Fr. Anthony – Page 7 – St. Joseph's Indian School

A new ‘season’ has begun…

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

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School.

As I was driving home from the Chamberlain High School football game last Friday, I noticed several of the local motels had ‘no vacancy’ signs lit. I couldn’t figure out why so many people were in town …and then it hit me—pheasants.

The South Dakota pheasant season opened Saturday at noon and the color of the day is now blaze orange. This is a very big source of income for the State of South Dakota and local guides. We offered a prayer at Sunday Mass asking the Great Spirit to keep all hunters safe.

Saturday evening, St. Joseph’s sponsored a concert by Mr. Shane Heilman of The Psalms Project at the Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel on St. Joseph’s campus. The Psalms Project is a group of forty musicians who are working to put all 150 Psalms to music with artistic excellence, Scriptural integrity, and cultural relevance—a marriage of King David’s vision with modern music.

Thus far, they have recorded the first 20 Psalms and are preparing to release their third album with Psalms 21-30. During the concert, Mr. Heilman talked about the project and explained the meaning of the Psalms he performed. Mr. Heilman also helped out with the music at our Sunday liturgy. To find out more about the project, you can visit their website, thepsalmsprojectband.com.

Last week saw the end of the football and volleyball seasons here on campus. There is no downtime, however, for the Lakota students at St. Joseph’s! Our girls and boys began basketball, martial arts, gymnastics and archery practices this week.

Lakota (Sioux) students with German students — Our Lakota (Sioux) students enjoyed learning from our visitors through the German Exchange program.

Our four German exchange students and their chaperone finished their visit to St. Joseph’s Indian School last week after attending a few days of school at Chamberlain High and then touring the Black Hills, the Badlands, Wall Drug and Mount Rushmore. They were also able to take part in a powwow in Rapid City on Native American Day (observed as Columbus Day elsewhere).

They ended their stay with a presentation to our high school students about their hometowns, their families, their hobbies, what sports they like and their favorite foods. Our students hosted a farewell party at the end of the presentation complete with a cake shaped like a piece of luggage. Our guests stopped in Chicago for a few days to visit the SCJ’s college program for our seminarians before heading home. The visit was enjoyed by all.

May each of you have a wonderful week as we see the beauty of nature continue to unfold with the changing of the leaves. May we be grateful for the beauty and continue to do our part in protecting Mother Earth. May God’s blessings be with you now and always.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Fall is in the air at St. Josephs…

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Fall is in the air at St. Joseph’s. Leaves are changing and the students are enjoying the fall days as the football season comes to an end.

On Monday, when most of the country was celebrating Columbus Day, the State of South Dakota celebrated Native American Day. There was a large powwow in Rapid City on October 10 and a good number of our students participated in the event. They were wonderful representatives of St. Joseph’s!

Monday also saw the start of the school’s second quarter. We started the day with a Prayer Service enhanced by Native American activities at Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel. The service began with the entrance of our powwow royalty accompanied by the Chalk Hill Singers’ drum group. Several students led us in the Four Direction prayer. There were also readings from the Gospel of Luke and Joseph Marshall III, a member of the Sicangu Lakota Tribe.

Our artist in residence, V.R. Janis, made presentations in the classroom during the rest of the day. Our students learned a lot!

This past Saturday was the 16^th Annual River City Band Festival in downtown Chamberlain. Our 4^th, 5^th and 6^th grade students helped carry banners in the parade. After the parade, the bands gathered at the local athletic field to perform their field shows. St. Joseph’s drum group, the Chalk Hill Singers presented the Lakota Flag Song after the National Anthem to begin the afternoon festivities. I believe this is their first public performance outside of a powwow setting — they did a fantastic job!

A Lakota(Sioux) student participates in Explorers. — Kyle, one of St. Joseph’s students, is the new Explorers Secretary!

The local members of the Chamberlain Middle School Explorers elected their officers for the year recently and one of St. Joseph’s eighth graders, Kyle, was elected secretary. The Explorers are a service club for sixth thru eighth grade boys that meet every Thursday at 7:30 AM at Chamberlain Elementary School. This year seven St. Joseph’s students are taking part and four of them are new members.

The Explorers raise money through a variety of projects during the year and then donate the money for someone in need or to the Chamberlain community to help fund various projects. Last year, they contributed to the new Chamberlain swimming pool complex. They also focus on civics and various lessons called ‘man stuff.’

The group also travels to Pierre to visit the State Capital and meet the Governor. The year ends with a trip to a major league baseball game.

Two of St. Joseph’s students, Ramez and Tayeden, had a great time meeting donors at the luncheons in the Dallas, TX area. After the luncheons, they had the chance to visit the Texas State Fair and take a VIP tour of AT&T stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. They even had the chance to visit the Cowboys’ locker room and have their pictures taken in front of the locker of their favorite player, Dez Bryant.

Last week saw the end of the golf season. Chamberlain High School’s team won multiple invitationals and had all members qualify for the state tournament. Out of the 16 teams that took part, the Cubs came in 8^th. Danny, one of St. Joseph’s students, placed in the top 25 as a junior. We are excited to support him next year!

Thank you for your generosity. YOU make everything we do possible.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

It’s a time of preparation here at St. Joseph’s!

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

This past week, two SCJ visitors from India visited St. Joseph’s to tour our campus and the surrounding reservations. Fr. Michael and Fr. Dharma were escorted by Fr. Dominic Peluse, SCJ and his associate, Pam Milczarski, from the Priests of the Sacred Heart office in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Our guests came to visit since they are in the process of setting up a fundraising office in India to raise financial support for the SCJ ministries there. They have been traveling around the Province to see how our various offices send out mailings and stay in touch with Benefactors.

We began our Sacrament Classes this past Monday. Some of our students are preparing to receive all three of the Sacraments of Initiation—Baptism, 1st Communion and Confirmation! Our second graders who have already been baptized will prepare for 1st Communion. Some may even make a Profession of Faith and join the Church. Please keep these students in your prayers.

Fr. Anthony with three Lakota (Sioux) students at Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel in Chamberlain, SD. — Last year’s celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation was a success!

During this year’s powwow, visitors and friends who attended were able to write prayer requests. St. Joseph’s staff and students will pray for each and every request throughout this school year. Currently, the requests have been placed before the statue of the Sacred Heart in our Blessed Sacrament chapel. When I make out the prayer list for each month, I’ll take some of the requests and add them to requests for prayer that come in over the year from other Benefactors. We are always happy to pray for any specific prayer request you may have since it is one way our students can say ‘thank you’ for your generosity.

St. Joseph’s was also happy to welcome the members of our Parent Advisory Council who gathered on the Monday after the powwow. They gather regularly to review policy and offer suggestions so we can keep fine tuning the programs we have here at St. Joseph’s.

As always, thank you for your kindness and generosity. We keep you in our prayers!

Have a great week!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

It’s almost powwow time!

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School! I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Labor Day.

The weekend offered a variety of activities for our Lakota students to participate in. The State Fair was underway in Huron, South Dakota and several homes made the trip over to take part in the fair festivities. Another option was to attend the LifeLight Festival in the Sioux Falls area, which is a three day event celebrating Christian music. Several of our staff and high school homes attended. For the homes that decided to stay close to campus, there was the chance to attend the movie PIXELS at the local theater.

Now that Labor Day is behind us, everyone’s focus has turned to St. Joseph’s 39^th Annual Powwow taking place September 17-19. The dancers have been practicing and are also learning a few new moves.

One of our Native American Studies teachers, LaRayne, attended a recent Kiwanis’ luncheon to share information on the various dances that take place at a powwow. The Powwow Royalty Competition took place last night and winners will be announced on Friday, September 18.

Two Lakota(Sioux) girls dressed in regalia await their turn. — Two girls anxiously awaiting their turn during last night’s powwow royalty competition!

We are praying that we’ll have good weather for the powwow so that it will be pleasant for everyone.

I hope that you’ll be able to attend the powwow this year. If you cannot, keep an eye on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+ pages for photos and videos!

May God continue to bless and reward you for your generosity towards St. Joseph’s and the Native American children in our care.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

It’s Officially September!

This past Sunday, we held a Lakota Mass on St. Joseph’s campus to celebrate the arrival of our high school students, who started classes with Chamberlain High School on August 26.

