I hit the road for the next 11 days, and spent much today wrapping up things in the office as best I can before traveling.
First, I travel west to California, where a group of us from the business office have been invited to attend a planning retreat that starts on Monday. I’m going a few days early to visit my aunt and cousins in the area.
When that’s finished, I head east to Waukesha, near Milwaukee Wisconsin, for donor appreciation luncheons. I will be back in the office March 8.
In the meantime, I’ve asked some of our staff to be guest bloggers, and give you a different perspective in the coming days. I’ll fill you in more when I return.
Burnt toast set off the fire alarms in Central Offices and got our attention as we were just settling in for our morning meetings. We all passed the impromptu fire drill. Several of our staff are on the volunteer fire department, and once everyone had cleared the building, they checked things out and quickly determined the threat was past, and we all went back to work. A fire could break out most anywhere on campus and it was a good reminder to be prepared.
Fr. Steve, William and Tray at a donor luncheon earlier this year.
I practiced with LaToya, one of our Lakota high school girls who will speak to donors in the Milwaukee area about her experiences at St. Joseph’s Indian School. The high school boys for the next trips in April and June were also selected, so I stopped by their home to congratulate them and answered their questions.
The students are very excited to get to visit a different part of the country and experience something different from what they’ve know and experienced in South Dakota. One of St. Joseph’s Indian School’s mottos a few years ago was, “The World as a Classroom”. Travel and meeting new people stretches their horizons and their understanding of the world. And for me too!
PS – for schedules and more information about attending donor appreciation luncheons, please visit: http://bit.ly/cyor7m.
This morning our principal stopped in to discuss our priorities for next year in hiring specialist teachers, since we had some turnover last year. Do we add to our Lakota studies program? Can we find replacements for our Music teacher or Personal Living Skills teacher who have taken jobs elsewhere?
We have so much that we want to teach our children in need, but only so many class periods in the day to do it. We even talked about possible electives at the end of the school day or offering some Saturday lessons. It is a hard balancing act.
God never promised trying to reach out to people in need would be relaxing or easy.
Most days are fun and delightful here, but some days are heavy and draining. This afternoon, I fielded a call from an alumni who was having lots of personal difficulties and was very depressed, struggling to find reasons to keep going.
After that, I met with a disabled person who is in danger of losing his apartment. Then it was a trip to the law office to try to straighten out complicated legal issues we’ve been working on for a long time.
At day’s end, I felt tired and had a tension headache. God never promised trying to reach out to people in need would be relaxing or easy. That’s just part and parcel of the call to ministry.
Another cold weekend at St. Joseph's Indian School.
Interstate 90 was closed in South Dakota from Chamberlain–west 150 miles– to Wall, and many of our students who went home for the weekend couldn’t get back. Our facilities crew did a great job of plowing our parking lots and roads, and we were able to open school on time. I stopped in the classrooms this morning, and found them to be missing a few students – 44 absent in all, about a fourth of our elementary school. By day’s end, the roads were clearning up and I saw many families dropping their children off at their homes away from home.
One of our 4th grade girls was in the Dean of Students’ office, which meant she was having some problems and was acting up in her classroom. We have cubicles in there for students to study at while calming down. This student preferred to sit on the floor, behind a door, almost hidden from view. She was supposed to be working on the South Dakota state map, identifying Native American reservations, towns, and natural formations but she didn’t have much focus. I didn’t try to deal with the behaviors that landed her there, or scold her in any way. I just tried to be as kind as I could, knowing that she has worries and struggles in her family. We talked about a safer subject – the geography she was working on, and she again found the interest to continue her project. The teachers, counselors and houseparents will talk over how to work through the things that are bothering her.
We got about 10 inches of powdery, blowing snow. Interstate 90 is closed for 150 miles going west in South Dakota. Our maintenance crew has been out plowing; keeping the roads on campus open to allow us to still get around. It was however, easier to travel on foot rather than in a vehicle. Our chapel had the usual crowd for mass, since all our students are here anyway, and just had to walk a block or two.
That’s part of being in community.
