sioux) students. Over the last two weekends, 11 of our 19 homes have been away on their home trips. Some have gone shopping in the Sioux Falls area and others have headed out to the Black Hills. This coming week will see the seventh graders head out on their cultural trip to explore various sites in South Dakota and the neighboring states that have Native American cultural and historical impact. They’ll be back on campus prior to graduation on May 23.

St. Joseph’s high school students have also had a variety of activities take place, including end of the year awards. Last Monday was the academic awards banquet:

Students who took part in the one act play were awarded a Superior Play & Acting Award on the State level;
Robert and Kyran were recognized for taking part in Boys’ State;
Senior Errol was honored as a Regent Scholar and recipient of the Al Mueller Memorial Scholarship and the Ruth Potter Memorial/Dakota Indian Foundation Award.

Wednesday, St. Joseph’s seniors were honored at a prayer service and reception where Cody was awarded the Jerry Vaad Memorial. This award is in honor of a long-time employee in the athletic department at St. Joseph’s Indian School. It is awarded to the graduate who best exemplifies sharing of time and talent with other members of his or her tiyospaye – extended family – on campus.

Friday came and it was time for athletic awards:

One of our new students this year, Danny, won the most improved award for golf;
Shawn was mentioned for making all-conference honorable mention in football;
Gabe was designated most inspirational for boys’ basketball;
Adrian won the JV Most Valuable Player award;
Jacob was considered the most inspirational on the high school track team;
Senior Reuben was honored for being a basketball team captain and making all-conference.

Chamberlain High School only has three days of classes left, so tomorrow night is the Baccalaureate service the United Church of Christ. It will be a special moment for all the seniors as they look back at their accomplishments and ahead to their graduation on May 18. Please keep them and their future plans in your prayers. Read more about them here.

Have a great week and know you are being remembered in our Novena of Masses offered the 11^th through the 19^th of each month. May God continue to bless and reward you for your generosity towards the Lakota boys and girls at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Flurry of activities as the school year winds down

This has been a busy last few days. On Wednesday and Thursday of last week our eighth grade students had a day to shadow St. Joseph’s students attending Chamberlain High School. This is a great opportunity for the students to meet teachers and discover ways to get around the high school campus. As our eighth grade graduates get ready to move into our high school program, our seniors are getting ready to move on to college, vocational school and other educational avenues. On Wednesday afternoon a prayer service and reception will be held for our nine high school seniors. Their graduation ceremony is May 18^th.

This past Sunday, I attended the awarding of the annual Distinguished Alumni Award to Mr. Sam Dupris of Bloomington, Minnesota. Sam attended St. Joseph’s from 1937-1942 along with several of his siblings. Sam told our students that the values and educational base he received while attending St. Joseph’s has helped him throughout his life. After a stint in the Army, he used the GI Bill to attend flight school and for more than 25 years spent time with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) working his way up the ranks to be captain and chief pilot. Sam is the first and only Native American to serve as a FAA pilot. He was inducted into the South Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame in 2001 and South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2010.

This past Saturday, the annual Chamberlain High School Powwow was held at the new Chamberlain Community Center. Irene, a junior in our high school program, was selected to be Miss CHS Powwow. She joined, Mia and Cassidy, fellow St. Joseph’s high school girls to participate in the dancing. Our drum group also participated with music and songs for the celebration.

Many new faces are on campus as new staff is being interviewed and hired for next year. While we are happy to welcome them, it also means some of our ‘veterans’ will be moving on. Eleven will be retiring from St. Joseph’s with 114.5 combined years of service and dedication to our students.

You may remember I mentioned the Explorers were doing a car wash last weekend to raise money for new playground equipment at American Creek Campground. They washed 84 cars, made over $500 in tips and a little over $3,500 in pledges. Since June of 2002, they have raised a little over $79,500 to be used for audio visual equipment, projects to beautify the Chamberlain/Oacoma area, supporting meals on wheels and aid to local residents facing health issues.

I hope you have a positive week while finding ways to draw closer to those you care about and taking that first step in reaching out to make a new friend. May God’s blessings continue to be with you!

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Honoring the Past, Preparing for the Future at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Greetings once again from St. Joseph’s Indian School! We are keeping bust with a wide variety of activities as we approach the final weeks of the school year.

Fr. Anthony gives a Lakota child her First Holy Communion. — Fr. Anthony gives the candidates their First Holy Communion.

Last Wednesday we held an inipi (also known as a sweat or going into the sweat lodge) for our high school boys. John, a St. Joseph’s graduate and former principal of our school, led this traditional Lakota ceremony. He led the inipi ceremony to honor all the senior boys and those who have helped them reach this step in their life, including other male students and staff.

Friday was a very busy day!

Career day began after lunch. The Lakota boys and girls began each session by asking presenters a series of questions to determine their profession – what skills were involved, was it something you could do inside or out, any special gear needed, what sort of educational preparation was needed, etc. We learned about the growing, manufacturing and marketing work being done at the Lower Brule Popcorn Company, which is on a local Indian Reservation. Students also heard from artists who create beadwork and Native American flutes, a drug and alcohol counselor, a dental hygienist and a musician with the band Brule’.

