Category: Fr. Anthony

It’s the First Day of School!

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s,

The school bell has rung!!!  The Lakota students began arriving yesterday, and some came in early this morning.  As the students entered school this morning, the teachers and staff greeted them with leis –the traditional sign of welcome in Hawaii.  We have a large number of students this year.  It looks like we’ll have 50 high school students and 166 students in grades 1-8, for a total of 216 Native American youngsters! We are grateful for your generosity that makes it possible to welcome in so many students to St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Check out our First Day of School photo album!

As part of our commitment to make sure we can offer a safe environment for the students we serve, our staff has learned about the Olwes Bullying Prevention Program.

It was developed in Norway by Dr. Dan Olwes and has been used here in the United States for about 5 years now.  It is a program that encourages all St. Joseph’s staff, not just teachers and houseparents, but anyone who will be in contact with the students, to be alert to any negative actions or words so that someone can step in on the spot to prevent the situation from escalating further.

We have ‘no bullying’ signs up around campus and will have an official kick-off at the start of September to remind everyone that it’s necessary to treat each other with respect and dignity.

We began the monthly novena of Masses for all our benefactors on Sunday, August 11 and it will continue to August 19.  We offer this novena each month as our way of saying thanks to you for your support and encouragement.

I hope each of you has a wonderful week and that God’s blessings and strength will continue to be with you.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s Indian School

All-Staff Orientation begins!

Things are a bit NOISY in Chamberlain this week as bikers come through the area on their way out to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota’s Black Hills.  The annual rally starts today and runs the entire week.  It is impressive to see so many cycles out on the highway.  Many stay in the Chamberlain-Oacoma area on their way and stop to visit the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center.

A prayer service kicked off our All-Staff Orientation this morning, as preparations continue for the return of the Lakota boys and girls on August 11 and the first day of school on August 12. It’s hard to believe the summer has gone by so quickly!  We miss our veteran staff members from past years, but are also happy to welcome 20 new staff to St. Joseph’s tiyospaye – extended family.  While I’m not sure yet how many students we’ll have this year, there will be around 55 new students.

St. Joseph’s Indian School recently hosted our local Relay for Life event, which remembers those who have died from or are dealing with cancer.  Fr. Steve was the honoree, and the event raised about $30,000.00!

Of that, St. Joseph’s staff contributed nearly $6,600.00!

Every week, staff members participate in the ‘jeans because’ program that allows staff to wear jeans on Friday. This activity alone raised approximately $1,200.00 for Relay for Life! The contributions are used for a variety of charities who work for the cure of cancer.

St. Joseph’s staff member Bryan is being honored for his success in athletics at Chamberlain High School.
Bryan, St. Joseph’s Athletic Director, is a new inductee into Chamberlain High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Congratulations Bryan!

Some good news for a St. Joseph’s employee was in the local paper this last week.  Our Athletic Director and Recreation Coordinator, Bryan, has been selected by the Chamberlain Booster Club to become a member of the high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.  During his high school years, Bryan was very successful in basketball, football, power lifting and baseball.  Congratulations, Bryan, on this achievement!

I hope you all have a great week!   Keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare to open the new school year.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Hellos and good-byes

Happy Tuesday to you all!

I write with mixed emotions today, since we’ve said good-bye and hello at the same time this week.

You may remember Fr. Steve sharing with you that we had a visiting Portuguese SCJ, Fr. Jose, staying at St. Joseph’s since April as he worked on his thesis.  He really got into the swing of things on St. Joseph’s campus and throughout South Dakota.  He went with Fr. Steve and Lakota (Sioux) seventh graders on their cultural trip to the Black Hills and other important places to Native American heritage in neighboring states.

Fr. Jose also went to Hales Corners, Wisconsin, to observe the election assembly that chose Fr. Steve to be our new Provincial.  I think the only thing we may have missed while he was here were the lawn mower races in Pukwana, South Dakota!  Father Jose left about 10 days ago to visit our SCJ confreres in Houston, Texas and see the work that is being done there at Our Lady of Guadalupe.  He’ll head back to France in mid-August.

The other ‘good bye’ was for Fr. Steve as he headed out for Hales Corners early Sunday morning. On August 1, he will take over as our new Provincial.  He reminded me that he‘d be coming for St. Joseph’s powwow in September, so you will have the chance to see him then if you can attend.

Hellos were said to our new staff members who are on campus this week for orientation.  Right now, they are on a scavenger hunt, which will take them around the campus to find various sites they need to know about.  They’ll be taking classes on First Aid, fire safety, adult and child CPR and use of the AED, and learning how to fill out various forms they will need for school, in the homes or kitchen for supplies.

St. Joseph’s new teachers and houseparents undergo extensive training before students return to campus.
New staff are trained in everything from paperwork to how to safely deescalate a situation with a child who may become aggressive. Safety for St. Joseph’s students and staff is our top priority!

We are very grateful to have them! Their willingness to blend their talents and skills with our veteran staff will help us provide our Native American students with the best, safest and most rewarding program possible. Of course, all this is thanks to your generosity.

Next week, St. Joseph’s returning staff will begin orientation. On August 11, students will return and class begins Monday, August 12. As you can see, things will be busy for a while!

Thank you again for your support of St. Joseph’s, both financial contribution and prayers – we are grateful for your friendship! Have a great week and may God’s blessings continue to be with you now and always.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s Indian School

PS.  Please keep Fr. Steve in your prayers this week as he prepares to be installed as Provincial on Thursday, August 1, 2013!  If you could say a prayer for him that day, I’m sure he would appreciate it so that God’s strength and guidance will be with him as he leads our community into the future.   Thank you!

Fr. Anthony

The countdown begins!

The countdown for the start of the new school year is underway.  The Lakota (Sioux) students who were in our summer home have returned home to their families for a break. St. Joseph’s staff will have a brief time of relaxation before we kick things off for the new school year.

Student applications are reviewed by St. Joseph’s team.
Our Admissions Team reviews the files of the Lakota students who have applied to come to St. Joseph’s Indian School.

Today, we begin orientation for all our new staff members. All staff return to St. Joseph’s Indian School for orientation August 5.

This week of special training for all houseparents, teachers, counselors and staff working with our students helps ensure that everyone is on the same page. That way, all the staff can be supportive of one another and help each other get comfortable with the procedures to be followed to keep everyone safe – especially the Native American boys and girls in our care.

The students begin arriving on August 11 when the homes open and we begin the school year on August 12.  It seems like we just had graduation and here we are getting ready to kick things off for the 2013-2014 school year!

We appreciate your prayers for a great start and a wonderful year.

Sincerely,

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Supplies are ready for the start of the year at St. Joseph’s!
Cases upon cases of vegetables, cereal and other food items are waiting to stock the pantries of St. Joseph’s campus homes!

Visiting Alumni

Good morning from the banks of the beautiful Missouri River!!

Chamberlain was a bit crowded last weekend as the local high school welcomed home alumni for their annual reunion weekend.  The classes honored were those of every five years from 1943 through 2003.

One special event for the weekend was an Art Expo at the South Dakota Hall of Fame located in Chamberlain.  It honors people from around the state who have made a positive impact in South Dakota in a variety of areas, including business, the arts and humanitarian causes. St. Joseph’s Founder, Father Henry Hogebach, SCJ, is one of those honored.

The theme of returning alumni was in effect here at St. Joseph’s too. Mr. Casmir LeBeau from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, came to visit. Mr. LeBeau was one of St. Joseph’s first students in 1927! He heard Fr. Steve has been elected Provincial and would be leaving at the end of the month to assume his new responsibilities in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Though a little hard of hearing, his health and memory are in fine working order and he enjoyed sharing several stories with us at lunch and then went over to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center to meet with Dixie, our  Museum Director, and Mary Jane, our  Director of  Alumni  Outreach.  He was able to help put names to some of the faces in various pictures from the early years of St. Joseph’s.

I received a phone call from a benefactor this week asking a question several of you may be wondering about as well.  She asked if St. Joseph’s had Mass on Sunday that guests could attend.  I was happy to tell her that we have Mass each Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. in Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel here on campus.  This is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Mass is not held when the Lakota students are away on a break – Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, Easter or summer vacation. The first Mass this year will be on August 18.  Please feel welcome to come and celebrate with us if you are in the neighborhood! Mass on our annual powwow weekend, September 20-22, will also be at 10:00 a.m.

May God’s blessings, guidance and strength remain with you always.  Thanks again for all you do on behalf of St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Sincerely,

Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Greetings from Fr. Anthony

By now, you have probably heard that with Fr. Steve’s election to be our new Provincial, I have been asked to oversee operations until a more permanent replacement can be found.  I have been in touch with you before, when Fr. Steve has been away on donor luncheons.  We may also have crossed paths at St. Joseph’s powwow celebrations over the last four years.  I look forward to sharing what is happening here on campus at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

This past Thursday was Independence Day and we had lots of visitors in our South Dakota town, camping and fishing out on the Missouri River.  Many also stopped by to visit the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, and our new addition, the Tokéya uŋkí nájiŋpi Alumni & Historical Center. A few alumni stopped by as well.

The big event of the evening was the fireworks display over the river.  Fr. Jose and I had intended to watch them from our residence here on campus, since we have  a beautiful view of the river, but the bugs and mosquitoes had other ideas!  We went up to the rest area out on Interstate 90, which overlooks Chamberlain, and sat in the car to avoid being eaten alive.  While there were some beautiful explosions during the 20-minute program, the locals also were putting on a great show before and after.

Every year, the Race on the River is part of the 4th of July activities in Chamberlain, and it usually starts here on campus and then heads into town.  We had to re-configure the route this year since much of the campus is undergoing some repair and fix-ups, which required our roads being torn up at this time.  As a result, there was no way to make a complete circle around campus.  We hope to have everything up and running by the start of the school year on August 12.

Fr. Anthony takes a break on the playground with the Lakota children.
Fr. Anthony visits with St. Joseph’s summer students on the playground.

The Lakota students still on campus for our summer program went to Mitchell, South Dakota, last week for an outing and decided to stay for the double feature at the local drive-in theater.  When trying to enjoy such a treat, we pay for it by being at the end of the line for the Central Time Zone.  The Mountain Time Zone is about a hundred miles west, so our evenings tend to stay light for a long time.  Sunset comes around 10 PM and the movie had to wait until the skies darkened completely.  They saw Monsters’ University and Despicable Me 2; but they did not get home until nearly 3:00 AM since Mitchell is over an hour away.  Needless to say, there was a sleep-in the next day.

While I was home for a brief vacation about two weeks ago, I had the chance to concelebrate Mass at the parish nearest to where my mother resides in the San Antonio area.  The people were very friendly and asked where my parish was, but when I told them I was from South Dakota and served as chaplain at St. Joseph’s Indian School , several said ‘I’ve been there’ and/or ‘I contribute to your school.’

They are excited to meet someone in the flesh from St. Joseph’s, and I am happy to interact with some of our benefactors and answer any questions they may have and assure them that our students and staff our very grateful for their generosity and that we keep you all in our prayers.

Speaking of prayers, a benefactor from Oklahoma recently sent in a request that we keep the people of Norman in our prayers due to the destruction from the tornadoes that went through the area recently.  I feel it is important to pass along since, as I was driving down and back from Texas, I went through the Norman area on Interstate 35 and you could still see the effects of the storm. It was amazing to see some homes gone completely and other homes right nearby that had very little damage at all. Please say a prayer or two that we can rally to help support and encourage our fellow citizens who have a long road to recovery ahead of them.

I hope your 4th of July weekend went well and that you enjoyed whatever activities you and your family and friends took part in! May we not just celebrate, but also be good citizens and help our country be the best it can be as a model of freedom, justice and peace.

Have a great week ahead and may the Great Spirit bless and reward you.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

PS  Fr. Steve made it home from his most recent donor luncheons in Michigan and Indiana. He also had some time to squeeze in a brief visit with his family.  Please continue to keep him in your prayers that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen him as he prepares to assume the responsibility of guiding our Province into the future for the next three years.

A weekend update

Dear Friends of St. Joseph’s,

I have the privilege of sharing what’s been going on at St. Joseph’s Indian School over the last few days since Fr. Steve is away on a donor luncheon to Dover, Delaware and the northwest side of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near King of Prussia and Valley Forge.

Last Wednesday, a severe weather drill was held for the whole State of South Dakota.

We work hard to keep the Lakota boys and girls safe. It’s important to be aware of what sounds would be used should an actual tornado be in the area. We also practice fire and lockdown drills with our Native American students to keep everyone prepared for any situation.

Friday was our 18th Annual Sobriety Walk and the weather was perfect.  The program started with a presentation by Sheltered Reality, a group founded in 1996 to help young people. After their fine presentation, the students and staff made their walk through downtown Chamberlain urging everyone to say NO to drug and alcohol abuse.

Saturday was also busy as Chamberlain High School’s Native American Club sponsored their 6th Annual Powwow in the Chamberlain Armory.  They had a good turnout with royalty and drum groups.   The event began with 55 dancers and kept growing! Several St. Joseph’s students and staff took part.  CONGRATULATIONS to St. Joseph’s high school students who are officers in the club and did a great job in organizing and running the event.