We currently have 50 students in the high school program; our enrollment campus-wide is 213 students.

The local public school staff and teachers visited our Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center ahead of the start of their school year. The tour gave the teachers and staff an idea of what to expect when they interact with Native American students living in Chamberlain or coming in from the reservation. The experience also helped the staff to have a better understanding of our high school students’ backgrounds.

A welcome back picnic for our staff and students was held at American Creek park along the Missouri River. There was laughter, kayaking, games, swimming, food and fun galore! Once the sun went down, the good times continued to roll with a bonfire and s’mores.

You may recall I mentioned that our religious community, the Priests of the Sacred Heart from Hales Corners, WI , held an election for a new Provincial and Council due to the election of our previous Provincial (and former Director of St. Joseph’s), Fr. Steve Huffstetter, SCJ, to the General Council in Rome. Our acting Provincial, Fr. Ed Kilianski, SCJ, was elected to take on the leadership role. He will be supported by Frs. Quang Nguyen, SCJ; Duy Nguyen, SCJ; Christianus Hendrik, SCJ; Jack Kurps, SCJ; and Br. Frank Presto, SCJ. We ask that you keep them in prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen them as they lead the Province into the future.

A Lakota (Sioux) girl dances fancy shawl at last year's powwow. — Our 2014 Jr. Miss St. Joseph’s dances at last year’s powwow.

Now that we have rolled into September, we can officially say that our annual Powwow is close! Our students are practicing twice a week and our drum group, the Chalk Hills Singers, is also preparing for the event. The Chalk Hills Singers played at Mass on Sunday and 24 dancers took part in the entrance rite.

Our 39^th Annual Powwow festivities begin on Thursday, September 17 with guest registration, a reservation bus tour (pre-registration required), the powwow royalty crowning ceremony and a meet and greet with St. Joseph’s alumni.

On Friday, guest registration will continue along with a complimentary breakfast, cultural activities, a tour of the school, cultural performances and our evening Tiyospaye Banquet (pre-registration required).

Prior to the powwow on Saturday, there will be tours of students’ campus homes and an open house at Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel. Following the powwow, we will host Mass and provide a complimentary meal before prizes are awarded.

If you would like additional information about our powwow or more information on planning your visit, please call 1-800-584-9200 or visit www.stjo.org/powwow. We would love to have you join us!

May God continue to bless and reward you for your continued support and generosity to the Lakota (Sioux) children.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Keeping busy at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota!

Summer is ‘officially’ over here in Chamberlain. The new city swimming pool is closed for the year and public school started this week.

Our high school students arrived on Sunday and participated in a two-day orientation program before school began on Wednesday. Our high school volleyball, cross country and football teams all have meets and games this week.

I recently attended the football team’s scrimmage and joined the coaches and players when they came out to St. Joseph’s for a team building meal at the Sheehy Home. It was a great night.

You may recall that I recently mentioned our 4-6 grade students can participate in football with the local team. They had their first practice on Tuesday evening. Our students were very excited to try on their equipment and hit the field. St. Joseph’s is honored to be able to host the practices and games as a way to help our students get to know their peers from the Chamberlain community better.

On Saturday morning, some of our students participated in the Chamberlain Youth Triathlon. They were able to swim, bike and run—all on campus. It was a fun experience for all!

A boy dances during St. Joseph's Annual Powwow. — Our Lakota (Sioux) students enjoy learning about their Native American culture and participating in our annual powwow.

We were scheduled to have an inipi— sweat lodge— with our 7-8 grade boys on Saturday afternoon, but the high wind made it too dangerous to have a fire.

Please keep the members of the American Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in your prayers this week. Since our former Provincial, Fr. Steve Huffstetter, SCJ, was elected to our General Council in Rome, we are gathering this week to elect a new Provincial and Council. May the Holy Spirit guide our deliberations.

Our students are getting ready for our 39^th Annual Powwow on September 19. They have several dance practices scheduled and staff members have been meeting to talk over plans to ensure another successful event. We have even started praying for good weather! We hope you will be able to attend. If you have any questions about the three day event, please feel free to call 1-800-584-9200 or visit www.stjo.org/powwow.

