Fr. Anthony – Page 9 – St. Joseph's Indian School

Lakota students celebrate 20th Annual Sobriety Walk

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

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

It has been an interesting and eventful week at St. Joseph’s. Weather is getting warmer, but we do need rain. We did our 20^th Annual Sobriety Walk this past Friday. The students gathered in front of the rec center and then headed out for their walk into the community. There was a small group of students that had enough energy to run the distance.

Everyone has supper together in the dining hall and then the older grades attended the presentation on avoiding alcohol and drugs. Everyone had a great time!

St. Joseph’s holds three sobriety celebrations each year. — St. Joseph’s Sobriety Walk was held last Friday.

On Monday, the eighth graders shadowed our high school students at Chamberlain High School to get a feel of what school is going to be like for them next year. They follow our current students around to learn the layout of the high school and meet some of the teachers and staff.

Last Monday evening, members of Dave’s Government class attended the local Chamberlain City Commissioners meeting. It was a good opportunity to see local government in action and ask questions about what motivates the commissioners to serve.

Some of the students’ questions included:

What are some of the key issues the city is facing now and in the future?
What are the requirements for running for a seat on the city council?
Has there ever been a woman commissioner?
Can a Native American or other minority run?

They learned that there has been a female commissioner in the past and anyone can run for a seat as long as they live within the city limits, are at least 18 years old and do not have a felony on their record.

St. Joseph’s students and staff just completed a month-long food drive. The food was gathered up today and taken to the local women’s shelter. St. Joseph’s students had the opportunity to make a donation with their home, or to make a purchase on their own for the food drive.

The Lakota (Sioux) children are so grateful to be able to help others and give back to the community! It is an important way for the students to show their appreciation for your generosity to each of them, and to recognize the need to help others.

……………..

In high school sports, junior Adrian was selected to the Big Dakota All

Adrian, a St. Joseph’s junior, has earned top basketball honors. — Adrian earned a spot on the Big Dakota All Conference basketball team as well as the SESD All Conference team.

Conference basketball team as well as the SESD All Conference team. We look forward to a great year next year and a possible trip to cheer him and the Cubs on at the State Boys Basketball Tournament!

Sophomore Danny recently won the Lakota National Invitation (LNI) golf tournament!

Sophomore Danny recently went to Pierre, South Dakota last week to participate in the Lakota National Invitation (LNI) golf tournament with 20-30 other golfers. We are happy to announce that he won! Chris, one of our staff and the Chamberlain High School golf coach, shared that Danny had a tough putt on his last shot, but sank it with no trouble.

Congratulations Adrian and Danny!

Have a great week. Be assured of our prayers for your generosity which enables the Lakota boys and girls to take part in all these activities. Also, please join us in keeping the people of Nepal in prayer as they recover from the recent earthquake.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Home Trips & Playing Outside at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Greetings from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Weekends are getting quiet around here as it seems more students are away lately than on campus. When the school year is winding down, our homes take the opportunity to visit various South Dakota attractions. They search out a hotel in Sioux Falls or Rapid City with an indoor pool or head for a shopping mall. This is part of each home’s annual budget to take a “family trip.”

This past Sunday we held another Lakota Mass on campus. Our drum group was present to provide music. We were honored to have several dancers take part and various parts of the Mass were recited in Lakota.

The big excitement this week is the circus! The Shrine Circus was in Chamberlain on Monday and Tuesday with four performances. The younger students (first through third grades) attended the performance on Monday afternoon and really enjoyed themselves. They loved seeing elephants and tigers, they were amazed by the skill of the acrobats and giggled at the clowns. Everyone had a wonderful time!

The Lakota children are excited to spend more time outside now that spring has arrived at St. Joseph’s. — Spring means home trips and playing outside at St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Medical students from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion visited St. Joseph’s campus and talked with our nurses. Several of them also made a presentation to our seventh and eighth graders encouraging them to give the medical field some consideration for their future plans.

The college students shared their backgrounds and gave St. Joseph’s students tips on preparing now for the future. As they answered questions from the students, they played a medical version of Jeopardy where students could pick a question from six categories covered in their presentation.

