Offering prayers, comfort

As a parish priest, I frequently made the rounds in hospitals. I haven’t had the occasion here at St. Joseph’s Indian School to do that very often, but today I did.

Fifth grader Kendra went to the health center complaining of a bad stomachache. A few hours later, she was in surgery to remove her appendix. Her mom was with her when I got to the room. Kendra had just woken up from the anesthesia and was enjoying a popsicle. We prayed and I let her know we had a whole bunch of Lakota students back at school asking how she was doing and keeping her in their prayers as well. I didn’t stay very long, since what most patients need is rest and recovery time. Hopefully, she will be back running the playground in short order.

In the halls of the hospital, I ran into a family I knew from Fort Thompson, South Dakota, which is about 25 miles from Chamberlain. The two daughters asked me to stop in and visit their aging mother, who had a host of health problems. We chatted for a while and then prayed.

Next, I ran into a man from the Crow Creek Indian Reservation whom I didn’t know, but he saw the collar and asked for prayers for his family as well. A listening ear and a brief prayer can comfort and help heal. Ultimately, though, we place our loved ones in God’s hands.

Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

At St. Joseph's Indian School, our privately-funded programs for Lakota (Sioux) children in need have evolved over 90 years of family partnership, experience and education. Because of generous friends who share tax-deductible donations, Native American youth receive a safe, stable home life; individual counseling and guidance; carefully planned curriculum based on Lakota culture and individual student needs and tools to help build confidence, boost self-esteem and improve cultural awareness. All of this helps children to live a bright, productive, possibility-filled future.

2 thoughts on “Offering prayers, comfort”

  1. please stop sending out junk made in china, your students could be making quality crafts . I believe you would begin to obtain more support.

    1. Thank you for contacting us on this important issue.
      Please know this is not a decision we take lightly.
      We believe the children in our care deserve the time to be children, playing outside and enjoying after school activities. Because we need such a large quantity of products, in a limited time frame, mass production is our only option.

      We work with local Lakota artists as often as possible, and feature their work in both exhibits and the gift shop at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center. We purchase as much product for mailings as the tribes are able to produce for us. Unfortunately, we have yet to find a company on the reservation that can fully meet our needs.

      Please know we only work with reputable companies in China, most of which have been suppliers to us for years. In fact, the company used to purchase the dreamcatcher item in question has been a partner of ours for over 50 years. They are also very supportive, monetarily, to our cause, making direct donations to our school that make a real difference for the Lakota children in our care.

      Thank you again for voicing your concerns; we appreciate your thoughts very much. If you would like not to receive these gifts, we will certainly honor that request. Please just let us know.

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