Have a great Thursday. May God’s blessings continue to be with you and yours.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Soaring to new heights at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

THEY’RE BACK!!

St. Joseph’s school year is off to a flying start! The beginning of the year theme is ‘Soar to New Heights’ and each student was given a glider airplane to stress the point.

After final calculation, this year’s enrollment is 218. We have 54 students enrolled in our High School Program and the remainder attend school on St. Joseph’s campus in grades 1-8.

On Sunday, our Family and Student Engagement Team hosted a ‘welcome back picnic’ for our students and their families. Over 300 hot dogs were grilled and passed out as families arrived on campus.

During all staff orientation, we held a prayer service that had a special twist. Instead of just offering prayer and song, the prayer became a two or three day effort to visit five prayer spots set up around campus.

Two girls hug on the playground — Making new friends is one of the best parts of the new school year!

At one station, there was a Prayer Labyrinth. The Labyrinth gave staff an opportunity where they could slow down, walk and count their blessings, let go of distractions, listen for an insight, wisdom or gift of the Spirit, resolve an issue or even find new strength to fulfill responsibilities.

Another station gave you an opportunity to select up to three Lakota students to “Mantle” during the upcoming year. This is a commitment of at least three intercessions per week for each child: prayer, a random act of kindness, lighting a candle or offering a message of encouragement. Aside from signing the child’s name on a poster that decorates the school hallway, everything is done in secret.

A third station allowed each staff member to write a prayer and stick it on a poster board that is hung in a location where our students can see.

A fourth station offered the opportunity to make a Lakota prayer tie while listening to a Lakota ceremonial song. The prayer ties will be used by the students during the year at their traditional ceremonies.

The last station dealt with forgiveness. This station urged reflection on a past hurt or painful memory. Staff were asked to write down a word or phrase that expressed the desire to forgive or be forgiven and then place their paper in water and watch it dissolve.

The prayer stations were a wonderful way to center ourselves for the start of the school year!

This coming weekend is our first donor luncheon of the school year. Staff members and two students will be in San Diego, California on August 15 and 16. Our next luncheon will be in Dallas in early October. We would love to have you join us! Please visit our website or call us at 1-800-584-9200 for more information.

May God continue to bless you for your support of the Lakota students attending St. Joseph’s Indian School. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin a new school year. Go with peace and know the students pray for you daily.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Back in session at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota!

The buzz of motorcycle traffic heading west for the 75^th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is no match for the buzz of campus as staff eagerly anticipate the beginning of the school year on August 10!

Excitement is growing as we begin All Staff Orientation Week. Around St. Joseph’s campus, this is a time of great anticipation. The orientation process gives new and veteran staff the chance to get to know one another, share insights and ask/answer questions. On Wednesday, all staff will come together for our traditional beginning of the year kickoff. We will begin the day with a prayer service in the Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel and culminate with lunch and an all-staff meeting.

The last of our student applications are being processed. It looks like we will start with over 200 students again this year. We eagerly anticipate their arrival this upcoming Sunday!

A female student works on her homework assignment. — Our Lakota (Sioux) Students start school at St. Joseph’s on Monday, August 10!

We are also getting ready to host our next donor luncheon in San Diego, California on August 15 and 16. Iyung and Haille are looking forward to the trip and would enjoy the opportunity to meet you if you are in the area. Please call 1-800-584-9200 for more information or to reserve your spot. . If you are not able to join us in San Diego, our next luncheon is in Dallas, Texas on October 3 and 4.

Since St. Joseph’s Indian School starts classes a few weeks ahead of our local public school, our high school students will enjoy a few more days of summer vacation. The high school students who participate in golf, football, volleyball and cross country will arrive this weekend to participate in preseason practices, while the remainder will return to campus for orientation on August 24 and 25. Classes at the public high school begin August 26. We are excited about a new program for our seniors geared toward preparing them for college through an independent lifestyle program. I will keep you informed on this program as it unfolds.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare for the arrival of our Native American students. Your support allows us to collaborate with one another to offer our students and their families the best programs possible! Pilamaya—thank you.