After church, I didn’t have any other scheduled activities and I climbed the snowy hill back home for a true day of rest. As the snows continued, you couldn’t go anywhere anyway. I’ve always liked a good snow day, once everyone is safely where they need to go. I read, made some phone calls, exercised and prayed. I don’t often get bored, but try to make my most out of the time given. To be sociable I watched TV with Fr. Dominic for a while. Hockey and golf were on, two sports I never watch on my own. But that’s part of being in community, trying to take interest in what other people are interested in, making small talk and enjoying the time together. When Fr. Anthony got back from a home prayer the three of us played some cards before calling it a night.
Our school assembly room hosted a good crowd of students and their families as part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Children (RCIC) retreat.
We’re working with a few older students, but mostly a lot of 2nd and 3rd graders. They gravitate toward the hands on activities best of all. I enjoyed the presentation by our principal Kathleen, and Steve, the 4th grade teacher, that compared the gifts of the Holy Spirit to different treats that the students then helped to pass out. In my presentation on the symbols of baptism, the youngsters were fascinated by the baptismal font and crowded around it in a human chain to feel the water and rub into their hands the olive oil I passed around. I don’t think any of them will qualify as distinguished theologians by the time they finish the program, but they have such good hearts and intentions. I hope we do give them a solid basis of faith they can grow into.
We had planned to go through the Rite of Enrollment tomorrow morning at mass, but we changed plans on the fly due to a blizzard predicted for tomorrow. We worried families would get stuck here or on the road when the snow started to fly. We decided to hold a prayer service at the end of the retreat. I called the homes around campus and most of the other students on campus showed up in a sign of support. The families were able to take part and still make it home safely and not worry about tomorrow.
20 children kids wrote their names in the Book of Enrollment. 6th grader Zooey broke her arm and had surgery, so her houseparent Frank stood by her side and did the writing for her.
The four homes with 1st-3rd graders all had several children involved in the retreat. We ordered pizzas, and the homes each brought fruits, vegetables and deserts! We sat down for a festive meal after it was finished. It gave all our staff more time to visit with and get to know the families.
The eldest elder on the Lower Brule Reservation in South Dakota, 96-year-old Mabel Driving Hawk, was buried today. When I was pastor in Lower Brule, I often stopped by her home to take her communion when Mabel wasn’t well enough to come to church. Mabel always had a houseful of grandchildren, or great-grandchildren that she was looking after. Counting 31 great-great grandchildren she had 151 living descendents!
When big crowds are expected, families often move the services to the larger community center, but Mabel made it clear she wanted to have her funeral in the church that she belonged to for so many years. Fr. Joe led the services, and I just helped out by being there. More than anything else, I enjoyed standing at the entrance to the church hall, where the viewing was going on, and saying hello to her Tiyospaye – extended family as they streamed in. Some were St. Joseph’s students. Many other I’ve had some connection with in my years in this part of the country. Dave and Jean, houseparents at St. Joseph’s Indian School also came. They are close to one of the granddaughters and were asked to be her godparents, so they’ve kept the connection over the years.
Four singers carried and played the drum while leading us all to the cemetery. Afterwards, we gathered back at the hall for a meal and conversations about the memories about Mabel and catching up with one another.
In the evening, I met with a couple to begin their marriage preparation. I still occasionally fill in were needed in the parishes. I haven’t done a wedding in a couple of years, but I’ve done enough that I won’t forget how.
Due to a few people being away, our Development Office meeting got canceled. We do a lot of good working meetings, but I seldom cry or complain when one gets canceled. Since I planned to spend time there anyway, I wandered around the offices with a little extra time to check on what folks are working on. Donors have been generous with the annual heating appeal and the Lakota (Sioux) star quilt raffle, so there are many letters to answer, along with prayer requests and questions. With any kind of ministry, you imagine yourself doing great and life changing things. Today, we spent time trying to figure out the best use of a fur coat that someone generously gave us. Every day brings unique challenges and opportunities.
Over lunch, we had a training session for all of our supervisors. The topic was time management, and I did notice that everyone was there on time. Most interesting to me was the acknowledgement that one of the biggest problems is that we too easily get distracted by “shiny objects” – things we find more interesting and attractive that pull us away from focusing on what is most important. I can make a list and cross off many things, but if I’m not getting at the most important tasks, which are often the most demanding, I’m not making much real progress. In the spiritual life, we so often speak of discernment, and trying to look to God to show us what is important, and what we can and must let go of. When I see something important that I cannot accomplish myself, that’s where teamwork and dialogue become so important.
Our 7th and 8th grade boys were in basketball action again tonight. The 7th grade continues to roll with a 6-0 start to the season. The 8th graders played hard but came up 5 points short. One of the kids was visibly upset when the coach took him out of the game, and other choked back tears when he fouled out. I spent most of the 4th quarter over on the bench just sitting there, trying to be a calming influence and be of support. We all have a tendency to think of our kids as tough, but those times remind me that their self-esteem is fragile, and some have wounds that are not easily healed. A basketball game, school activity or home event may trigger a reaction that tells us to look beyond the behavior and ask what we need to address. Our programs try to take all that into account and help them through the difficulties of growing up years.
For staff appreciation day, we started with breakfast in the school dining hall. Staff from the business office and maintenance shop don’t get as much regular interaction with our students as teacher or houseparents do, and they seemed to enjoy eating breakfast and talking to the kids. I wandered around the tables to check up on everyone. I find out more about what’s going on around campus in those settings than I do at staff meetings! The dining hall crew had to work for their own meal, but I hope they felt appreciated too.
A lovely couple from Sioux Falls, South Dakota stopped in to visit. They’ve been to our Akta Lakota Museum & Culture Center many times and make it a regular stop when friends and relatives not familiar with Lakota (Sioux) culture come to visit. But they’ve never seen the rest of what we do, and asked for a tour of campus. I met up with them while Jona was giving a tour. We get a lot of visitors in the summer, but not so many in February!
The kids at St. Joseph's Indian School love playing baseketball!
Today, was actually a wonderful day for a tour. The temperature climbed over the 60 degree mark, remarkable for February! After school when I walked around campus, I smelled beef on a grill, and my nose led me to the Speyer Home (6th-8th grade boys) where Mark, the houseparent, was supervising three students as they honed their own skills as cooks while grilling cheeseburgers for supper. I had to pass on that invite, for I was headed to Rooney Home (6th-8th grade boys) to join them for supper. The guys were outside playing basketball, so I decided to test my leg and join them. The good news was I was able to dunk a few times. The bad news is that was on a 7 foot rim! I’m walking around with no problems, but when it comes to running and jumping, I know what I want to do, but the legs don’t follow my mind just yet. I’ll keep up the exercise and therapy and keep trying for those incremental improvements.
We have a donor luncheon in the Milwaukee area in a few weeks, and this evening I met with two of our high school students, Shaylene and LaToya to help them prepare for what they want to say when they speak. Shay is a senior and has been at St. Joseph’s Indian School for 12 years, so she has previously represented St. Joseph’s Indian School. This will be LaToya’s first chance and she’s both nervous and excited. Both have a lot to say, and it was fun working with them.
Today, I spent much of the day either in meetings or doing paperwork. Our Child Service Team finalized our school calendar for next year, and since it affects staff, students and their families, a lot of thought and consideration goes into trying to find the best compromises around breaks, holidays and getting in the time we need for education. At. St. Joseph’s Indian School we schedule more days than the state requires, to give us a couple more weeks to provide a quality education.
Sometimes paperwork feels like busy work. But today, I finished up an annual performance evaluation for one of the department heads I supervise. Like each employee, once a year we look at how a person measures up to their job description. Each staff member also has goals to work on. Many also have key responsibilities in moving our strategic plan forward. Employees are also evaluated on expectations St. Joseph’s Indian School has of respect, communication, teamwork, attitude and judgment. In any walk of life, constructive criticism is hard to pull off, but when you speak the truth with love and care, it is the best thing you can do for another colleague. We all have room for improvement. As I look over what others are doing, that reminds and motivates me to be more faithful to my “job description” and my vocation. Evaluation can be difficult if an employee is struggling and unhappy in their job. Evaluation can also be affirming when the person is fulfilled and finding meaning in the job, and making St. Joseph’s Indian School better because they are here. Thankfully, we have many committed and passionate employees!