Tomorrow, everyone will participate in our Spring Sobriety Walk. There will be a presentation to for all our students, elementary through high school, on why it is important to stay strong and avoid drugs and alcohol. Staff and students will do a walk around town and then enjoy a meal together. Watch our Facebook page for photos!

Our high school students have an early dismissal on Friday and St. Joseph’s will be hosting a job fair for them sharing what job possibilities will exist this summer, both on campus and off. Several students will be on campus for drivers’ education and other programs. Some simply want to make some extra money for the next school year. Pilamaya – thank you – for making it possible for our Lakota (Sioux) students to take advantage of these opportunities!

The Chamberlain High School Native American Club is preparing for their annual powwow on May 2. Eight of St. Joseph’s high school students are involved, as well as other students. Please keep them in your prayers as they plan and execute the event, asking for help with concessions, cleaning and food, along with general supervision and guidance.

I hope you had a great week and that all continues to go well for you and yours!

God bless,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Prom, First Communion & Fire Drills at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Several of St. Joseph’s high school students attended the Chamberlain High School prom this past Saturday night. Everyone looked sharp as

Fr. Anthony and the Lakota children. — Fr. Anthony, St. Joseph’s chaplain with students receiving First Communion.

they got ready and headed out to the Grand March. After the dancing ended, post prom activities commenced, ending Sunday morning at 6:00 AM.

Needless to say, they were a little sleepy during Mass, but all went well!

During Sunday’s Mass, we had 21 students receive the Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation; one student made their Profession of Faith, received First Communion and Confirmation.

Students danced the night away at prom! — Davis and Martina all dressed up and ready for prom!

Nine students received their First Communion. The ceremony was very moving and we were honored to have many family members and friends present to be supportive of our students as they took these major steps in their spiritual journey.

We were honored to share this special day with them and their families. However, not all of St. Joseph’s students are Catholic.

Helping with the liturgy was Deacon Harold Condon, who was honored during the service with the 10^th Annual St. Joseph’s Indian School Distinguished Alumni Award. After Mary Jane, our Director of Alumni, presented the award to Harold, he shared some reflections with the students. He encouraged them to value their time and the opportunities they’ll have attending St. Joseph’s Indian School, which will help them prepare for the future. Read more about him on our website.

You are most likely aware that keeping our students safe is our top priority. As a result, we have regular fire drills,

Dn. Harold Condon was named St. Joseph’s 2015 Distinguished Alumnus.

lock down drills, tornado alerts, and even earthquake drills so students and staff know what to do in an emergency situation. Last Thursday, just as we were finishing the practice for the reception of Sacraments, the fire alarm went off and everyone headed out to their designated spot. Well done everyone!

I hope everyone has a great week. May we keep those areas of our country suffering from drought in our prayers asking God to bless Mother Earth with the much needed moisture for daily life and the up-coming planting season.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Alumni visits, outreach programs and sports fill the days at St. Joseph’s Indian School

I hope everyone had a beautiful and blessed Easter. It was a quiet weekend as most of our students were away for the Easter break.

All sorts of activity has taken place recently. The eighth grade boys’ and girls’ basketball teams took on the staff and there were some exciting finishes. The girls only had five players, so there was no break for them. The staff could keep sending in waves of replacements. Even so, the girls hung on for a 30 to 29 win. The boys had the lead until the very end and came up one point short, losing 47-46.

The staff who take part in our student mentoring program recently attended a hockey game in Sioux Falls at the new Denny Sanford Premier Center. The following night nearly 70 students and staff again made the journey to Sioux Falls; this time to watch the home opener of the Sioux Falls Storm indoor football team taking on the Billings, Montana Wolves. It is an interesting game to watch with balls flying over the barriers surrounding the ‘indoor field’ and into the appreciative audience who gets to keep the football. The Storm, four time defending champ, finally caught fire and won 56-41. After the game, players are available for signatures. Several went out of their way to take some quality time with our younger students.

Families gather together for the first Family ACT. — The Family Engagement Program held its first family training program called ‘Family ACT (All Coming Together)’ at Lower Brule, SD.

The athletic spirit hit St. Joseph’s last week as spring football for fourth, fifth and sixth graders kicked off combining St. Joseph’s students with local Chamberlain players. The sign-up sheets were also out for t-ball for the younger students and softball for fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade.

On the weekend of March 27 and 28, our Family Engagement Program held its first family training program called ‘Family ACT (All Coming Together)’ at Lower Brule, SD. In the past, families were invited to campus to take part in similar activities. We are now conducting reach outs on the various reservations so more families can attend. Twenty-one families participated in sessions, activities and discussions while enjoying great food and fun. The training covered issues such as setting healthy family goals, defining and honoring family, stress and balance, managing finances and honoring children through respectful, healthy relationships.

The staff at St. Joseph's posing for a picture with KP. — KP with the staff at St. Joseph’s.

April is Native American Career Month and St. Joseph’s was happy to welcome home alumnus, PFC KP Davidson, who came with Staff Sargent Tate, the Army recruiter in Rapid City, SD. KP came to St. Joseph’s as a seventh grader in 2006 and completed his junior year in 2011 before making the tough decision to finish high school in Eagle Butte, SD to be near his family. After graduation he took a course in auto mechanics at Wyoming Tech. He did his basic training at Ft. Benning, Georgia and just got back from a nine month deployment in Egypt. KP enjoyed experiencing a new culture and had the chance to visit Israel, but not the pyramids. He shared some of his experiences from when he attended St. Joseph’s Indian School, telling the students he was homesick at times, but found support and encouragement from his teachers and houseparents. He urged the students to stick with it, not to get behind in their studies and not to do drugs. He and Staff Sargent Tate shared opportunities that exist in the Army and answered questions about pay, schooling, job opportunities and shooting different fire arms. He also shared that there is no similarity to reality of war compared to what one experiences in video games. He is currently on leave but will be heading back to his unit at Ft. Hood in Texas.

KP sharing his experiences with staff and students at St. Joseph's — Alumnus, PFC KP Davidson, speaking to the students at St. Joseph’s Indian School.

One final note. We have another donor luncheon coming up in Panama City, Florida on April 25^th and 26^th. If you would like to attend or receive additional information, please call 1-800-584-9200. Two of our high school students will be there to share insight into what St. Joseph’s is all about and to express their gratitude for your generosity. Our next donor luncheon will be in New York City on June 7^th and 8^th.

May God continue to bless and reward you for your generous support of the Lakota boys and girls. We keep you and your special intentions in our prayers.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain

Rewarding academics, years of service at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School!

Students are receiving honors for academics and attendance during assemblies this week. — Fr. Anthony presents Aurelia with her award.

March is living up to its reputation of going back and forth between lion and lamb weather. The initial plan for our Palm Sunday liturgy was to start with the blessing of the palms outside, but the 30-40 mph winds took care of that idea. Students and staff received their palms and exited the chapel which then had palm fronds placed on the carpet to parallel what the people of Jerusalem did when Jesus entered the city. The students held their palms high as the altar servers and I entered to start the Mass.

The return of the sun has brought a lot of fishermen to the Chamberlain area. When the ice melted on the Missouri River, it seemed that fishermen appeared overnight. The local marina is filled with license plates are from all over. We hope their presence is a sign that winter is over. We’re grateful for warmer weather, although we are badly in need of moisture.

Last week, we held the annual Service Awards Banquet to honor staff who have been with St. Joseph’s in five year increments. We had 31 staff honored for a combined 530 years of service. The longest serving member has been with us for 40 years! The most recent was a class of five who have been here for 5 years. We are grateful for their devotion and dedication to St. Joseph’s Indian School, and our Lakota students and families.

Nancy’s third graders are tied with Katie’s second graders for best GPA. — Nancy’s third grade class.

Over the last few days we have been honoring students who made academic honor roll and had perfect attendance with assemblies by age group – grades 1-3, grades 4-6 and grades 7-8. We are always happy to be able to reward students for their hard work. The class with the best grade point average wins a little plaque they can put up in their room and are treated to a pizza party. For third quarter, Katie’s second grade classes tied with Nancy’s third grade class with a score of 3.6475. Now, THAT’S a tie!

Our principal, Kathleen, took our Acalympics Team to White River, South Dakota, for another academic contest. There were ten schools represented and St. Joseph’s came in sixth with our highest score ever! The team enjoys the competition and realizes the

Katie’s second graders have a collective GPA of 3.6475. — Katie’s second grade class.

necessity to be widely aware of what is happening in our world today.

On Saturday, Kathleen hit the road again. She accompanied several eighth grade girls to South Dakota State University in Brookings to take part in the GEMS program (Girls in Engineering, Math and Science). The program introduces girls to careers in math and science and encourages them to consider these majors in college.

The best news I can share with you this week is that we are increasing our high school home capacity, so will be able to offer some new aspects of getting ready for college. Pilamaya – thank you – for your generous support of our students!

May your Holy Week be filled with many blessings. The Lakota (Sioux) children wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Easter!!!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Fourth quarter has begun at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School,

It’s been another crazy week of spring weather in South Dakota! We had one day that broke an all-time record and hit 85 degrees last week, yet we are still having frosty cold mornings. We are in desperate need of rain since the Chamberlain area is already in the early stages of drought. Today is cold and windy.

The Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, was the first day of the fourth quarter of the school year for the Lakota children. We had a nice prayer service geared toward

honoring St. Joseph in his role as guardian of Mary and Jesus. March 19 also concluded our monthly Novena of Masses (the 11^th through the 19^th) for you, our benefactors. The students keep you in prayer regularly and we include your intentions in our prayer requests at Sunday Mass.

Fr. Anthony sampled the monkey bread the sixth graders were baking in class. — Passing by the Personal Living Skills class, I was invited to sample the monkey bread the sixth grade students were baking. It was delicious!

When the prayer service was over, I jumped into my car and made a bee line east to St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to take part in the Chrism Mass for the diocese. The oils used in the Sacraments for the up-coming year are blessed by the Bishop and then distributed to all the parishes and schools throughout the East River Diocese. I brought the oils back and gave them to the religious education teachers who are preparing students to receive the Sacraments.

Last Friday as I was leaving the art room after visiting the second graders, I passed the Personal Living Skills classroom. It must have been my lucky day because I was invited to sample the monkey bread the sixth grade students were baking. They did a great job – it tasted delicious!

We are in the planning stages for ‘SCJ Schools in Collaboration’ and there was a conference call yesterday. Schools in Collaboration unites the elementary schools ministered to by our Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ) community in Texas, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Mississippi. Our sister school in Germany was also part of the phone call.

Each year, one of our activities for Schools in Collaboration is a ‘battle of the books.’ Classes from each school read a number of the same books. Then the schools pair up to have a trivia contest based on what they read. We are working toward having a joint prayer service in the next several weeks.

With Easter just around the corner, several of our students will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession this week. If a student is not Catholic, they can still come in and talk over anything that may be troubling them. It will also be the opportunity for those receiving Sacraments on April 12, 2015 to make their first confession. Please keep these young people in your prayers.

I pray your season of Lent is proving to be a rewarding time for you spiritually as we strive to become more and more Christ-like. Be assured of our continued prayers for you and your intentions.

Have a great week!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Anxious for Spring at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

As you read this, our Lakota (Sioux) students are coming back to begin the fourth quarter and I’m at a meeting at our province headquarters in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. It is a gathering of the superiors of our various communities in the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart. We share insights with Fr. Steve Huffstetter, SCJ, our Provincial, and the members of the Provincial Council.

Fr. Hendrick, SCJ, our superior for South Dakota is away, I get to represent our SCJ community. Please keep us in your prayers that the Holy Spirit will guide our decisions as we update operations and processes within the Province.

The young men from Carola Home (high school boys) recently spent some time fulfilling what Jesus asks us to do during Lent — pray, fast and give alms.

Art, a former houseparent, is trying to honor a request from his terminally ill brother, who wishes to see as much of the world as he can before his illness takes over.

The boys held a car wash fundraiser for Art’s brother here at St. Joseph’s and raised $272 to help make his dream possible. In doing so, they ‘fasted’ by giving their time and alms via what they raised. They kept Art’s brother in their prayers that night asking the Great Spirit to enable him to visit various parts of Mother Earth.

The Explorers group made their trip to visit the State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota and met with several State officials, including Governor Dennis Daugarrd. A

The Explorers met the Governor on their recent trip to Pierre. — St. Joseph’s student Joe, a member of the Explorers, meets South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugarrd.

few days after their trip to Pierre, they hosted a dance for the sixth, seventh and eighth graders in the Chamberlain community.

Late last week the rec center hosted an open house for staff and their families to learn about what resources are available there. The Lakota students are the primary visitors to St. Joseph’s rec center, but it’s also available to our staff. Visitors explored the workout room, shot some hoops in the open gym and a few even hit the pool for some swimming. Information was also available to learn more about health, weight loss and wellness.

Everyone is anxious for spring! The high school homes had a cook out at the Crane Home (high school girls) to celebrate the approach of spring and (hopefully!) the end of snow and cold winter temperatures.

In the week ahead, we’ll be celebrating the Feast of St. Joseph with a prayer service to kick off the fourth quarter of the school year. That day will also end our Monthly Novena of Masses for you, our benefactors.

Have a great week and may God’s blessings be with you!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Spring Break at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Greetings from a quiet St. Joseph’s Indian School campus!

It is just not the same on campus this week without the Lakota boys and girls; it is Spring Break for the elementary students (grades 1-8) and staff.

They will return Monday, March 16, but in the mean time we have about 10-12 students who are staying in our break home and our high school students who attend Chamberlain High School (they have a slightly different break schedule). Students in the break home will be going to visit some of the local sights and enjoy a fun and relaxing week.

You may recall the old saying ‘March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb’ or the opposite, in like a lamb and out like a lion. Well, in South Dakota, we had that all happen within five days! Last week we had a blizzard with snow, cold and strong winds. Just a few days later, the sun came out, the temperatures were up and the snow was melting. Today the weather is mild, with cool mornings and warmer days. We are hoping the break in the winter weather lasts!

Last week, St. Joseph’s students celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday. It was pajama day at school and the children spent time reading to one another.

Our seventh and eighth graders also took part in Camp Med last week, which is a hands-on health career learning opportunity. The students learned about the job duties, educational requirements, rewards and challenges they might encounter in a variety of health careers. They experienced everything from reading x-rays and filling prescriptions to stabilizing a trauma patient and rehabilitating a stroke patient.

And Friday at 2 p.m., school was out!

Staff who have helped at the rec center enjoyed an outing to a basketball game. — St. Joseph’s Rec Director hosted an outing to a basketball game to thank everyone who helped out at the rec center first semester.

That evening, several staff members headed to South Dakota’s largest city, Sioux Falls, to take in a basketball game. As a way of saying thank you to everyone who has helped in the rec center during the first semester, Bryan, our Rec Director, hosted an outing to a D (Developmental) League game between Grand Rapids,

Michigan and the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Grand Rapids is a developmental team for the Detroit Pistons and Sioux Falls is a similar team for the Miami Heat. The arena is brand new and very fan friendly. The game was exciting – players were shooting up threes from all over the court. Offense was king and defense showed up occasionally. Everyone had a great time and a few even went home with a t-shirt and other goodies tossed into the stands.

I hope you have a wonderful week. Pilamaya – thank you – for your support, encouragement and prayers! We’ll be starting our Novena of Masses for you and your special intentions on Wednesday, March 11 and conclude on the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19.

Sincerely,

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

St. Joseph’s students celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday in school. — Happy birthday Dr. Suess!!

Winter hangs on at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good day from St. Joseph’s Indian School,

We’ve had a relatively mild winter in central South Dakota (we consider any day with sunshine and above zero temperatures “mild”), but that seems to be coming to an end. The weather started terribly this morning with snow and very strong winds. St. Joseph’s even had a late start for the Lakota children!

Tomorrow’s weather is predicted to be extremely cold – it should be an interesting few days. But, I have also been told we will get a break at the end of the week with temps possibly up in the 40’s by the weekend. We’ll see what happens. I guess it is true that if you do not like the weather, wait a few moments and it will change!

This past Tuesday, we held the Staff Appreciation Breakfast, which is a way for the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJs) to say thank you to all the men and women who serve our missions so faithfully in a wide variety of ways. It also allows the Lakota (Sioux) students to interact with those who work behind the scenes as well as staff members they encounter every day. We had some trivia about Fr. Leo John Dehon, the founder of our SCJ community, and drew for door prizes.

Spring is right around the corner, which means some of our “winter” activities and programs are coming to an end. Last Friday was the end of the bowling season. Congratulations to the Rolling Thunder team and their captain Dave, one of our teachers, who captured First Place.

On our last day of bowling, the various teams were mixed together and we bowled 9 pin tap, which means the lanes were set so if you knocked down 9 pins it counted as a strike. One of our high school girls, Irene, went crazy rolling scores of 245 and 251. She even beat the bowling master, Andy, from the rec center who coordinated the league this year. The students all did well and had fun.

The girls’ inter-city basketball season wrapped up on Sunday. There was a lot of improvement from when the season started. We hope friendships have been made that will continue through the years as these young ladies cross paths on the court or as they attend high school together in Chamberlain.

The Chamberlain High School girls’ basketball team is finished for the season as they lost their second round game in the state play-offs. The boys’ team is the number 2 seed for their district and will not play until later this week when they’ll host one of the lower seeds. If they win, they’ll play for the region championship and go on to the state tournament. They ended their season against Stanley County from Ft. Pierre, South Dakota, this past Friday night and two of our St. Joseph’s players started — Adrian and Davis.

For Davis, it was a reward for how well he has played coming off the bench. He showed his gratitude by having a double-double, in that he scored 11 points and had 10 rebounds to go along with several steals and assists. Great game, Davis!

Our St. Joseph’s boys’ basketball teams have also completed their season. We hosted the sixth, seventh and eighth grade teams from Todd County this past Thursday. The sixth grade won easily, but the seventh and eighth graders came up a bit short due to the Todd County press. They made a run and got close but just could not get into the lead. The seventh and eighth graders will finish their season today with a trip to Miller, South Dakota.

Be assured of our prayers for you; pilamaya – thank you – for your continued support and interest in the Lakota children!

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain

Preparing to receive the Sacraments at St. Joseph’s Indian School

Good day from St. Joseph’s,

This was a big weekend at St. Joseph’s Indian School with the Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) Sacramental Prep Class having a mini-retreat on Saturday. Over 30 students are preparing to receive the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation, which is a decision they make with their families.

Most of the class will be baptized and receive the other two sacraments. Nine are preparing just for First Communion and one, who is already baptized in another denomination, will be making a Profession of Faith and then receive First Communion. The students have been studying since early October. They joined with others around the world to take part in the Rite of Election on Sunday by which they again affirm their desire to draw closer to God and sign their names in the Book of the Elect which acknowledges their commitment in front of the whole faith community present at Mass.

As you can see from the pictures, they made stoles decorated with various symbols relating to the sacraments and will wear them when they are baptized. In Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel I explained the vestments, colors, books, chalices and paten, the altar and tabernacle and sanctuary lamp.

They also had the opportunity to practice receiving the host and taking a sip of wine, which brought out some interesting facial expressions!

Another session dealt with the seven Gifts of the Spirit, followed by painting a blessing cup. They made bread, which was shared with their individual homes. It was a wonderful time helping them prepare for their big day in April!

Also on Saturday the fourth, fifth and sixth grade Braves took part in a basketball tournament hosted by Chamberlain. Teams came from surrounding communities in central South Dakota. Sadly our fourth and sixth grade teams went out early despite keeping their games close. Our fifth grade team lost their first game but came back strong to beat Crow Creek and Mitchell to capture third place. Way to go guys!

Besides the basketball tournament, there was also a wrestling mini-clinic that some of our younger boys took part in. Thank you for helping us offer the Lakota children a variety of activities to help them cultivate lifelong interests!

I hope you have a great week as the month of February comes to an end. Know you and your intentions are remembered in our prayers as the children ask the Great Spirit to bless and reward you for your generosity for their education and care.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ

Chaplain