Sunday was also a beautiful day and gave everyone the chance to get outdoors after a long winter that did not seem to want to end.  We had over 10 inches of snow in the last two and a half weeks, so warm, sunny days were a welcome change.

Fishermen were out in force on the Missouri River. There were so many boats in the water that it looked like airplanes in a holding pattern as they came off the water to load their boats.

Chamberlain was hosting a baseball game downtown and some of our older students were active in a softball game here on campus.  The younger students had gotten their bikes out and were pedaling all over the campus.  I think everyone is ready for warmer weather.

Over at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, the new displays are in place.  Thanks to the effort of Split Rock Studios, the overhaul of the displays in the museum and the addition of our historical and alumni center are now complete. We hope you’ll have the chance to visit and see   all the changes!

Hope your weekend went well too.  We keep you in our prayers and are very grateful for the generosity you show the Lakota children attending St. Joseph’s Indian School.  May the Great Spirit bless you and yours this week and always.  Pilamaya!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s Indian School

A peaceful, happy Easter

Greetings once again from the banks of the Missouri River!

We hope that you and yours had a very blessed, peaceful and happy Easter.

Things were a bit quiet this past weekend since the Lakota (Sioux) students were away for the Spring/Easter break.  They’ll be returning today and we’ll have an Easter egg hunt later this afternoon.

Fr. Steve is on his way back from Florida, so I have the chance to bring you up-to-date on what’s been going on.

I was able to help with Holy Thursday services at St. Michael’s in Kennebec, South Dakota, which is about 30 miles west of us here in Chamberlain.  It is one of the mission parishes covered by our pastoral team at the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.  I enjoyed having the chance to celebrate with the community there.

I concelebrated Easter Vigil at St. James in Chamberlain, helping Fr. Guy Blair, SCJ. One of our houseparents had been part of their RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program this past year and joined the church at the Vigil.

It was an honor to take part in the service and helped get me excited since our RCIC (Rite of Christian Initiation for Children) will have its celebration this coming Sunday, when 18 of our Native American students receive the Sacraments of Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation.

Easter Day was quiet and relaxing.  I had Mass for St. Joseph’s students staying in the break Home (those who stayed on campus instead of going home for the Spring/Easter break) prior to their outing to Mitchell, South Dakota.

It was also quiet since it appears the snow geese, which are on their migration back to the Arctic, have finally headed north.  Their normal route home was feeling the effect of mid-Western snow storms and frozen waters, thus their path was pushed further to the west, which brought them into our area.  They were all over the place – the local paper estimated that there were about 50,000 in Brule County!

Again, best wishes for a very happy Easter Season.  Be assured of our prayers for you and your intentions, as we are truly grateful for your support of St. Joseph’s Indian School.  May the Great Spirit continue to bless and reward you.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s Indian School

Chamberlain, SD

Leading up to Easter at St. Joseph’s

Greetings to you all as we enter into Holy Week leading up to the joy, beauty and majesty of Easter!

Fr. Steve is away attending some meetings in Chicago and giving a retreat to our retired priests and Brothers in Pinellas Park, Florida.  That’s what he said anyway, but I think there might be an effort to get in a spring training baseball game or two as well!  As he will not be back until after Easter, he asked me to pass along what’s been happening here at St. Joseph’s over this past weekend.

The Lakota children saw two science-related presentations before spring break.
The Lakota children took in the Star Lab Thursday before spring break.

The students and staff are on Spring/Easter break at the moment.  They’ll return on Easter Monday.  Our high school students are on a different schedule (since they attend Chamberlain High School) so they are still in session.  Don’t feel sorry for them though – it seems like they are off for something or other every week! They’ll have Good Friday through Easter Monday off.

Just before the students left, we were able to host two special programs that shared insight into the scientific realm as the Lakota Star Lab came on Thursday and on Friday, we learned about tornadoes.

The Star Lab was an effort to get our students looking to and dreaming about the stars and the heavens.  The Weather Enrichment Program dealt with storm chasers.  There was an initial presentation of the impact tornadoes have and how they are formed.  Then a 20-minute 3-D film called Tornado Alley showed how the storms are chased and studied.

That was followed by a Q & A session and then a tour of the Doppler on Wheels vehicle used in the pursuit of the storms.  It weighs 26,000 pounds, stands 14 feet high, 8.5 feet wide and 27 feet long and is able to obtain speeds around 80 miles per hour.  I asked where they did most of their chasing and they stated Kansas and Oklahoma because they are so flat.

It is good they shared info on tornadoes since South Dakota does get some during the summer months. We have had one or two storm chasers in the area around St. Joseph’s over the years.