May God continue to bless and reward you for your generosity. We keep you in our prayers.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

New staff arrive at St. Joseph’s Indian School

And so it begins!!

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School where the school year is beginning to take shape. New staff orientation began this week and all staff will be next week. August 9 will see the student homes open and Monday morning, August 10, school will get underway.

I must commend our Human Resources Department for their hard work this summer. They seem to have filled all the slots needed to keep our programs running smoothly and make sure the Lakota (Sioux) children have everything they need when they arrive on campus. We look forward to the skills and abilities our new staff will bring to enhance the skills of our veteran staff.

As some of you may be aware, I was away to attend my niece’s wedding in Colorado Springs. It went well and I enjoyed the chance to catch up with my siblings and their families. One of my brothers accompanied me on the drive back and we hit Yellowstone, the Little Bighorn Battlefield and Devil’s Tower. The drive was truly breathtaking; we encountered wide open vistas in Wyoming, towering peaks in Grand Teton National Park, the big splash of Old Faithful going off right on time and the ruggedness of Yellowstone’s terrain.

Join the Lakota children for St. Joseph’s annual powwow September 19! — St. Joseph’s annual powwow will be Sept. 19. We hope you can join us!

The Little Bighorn Battlefield had several informative Rangers who related facts about the battle. Since my last visit, they have erected a monument to the Native Americans who took part in the engagement. In coming out of the park we turned East on US Highway 212 and headed to Devil’s Tower which, when you draw near to it, resembles a shark fin above the trees. It is truly magnificent. In Lakota tradition, this mountain tells the story of several young girls who were saved from bears.

My brother and I ended the trip with a swing through the Badlands, starting at the western entrance near Wall, South Dakota. We came out at Cactus Flats where there is a Minute Man Guided Missile display. We had hoped to be able to tour, but there were no tickets left for admission.

I hope you have been able to take some time off this summer and enjoy exploring our great country! One word of advice if you are over 62 and planning a trip: be sure to get a “$10 senior pass” which is good for life at all National Parks, except Mt. Rushmore.

Sturgis, South Dakota is gearing up to host the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally celebrating the 75^th anniversary of the gathering. Even though the ‘official’ start isn’t until next week, many are coming early. They are expecting a million people!

We won’t have quite that many at our annual powwow celebration on September 19, but we are looking forward to it nonetheless. All St. Joseph’s powwow events are open to the public – we’d love to have you join us! To learn more about our celebration or to register, call 1-800-584-9200 or visit www.stjo.org/powwow.

May God’s blessings continue to be with you and those you love.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

All’s quiet at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Things are quiet on St. Joseph’s campus; summer programs have ended and there are no Lakota students on campus, if only for a few weeks. Our facilities crew is finishing up a variety of projects, getting the campus in shape for the new school year which starts August 10.

This year, we’re very excited to have our seniors in high school participate in a new independent living program. Students will have more responsibilities and more freedom to help prepare them for their next step in life – college, tech school, the military or the workforce.

Next week, we’ll be starting to hit the bricks for the upcoming school year. New staff will be on campus to begin their orientation and training. The first week in August, all staff return. Our students will come in on August 9 and classes will begin August 10. Our high school students, who attend Chamberlain Public High School, will begin sports practices. The new school year is almost here!

As mentioned last week, I am in Colorado for my niece’s wedding. It all turned out well and most of my family was able to attend. My brothers and I went golfing. I had some good shots and interesting putts, but I know how Tiger feels concerning his British Open experience. The altitude in Colorado Springs, at the base of Pike’s Peak, does affect you. I would tee the ball up and then have to pause a moment to give my head the chance to clear.

Leaving Colorado, I am heading across Wyoming to Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. I will also visit to the Little Big Horn battlefield and then Devil’s Tower. I’m also going to try and work in a trip to a Minuteman Missile Site near Wall, South Dakota before reaching Chamberlain. One of my brothers, now retired, is going to join me.

I hope that any of you who are taking vacation trips will also have a great time and safe travels. Perhaps some of you are saving your vacation to come out to our annual powwow on September 19. We would love to have you visit St. Joseph’s Indian School!

May God continue to bless and reward you for your generosity towards the ministry taking place at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

God bless,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain