St. Joseph's Indian School

After a morning filled with meetings, I looked back over the week and realized that with everything else going on, I hadn’t once visited the  youngsters classrooms. When I did, the first sight I saw Scott, our PE teacher walking the hall with a baseball bat over his shoulder. My first thought was of the movie Lean On Me where the principal patrolled the halls to cut down violence. But Scott’s bat was plastic, and a sign the whiffle ball season is upon us. He was meeting the 4^th graders to walk them to the gym so they could play ball. I watched for a bit, then batted myself once (a single) before resuming my school tour.  

I stopped by the Dean’s office to see if many kids were in trouble, but there were no serious discipline issues for the day. Mike, one of our houseparents, was subbing for the Dean today, and working on some of our Affiliated Programs like our Soup Label Project that he also oversees. We have turned in 465,000 labels this year, which has meant earning things like printer, lap top computer, digital camera for a home and many more. Because so many people help with small, regular donations, it all adds up together to make great things possible.

The 7^th graders were in the computer lab, working on a program called, “Grammar Gorillas”. They were being quizzed on distinguishing nouns from other parts of speech in the sentence.  The other section of 7^th graders were enjoying their block of library time. Many were reading, and a few were taking computer quizzes on books they had just finished. A few with free time were working on a 1,000 piece puzzle of the United States. We talked about places we’ve been. Dawson pointed to the 5 states he has been in so far. Many of our students have limited travel opportunities and experiences. The younger kids hear tales of travels brought back by 7^th-12^th graders about their travels to donor appreciation luncheons, and hope someday themselves to get the opportunity.

After school was a frenzy of student activity. Several students ran by me, their first track workout of the season. Others played football in Fisher Field and a few were shooting baskets and dreaming of a final four appearance. At the Rec Center the 1^st – 3^rd graders were taking part in the first t-ball game of the season, moved indoors because our brief taste of spring has turned to wintry weather again. 4^th and 5^th grade boys were doing a cardiovascular video workout. And our mini buses shuttled 4^th-6^th grade girls to the two-week gymnastics practice that Chamberlain High School is putting on to get younger students interested in that sport.

I ate supper with the Pinger Home (6^th-8^th grade girls). The gymnasts were excited about their flips around uneven parallel bars and learning some floor exercises. The runners complained of sore calves as they try to get into shape. Other girls talked of school and classes, or life back at their “home home”. The 7^th graders are preparing for a week-long cultural trip as soon as school gets out and the 8^th graders excitedly recalled their adventures at Bear Butte, Devils Tower and the Little Bighorn Battlefield.

Another full day of meetings. We met with the architect and creative designers for our museum expansion project. We hope to break ground at next September’s St. Joseph’s Indian School Annual Powwow. A part I am most excited about is a space for our alumni to come back and visit campus and tell their stories – a place where we can create a living and ongoing display of  history.

I let others work out details as I excused myself to go next door to a budget meeting with my SCJ brothers, some who work on the reservation and came into Chamberlain. After the business was taken care of, we enjoyed a nice meal together. It’s hard to follow the buzz of 4 conversations going on at once, but we settled down to a time of storytelling, with lots of laughter and memories.

Our Child Service Team met with updates and sharing. Now that spring break is over it feels like the end of the year is rushing towards us and we have so many end of the year activities to start planning. After that, I met with my management team. We are spending significant time working on our new strategic plan. We are surveying students, their families, people in the community and several of our donors to look at what we need to work on to keep St. Joseph’s Indian School strong and relevant for years to come.

Tonight was our annual Service Awards Banquet. Before I passed out other people’s awards, I was given some gifts for completing 5 full years at St. Joseph’s Indian School. When I took those back to my table I spontaneously placed the long-stemmed rose in my teeth and did a couple of tango steps, which drew chuckles. I overheard the remark, “He must be feeling better now!”

Thanks be to God!

Marina picked up her appreciation award for 40 years working at St. Joseph’s Indian School! When she started in the development office she got paid 1 ½ cents for every beaded Indian figure she could place on a card and stuff in an envelope. She told the crowd she’s seen so many changes over the years and so appreciates what St. Joseph’s offers both students and staff. The dedication and commitment of our staff really does make St. Joseph’s Indian School a great place to be a part of.

Our students returned from Spring Break yesterday and we began the day with a prayer service to start the 4^th quarter. We honored those students nominated by teachers, counselors and houseparents who have done well not only at school, but by their attitude and spirit of cooperation. We gave them certificates for being “Soaring Eagles”.

I spent most of the day with our Parents Advisory Committee. We welcomed three new members to the group, and the first timers spoke up freely and added a lot to our discussions. We had one session on our alumni efforts. Parents were pleased with our outreach and suggested ways to deepen the ties. Even a simple word change in advertising our “gatherings” to “honoring” would make them and others more likely to attend. They spoke of the ongoing need for healing for those who had negative experiences while attending St. Joseph’s Indian School. We discussed our outreach to alumni who are now in college and ways to encourage them to stay in school and finish.

The Chamberlain Public High School principal joined us to discuss efforts at respecting cultural diversity in Chamberlain. He impressed me as someone who not only said the right things, but who really cares, and understands that we need to bridge racial and ethnic gaps if we are ever to build a strong and life-giving community. Later, we addressed how we monitor and work with students who are taking medications.

We have a series of tunnels running underneath the campus, which are mainly used for our heating pipes, electrical and phone lines and the like. Years ago the students used to travel between buildings in the winter using the tunnels, and when alumni visit, one of the first places they long to experience is that tunnel experience. After lunch, I led the group on a tour through them, amid much laughter, recall, and storytelling. At one point we couldn’t find a light switch and things got dark until 4 or 5 people took out their cell phones and lighted the way. Things have changed a lot over the years!

I had two more masses in Kennebec and Lower Brule this morning. I again enjoyed the chance to reconnect with people I previously served as pastor. After Kennebec, one of the parishioners talked about a friend of his who is dying of cancer, and wanted to know if I had any words of wisdom. He is at a loss as to what to say to his friend. The times I was too sick or to tired for company, I did let people know. But, I appreciated it when people sent a card, called or visited. A serious illness is made much worse when people avoid visiting because they are uncomfortable. I advised him not to worry about what words to say. Perhaps the most important words are, “How are you doing” and being open to really listening. You can let the sick person themselves decide what they want to share; be it the weather, sports, what it is really like to face illness or even death.

The drive from Kennebec to Lower Brule was 30 miles along a state road to the north and then a tribal road along the Missouri river the rest of the way. I didn’t see another car the entire time, but the scenery was wonderful and made for some prayerful reflection.

We had three baptisms at Lower Brule. I don’t know if anyone heard much of my homily, because the infants made themselves heard and took turns drawing everyone’s attention. During the baptism after the two-year old saw what happened to his cousin, he didn’t like the idea of getting wet, and started to object. But once he felt the warm water over his forehead the first time he relaxed, calmed down and had a big smile on his face when all was done. The families served a nice meal afterwards in the hall and invited everyone who came to church to eat and help celebrate with them.

Our students are all coming back to campus. The question I asked most of them as I walked the campus was, “What did you like best about spring break”. The most common answer was: the chance to play outside. We have been blessed across the state with some wonderful and warm weather this week.

Yesterday was my day off. Between the NCAA basketball tourney and the South Dakota boys high school tourney, I had lots of games to watch. During the games I was either on the treadmill, sorting baseball cards or just hanging out with the other SCJs in the house. I also spent time reading and watched a movie. It was very nice to have some down time.

Today, I followed up on several phone calls, ran to town to pick up the mail and did some grocery shopping. At the store I ran into Amanda, one of our family service counselors. She enjoyed spring break yet said, “ I’m ready to come back – I miss the kids”. That’s a good sign that our staff are feeling refreshed and ready to go again. Later in that same grocery store, I ran into the mom of two students. She said, “I’ve enjoyed having the kids home, but they’re ready to come back. There’s more for them to do at St. Joseph’s”. That too, is a good sign.

People may soon forget the words you say, but they won’t forget how you made them feel …

I got a call from Fr. Joe who has come down with the flu, who asked if I could cover weekend masses in my old stomping grounds. Since we won’t have mass on campus this weekend,  I was able to fill in for him tonight at Reliance, 15 miles away. When I preach, I want to give people a word that inspires or makes them think. I didn’t have the usual time it takes to prepare an in-depth homily, so did the best I could on short notice. An old priest reminded me once, people may soon forget the words you say, but they won’t forget how you made them feel. I enjoyed seeing the folks and catching up.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

My grandmother was from County Mayo and my home parish was St. Patrick’s so we always celebrated. I’ve spent 20 years working with Lakota (Sioux) people and continue to learn from and appreciate their rich culture, but I also try to walk with people in their times of ongoing struggles and share a message of hope and reach out with compassion.

The staff at the business office enjoyed our annual spring staff appreciation luncheon. With the dining hall providing a tasty turkey and rice dish, we gathered in the downstairs meeting room and with no business and no agenda, we got to enjoy some leisure time together. Shirley found a fluorescent green bow tie for Kory, our Director of Development to wear. It may have been “out of his comfort zone” as he said, but he was a good sport and it gave the gathering more levity. Besides faithfully answering all our mail and donor calls and questions, the staff has been working on long-range planning that has taken a big investment in their time. Hopefully the ideas will help us meet donor needs and continue to raise funds for our programs.

At the meeting to evaluate our Akta Lakota Museum collection, for a small museum we got high praise for what we have that people can learn about Lakota (Sioux) culture. Within the next year we hope to add onto the museum, especially to have proper space to store and conserve many historical artifacts and wonderful pieces of Native American art.

I stopped by the Crane Home for supper. Several of the high school students are thinking about summer jobs. Several want to work here because jobs back home on the American Indian reservations are hard to come by. In running a residential education program and doing both our own maintenance and fundraising here, we have a wonderful opportunity for staff to pass on such a wide variety of skills to our students as they consider what directions their careers might take. While students usually work in maintenance, museum or the summer day camps, today I talked to staff in the business office and dining hall about students who would benefit from experience there.

I met the newest member of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s staff  Emily, who will be our photographer and creative technician. You’ll soon see the fruits of her labor in the pictures that help chronicle the day-to-day activities and living history of St. Joseph’s Indian School. She will also help with all the brochures and newsletters we send out, so she will have plenty to do in the office. While our elementary students are away for spring break, it’s a good time to settle in and get to know other staff. Once the kids return, I’m sure Emily will enjoy testing her photographic skills.

While the school is quiet, the business office is running at full speed. In the last few weeks we’ve mailed out many dreamcatchers for our Spring Acquisition mail. Every year we have tried to interest new donors in our cause. There are tremendous needs all around the country and all around the world. As the donations, that keep us going, come in I am so grateful for people’s generosity to St. Joseph’s Indian School. Our director of finance also met with me to go over the budgets that we will present to our Board of Directors next month.

Besides the mail, we get lots of phone calls. Some are pleasant ones – people wanting to donate, folks with questions about the school, some wanting another dreamcatcher or prayer-book or item we’ve sent out. Some people don’t want to receive any more mail, and we’re happy to take their name off our mailing list. A few folks are angry that we’ve mailed them an appeal, and take it out on staff answering the phones. I stopped by to visit Tina and Melissa who shared about a few people who were just mean to them over the phone. Sometimes sharing the burden helps. When I field angry phone calls, I remind myself that the person may be having pressures and struggles that I know nothing about, and I try to be kind and understanding and maybe even lift them up in prayer.

The maintenance crew was working in the Dining Hall, taking advantage of the empty lunch room to install new energy-efficient lights in the kitchen. We’ve been doing that for several years now. On a good-sized campus, you have to plan that out over many years and we still have plenty of older light fixtures around.

I practiced with William and Kuwa, two of our freshmen boys who will represent St. Joseph’s Indian School at the April donor luncheons in Kansas City. They’re both somewhat nervous, but that’s why practice is so important – to help them overcome their fear of public speaking and realize that people are very interested in their perceptions and experiences, hopes and dreams.

I stopped for supper at the Hogebach Home (high school girls). Our two seniors there both have an acute case of senioritis, and are counting down the days until their May 22^nd graduation. Both are making plans for attending the colleges where they’ve been accepted. We didn’t have enough grade school students who needed to stay on campus to warrant a separate Spring Break Home this year, but two junior high girls are staying in Hogebach this week until their own home reopens on Sunday.  They’ve interacted well with the other girls, but their older sister did give them a warning about going into her room and using her stuff without asking first. We face most of the same issues here that any family with kids faces!

The office was quiet this morning with only the custodian and I moving about. The family service counselors are all on spring break, my secretary has the flu and the two administrators in adjacent offices are away for a conference. It’s probably more reflective even than yesterday’s time of Recollection.

I stopped by the Akta Lakota Museum & Culture Center. Dixie, our museum director, is working with a woman from the South Dakota State Art Museum to evaluate our collection for the most significant pieces and look towards the future. How do we let people know and have access to the Native American art and artifacts of importance that we have? What kinds of exhibits would be good to pull together? What kinds of art are missing from our collection that we should try to go after if they become available? It’s good to collaborate with other agencies and draw on their expertise.

I partook of the freshly made popcorn at the maintenance shop during morning break. Besides the walk around tours of campus I do when I can, breaks are a good chance to check on our facilities crew and get updates on all the projects that they are working on. With the elementary school empty during break, this is a great time for projects the crew can’t get to during a normal school day.

I traveled two hours each way to the Rosebud Indian Reservation for an hour-long meeting. In South Dakota we just get used to distances, and the time in the car was actually quite peaceful. You can just point the car in the right direction, put on the cruise control, and appreciate the vast open spaces in every direction. The weather was mild and sunny and there was no traffic to worry about. I do however have a confession to make. I was lost in thought and not paying attention to the speedometer. One mile from home I got stopped in downtown Chamberlain going 25 in a 20 mph zone. I always warn visitors that our police in town are very vigilant about the speed limit. Even though 20 seems like you’re crawling after the 75 m.p.h. interstate speed, you need to be careful on the road to visit us.

Along the way I stopped for a bite to eat and ran into the mom of two former students waiting tables – a nice chance to catch up on how they‘re doing. The whole state of South Dakota is like a vast small town, with connections and relationships all along the way.

I ended the day with supper at Sheehy Home (high school boys). Three of the students are in track and one is in soccer. This week begins their 4^th quarter, so the stress of midterms are past and everyone has a clean slate of homework and missing assignments. I checked on some of their class projects and presentations and encouraged them to keep focused and keep up with the daily work. When you can do that it sure lessens the stress at the end of the quarter.

When I went over to the office to write some letters, I expected the place to be empty, but ran into a group of high school boys doing their Sunday afternoon bible study class led by one of our houseparents Mike. While our Catholic students receive their own catechism, we provide a non-denominational instruction for our students who come to us from other traditions. There are also times we bring in elders who are able to do Lakota (Sioux) ceremonies, like a sweat inipi on the grounds of the campus.

Spirituality and faith are two strong emphases of our program.

Our area SCJs gathered tonight for supper and a time of prayer and recollection. Brother Duane Lemke is visiting us from our formation house in Chicago and led the reflection session. We reflected on our SCJ constitutions, which call us to help bear one another’s burdens. My reflection centered on how many people rallied to help me this past year while I carried the burden of cancer. The support and affirmation I’ve received and many prayers have done wonders, perhaps miracles, in helping me recover.