The break also gave three of our Lakota students the chance to take part in a trip to Washington, DC to visit our nation’s capital and see the sights.  They flew on Saturday and will visit various museums such as the Holocaust Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian. They will have a tour of the capital building on Monday before heading back on Tuesday.  This has been a wonderful opportunity for our Native American students to explore our seat of national government and get to know the places they hear about on the evening news!

The week ahead should be quiet and peaceful here on campus aside from the squawking of all the Canadian geese that are in the area.  It is amazing how many did not go south for the winter but found the Chamberlain area a nice place to stop and visit.

Hope you all have a rewarding and grace-filled Holy Week and a beautiful Easter!

The Lakota children got to see portable weather stations used to measure conditions during tornadoes.
Friday, after the Tornado Alley movie, St. Joseph’s students headed outside to take a look at portable weather stations and the Doppler on Wheels.

A weekend update from Fr. Anthony

Greetings once again!

Fr. Steve is away on a Donor Luncheon to the Santa Barbara, California area, which gives me another chance to share with you what’s been happening here at St. Joseph’s.  Initially it seemed like a quiet weekend, but, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a normal hectic pace with activities happening all over the place!

As you may be aware, last week was Catholic Schools Week around the country.  Fr. Steve and I helped with the spelling bee contest for each of the classes in the elementary program.  There was a lot of reflection on ‘i before e, except after c,’ and the Lakota students did a great job!

Three of our students will be taking part in the contest that crowns a national champion in Washington, D.C. and the others will take part in a state-wide contest later this month in Mitchell, South Dakota.

The fourth and fifth grades sponsored a Catholic School’s Week food drive to gather items to benefit a local domestic violence shelter and St. James’ parish, which is the local Catholic Church in Chamberlain and is also staffed by an SCJ (Priest of the Sacred Heart).

Afra Home (first, second and third grade girls) went to Lower Brule, South Dakota as part of their social outreach program.  They attended Mass and then served the community with cookies and juice.  Each student home does some sort of outreach activity for an entity in the local area.  As many of our Native American students come from the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Indian Reservations, they like to go back and do something for the elders and their families at home.

On Friday, one of our eighth-grade students, Cassidy, went with the Chamberlain High School gymnastic team to a meet in Wall, South Dakota – home of the famous Wall Drug Store! Chamberlain has a very good team and Cassidy has been part of the JV squad for the past two years.  They are looking forward to qualifying for the state competition.

If you recall, I had mentioned that Chamberlain High School had taken part in the state-wide one act play competition.  Each team must set the stage, perform and take down their set in 45 minutes or less. This year, they did a play by Mark Twain that dealt with trying to improve prices for an artist’s work by putting out the word he was dead.  They performed the play at the regional competition in Pierre, South Dakota, and qualified for the state finals.

Their time slot was 8:00 AM this past Saturday morning.  One cast member said it took several alarm clocks to make sure he got up in time! Despite the early time, they gave it their all and won a superior rating.  One of the leads, Chris, a St. Joseph’s senior, was singled out for extensive praise by the judges.

Sunday was the feast of St. Blasé, and we had the traditional blessing of the throats for the students and staff at our Sunday morning Mass.  In giving the blessing, we ask St. Blasé to intercede and protect those who receive the blessing from any aliment of the throat or other illness.

It was probably good that we did that since there was a lot of screaming and hollering during the Super Bowl later that day.  One of our high school homes hosted a Super Bowl party for the other high school homes, and also invited the eighth graders to attend. They split the fans of the two teams so each could cheer watching their own TV.  There was a lot of good-natured ribbing back and forth and things really got excited and loud when the 49’ers made their late run to try and catch the Ravens.  All sorts of crazy contests—like number of M&Ms in a jar and gag prizes for whenever something special happened in the game – added to the fun.

Saturday gave our fourth, fifth and sixth grade boys’ basketball teams a chance to play their counterparts from Chamberlain.  We play each other twice per season, with each side providing the officials for one of the games.  This time they were from Chamberlain, which may explain why the swept all three games.  The games were close and a good crowd attended.

The weather was crazy as well.  On Thursday many areas of the State called off school because the weather was in the minus 30 degree range! Yet, by Sunday, we were back up to the mid 40’s with lots of melting.

I hope you all have a great week ahead and that our loving God will continue to bless and protect you now and always! We are grateful for your interest in and concern for St. Joseph’s and the programs we offer for the Lakota (Sioux) children.  Pilamaya – thank you!