Later that afternoon, we held our annual sobriety celebration kicked off with guest speaker Ms. D’Este Chytka, founder of ‘It’s all about Respect.’ She urged students to respect themselves, one another and Mother Earth – Unci Maka.

After her talk, our annual Sobriety Walk to downtown Chamberlain began at the rec center! It was a great day with beautiful weather and wonderful messages for the Lakota (Sioux) children.

With the support of their families, St. Joseph’s students prepared for and received the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation on Sunday, April 27. — Sixteen Lakota students participated in Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation last Sunday.

On Sunday, 16 students received Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation. We were honored to have many family and friends share in Sunday Mass when the candidates received the Sacraments. I am also happy to report that a student who didn’t return to St. Joseph’s after spring break was able to complete his preparation for the Sacraments. With a letter of support from the members of our pastoral team, Clare and Joe, he was able to receive his Sacraments on Easter at his home parish in Nebraska.

It was a very special day for our students and families, and a positive witness for everyone who attended.

Please join us in praying for those who lost their lives in the recent tornadoes in Arkansas and Oklahoma, as well as their families. We continue to keep you and your intentions in our prayers asking God to bless and reward you for your generosity. Have a wonderful week!

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Happy Easter from the Lakota (Sioux) children!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!!! The tomb is empty, He is truly risen!!!

We hope you all had a very Blessed Easter and that the good works you did during the Lenten Season will now continue so you can share that good news of an empty tomb with others.

After the Lakota (Sioux) students returned from Easter break on Monday at noon, several homes were planning to attend the Big Bend Shrine Circus in Chamberlain that evening.

Tuesday, it was back to business in the classrooms for the Lakota children and St. Joseph’s Parent Advisory Council was on campus. Made up of the Native American parents and guardians of St. Joseph’s students, the group meets twice a year. We keep them up to date about what is happening on campus and hear their feedback and suggestions on current and future programs for the students. We are grateful for their support and insight.

You may recall we recently sponsored the 2^nd Annual Mr. Relay for Life pageant, which St. Joseph’s alumnus, Stefen, won. I’ve come to find out that one of our employees

St. Joseph’s staff coordinated the Mr. Relay for Life pageant to raise money for cancer research. — Benjamin, an employee in St. Joseph’s Development Office, took second place in the Mr. Relay for Life pageant!

from the Development Office – Benjamin – came in second. Congratulations to everyone who participated and helped make the event possible – over $7,000.00 was raised

to benefit Tri-County Relay for Life!

As we approach the end of the school year, the next major event on the agenda at St. Joseph’s Indian School is the reception of Sacraments—Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation for those who have been taking part in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children(RCIC) during the school year. Their big day is coming up this Sunday. We hope for beautiful weather so students’ families will be able to come and share this special day with them.

We hope you all have a great week! May God’s grace and peace enable you to be open to our Risen Savior. May He walk with you and guide you to discern how your blessings can help others and make our world a better place.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

A busy day at St. Joseph’s!

Today the Lakota (Sioux) students begin Easter break.

We had a very busy weekend at St. Joseph’s – Saturday was packed, but started on a sad note.

In the afternoon, Chamberlain saw its first Annual Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Walk. The walk was held in loving memory of Mason Naser, a young child from the area who suffered fatal abuse at the hands of his father’s girlfriend. He was a sibling of one of St. Joseph’s boys in the Ambrose Home.

To show support for their housemate, the boys and their houseparents took part in the walk to affirm Dr. Seuss’ statement and the walk’s rallying cry – “A person’s a person,

no matter how small!”

Saturday evening held the second annual crowning of Mr. Relay for Life – a ‘beauty’ pageant for Chamberlain area men. There is a lot of laughter involved in support of dealing with something that isn’t funny — cancer.

Some of the outfits put Lady Gaga to shame as the participants took part in an evening gown competition, talent contest — thankfully only a minute in length – and an interview.

St. Joseph’s Residential Director Julie helped organize the event which, in its inaugural year, raised over $4,400.00 for cancer research! We were blessed to have many more

St. Joseph’s staffers involved, including Bryan, our Rec Center Director, and Doug, a houseparent, as contestants!

At the end of the evening, St. Joseph’s alumnus Stefen was crowned Mr. Relay for Life 2014!

Kudos to everyone who participated and helped exceed last year’s results by raising a whopping $7,000!

One local group that helped raise money for the event was the Explorers. This is a program for middle school boys, giving them opportunities for camaraderie and service, working to raise money for local needs.

Recently they had the chance to take a trip to the State Capital in Pierre, South Dakota. They had their picture taken with Governor Dennis Daugaard and had the chance to visit with Marty Jackley, the South Dakota Attorney General.

They are currently planning their big car wash fundraiser in late April, with the profits being used to buy some much-needed playground equipment for the park at American

The Explorers got to meet South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard.

Creek.

Several St. Joseph’s students are involved in this and have been officers in the program over the past few years. They will end the year in May with a trip to Kansas City for a professional baseball game.

God bless you this Holy Week! May we all take time to reflect on what takes place as we celebrate Holy Thursday, when Jesus gives us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist and appreciate the price He freely chose to pay to redeem us from sin by His Passion and Death on Good Friday and the joyous victory He achieves over sin and death by His resurrection on Easter.

Fr. Anthony

Chaplain

Good Times, Good Company at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Memo to Mother Nature — enough is enough, please make up your mind! This past Saturday was gorgeous but Palm Sunday was cold and windy, which kept our blessing of the palms indoors. I hope spring has really sprung for you, wherever you may live.

Last week, we were honored to have Fr. Steve back on campus. In his new role as Provincial of the United States Province he had two tasks to fulfill during his visit to St. Joseph’s Indian School. First, he visited with all the SCJs in ministry here in South Dakota to check in on how we are doing in terms of health, ministry and spiritual lives.

St. Joseph’s eighth grade girls matched up against staff for a basketball game. — St. Joseph’s eighth grade girls vs. staff.

Second, he was part of the board meeting that reviews finances and ministry of the work the community is doing. The meeting was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, so board members could visit St. Joseph’s Donor Care Center. The board was impressed by the ability of Donor Care Center staff to reach out to our benefactors, offering birthday greetings, answering questions and helping people learn more about St. Joseph’s Indian School and the programs we offer the Lakota (Sioux) people in Chamberlain and on South Dakota Indian Reservations.

Before heading to Sioux Falls for the meeting, Fr. Steve enjoyed watching the basketball games between staff teams and our eighth grade boys and girls’ teams. Our young ladies were up first, and staff players gave us a glimpse of glory from their younger years. The effort was there, but it took them awhile to hit their stride.

It was 12-11 in the staff’s favor at half. The fans were into the game, pulling for their side in good fun. The staff team was in the lead as the final few minutes wound down. The eighth grade coach sent his whole team out to play in a sneak attack that resulted in the eighth graders getting the ball for one last shot! They made a long 3-point shot to tie it at the buzzer ending the game tied at 33 all!

Many laughs were had by all, setting us up for the boys vs. staff game.

When the game got ready to start, Fr. Steve came out to administer the opening toss up and then scrambled out of the way as everyone rushed to get the ball. The staff team came at the eighth graders in waves – they had enough players to sub in and out. The eighth grade boys, however, had just five players!

St. Joseph’s eighth grade boys matched up against staff for a basketball game. — St. Joseph’s eighth grade boys vs. staff. Derek, a houseparent, is cleverly disguised in a St. Joseph’s Braves uniform.

The boys held their own, however, and lead at half 13-9. Once the second half got underway, it got a bit confusing – many staff were wearing St. Joseph’s team uniforms, so it was hard to make sure you were passing to your teammate and not the opposition. The fans kept rooting for the students as the minutes ticked off the clock. There were lots of oohs and aahs as shots went up but not in. At the buzzer, the staff escaped with a 23-21 victory.

It was a great way to finish the week!

It was a busy weekend at St. Joseph’s, so stay tuned to hear more about Saturday’s many activities.

We hope that whatever activity you chose for Lent has proven beneficial and has you ready for Holy Week. May God continue to bless you all and reward you for your generosity.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Softball, Prom & Palm Sunday for the Lakota (Sioux) Students

We hope this finds you all healthy and doing well! The weather in Chamberlain is keeping us guessing, but the last couple of days have been warming up… Dare we say spring

Fr. Anthony is St. Joseph’s Chaplain — Fr. Anthony with the Lakota children

is really here?

St. Joseph’s Native American students have taken advantage of the nice days and are getting out for some activities. Tonight, the junior high softball league will start. The fourth and fifth grade softball will have a meeting today and start their season in the next day or two. Our youngest students (first, second and third grades) take part in T-ball and they kick off their season tomorrow afternoon.

Last Thursday, I had the chance to attend the Chrism Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The oils used in church rituals during this year were blessed and then distributed to all the parishes. The clergy gather to re-affirm our commitment of service to God’s people and to take the oils home as a sign of unity within the diocese. These oils will be used on April 27 when our Lakota (Sioux) students who are taking part in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) program will receive their Sacraments.

Saturday was a big night for our high school students – prom! Since the festivities go through the night, we decided to push back our Sunday Mass at St. Joseph’s Indian School to late afternoon so everyone could get some sleep. It was nice to see other prom goers from the community join our later service after taking the opportunity to sleep in. Check out our photos from the evening!

Most of St. Joseph’s high school students attend the Chamberlain High School prom last weekend. — St. Joseph’s students and their dates at the prom!

Everyone was very excited to have Fr. Steve back with us to be the celebrant at our afternoon Mass. He is in South Dakota for a board meeting this week and to visit with the local SCJ community members in his role as Provincial Superior.

It is hard to believe Palm Sunday is coming up this weekend. We hope it will be a special day for you as we continue our journey to Easter.

Take care and know we are keeping you and your intentions in our prayers.

God bless,
Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain