Tag: Helping Native American children

Being in New York during Hurricane Irene was big news here in Chamberlain, South Dakota. We got lots of calls to find out if we were OK. A writer from the local paper even called me to get the scoop. We got 8 inches of rain and strong winds, but were not in any real danger. The inconvenience of canceled flights and not being able to hold the luncheons as we had planned were minor compared to the devastation so many people experienced from the storm. Our prayers go out to all the folks whose lives have been so directly impacted.

I flew in a day ahead of the rest of our group so I could go to a baseball game with some friends. The last time I was in Yankee Stadium, I was in junior high school and in the House that Ruth Built the monuments were still in the playing field. I enjoy baseball games because it’s laid back enough that you can really talk and visit throughout the evening and we had a gorgeous summer’s night to do so.

Thursday I waited for the students and chaperones to arrive, but every hour or so I got a new text message that they were still delayed in Detroit. Instead of arriving at noon with a chance for some sightseeing, they finally arrived just after midnight. Ashley and Angel were two tired 7^th graders when they got up the next morning to speak to an enthusiastic crowd of about a hundred donors from the area.

Anne, one of our donors, lectures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and arranged to meet us that afternoon for a guided tour of a few highlights. Before we left St. Joseph’s Indian School, I asked Dave, our art teacher, to have the students look online at some of the museum’s treasures. Angel said she was most interested in seeing items from Ancient Greece and Rome. That was one of Anne’s favorite areas anyway, and with her insightful commentary and care to teach our students, the experience was unforgettable. We also saw pieces of Sioux beadwork that are in the museum.

We did get to see a play, The Lion King, thanks to another generous donor. I sat behind the students. Watching them lean forward with excitement to take in the music and pageantry and look all around the theater as the different animals processed down the aisles was very special for me. Theater can help you feel the wide range of human emotion and the human condition. The play took us through feelings of joy, laughter, fear, sadness, hope and inspiration.

We had lined up a ride to Brooklyn for the Saturday luncheon and with subways and trains shutting down at noon, only 7 of our 70 registered guests were able to come. The ones who were able to make it got very individualized attention! I did have a couple of special guests as well, my niece Allison and her fiancée Steve and got some quality time with them before the “crowd” arrived. One of my favorite moments came as we were talking about Lakota Language. Usually it’s the boys who sing in the drum group, but Angel knew all the words to the Flag Song, since we play it at the start of the school day. Though shy, she sang it for us (she had to cover her eyes and not look at everyone) in a gentle, beautiful voice.

We had to cancel Sunday’s Long Island event altogether.  By then the storm was unleashing it’s full fury and we stayed put. Two women got on the hotel elevator with me. I said to them, “I think we’re in for an adventure!”

(Woman 1) “ All you can do is go with the flow”

(Woman 2) “I sure hope we don’t go with any flow!”

By Sunday afternoon the rains had passed, and though it was still gusty, many people came out and walked around. Almost everything was closed, and some of the stores even boarded up, but we walked around midtown Manhattan for a couple of hours, taken in many sites and landmarks. One place that was open was St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and we dropped in there for prayers of thanksgiving, and a look at the beauty of that sacred space.

Our flights Monday were canceled, but it turned out to be a great day in the city. We got on one of the double-decker tour busses early in the day and toured both downtown and uptown. We paid our respects at Ground Zero, looked out across the water at Lady Liberty and saw a TV film crew at work as we strolled through Greenwich Village. Later, we rode along Central Park and through Harlem. The students were wide-eyed taking it all in. Many of the buildings have more rooms than Chamberlain’s entire population!

                We got home safe and sound last night with many memories and a few stories to tell.

I traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota today, where the diocese rededicated St. Joseph’s (good name!) Cathedral. It has been closed for renovations for almost two full years. For me the most intriguing part of the blessing of the altar came after the relics were set under the altar stone, and workmen brought up trowels and mixed some cement on the spot and sealed the marble. With restored sculptures and murals, the warmer original colors make for a bright and inspiring space.

At the luncheon, I sat across from a couple of diocesan priests that I didn’t know so well, but enjoyed the conversation. One had a couple of encounters with Mother Theresa as a seminarian, and she has continued to serve as such an inspiration to him. The other works as a prison chaplain. While the Native American population is about 8% of the state, those in the correctional system is much higher, perhaps 25% of the population. That’s another reason to recommit ourselves to the efforts at St. Joseph’s Indian School – to guide our students away from such troubles and towards a better path.

After reading Joseph Marshall III’s book “Walking With Grandfather” I had the chance on the drive back to listen to the CD commentary included with the book. He gives an insightful overview of his Lakota heritage, and the lessons of wisdom he learned from his grandfather. He also wrote, “The Lakota Way”, a book I also recommend for anyone interested in Lakota lifestyle and culture.

Things are getting back to “normal” now that I and much of the support staff are all on campus. I had a run of five meetings, which covered the gamut from finances, to the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, to student admissions, to strategic planning. A committee I’ve been working with is looking at suggestions for how to improve our collaboration with parents,  local schools, alumni and mentors. Our goal is collaboration and finding new ways to network with the good things already going on in the community. We’ve gotten input and good brainstorming ideas from a wide range of staff and caring people outside the school. Now we begin to prioritize and look at which will make the biggest positive impact on our students.

The facilities crew has been working hard all summer. Lately the heat waves, high water and humidity have made for trying conditions. But they took a break from all that and shared a meal downtown at the Anchor Grille as a way of saying thanks for all they have accomplished. HR did a little skit and passed out gloves with each worker’s name spelled out in glitter. After lively conversation, it was time to get back to all the projects, as the countdown to the start of school is ticking ever closer.

We had a board meeting for the Sacred Heart Center in Eagle Butte. The adolescent program can serve up to 18 Native American youth, ages 11-19, and for the past seven months it has been running over 90% capacity. The program underwent changes and revamping, and the different social service agencies are pleased with what is happening in terms of service plans and reintegration of young people into the community, so placements are up. Unlike St. Joseph’s Indian School, which doesn’t receive tuition or service income from student placements, the Sacred Heart Center does receive per diem monies, and with a full house comes better financial stability for the program. But the best news was the positive reports about the kind of care these youth have been getting.

Another bright spot came from the staff member in charge of community outreach. She herself was a client in the women’s shelter several years ago, seeking escape from her own difficult situation of domestic violence. She is now an advocate for those going through similar struggles, and in great demand to speak to school and community groups.

While there is heart wrenching problems on the Indian reservations, there are a lot of good people striving to make things better.

Fr. Anthony and I sat down with calendars and began to map out our schedule of liturgical responsibilities for the semester. We have many times and types of prayer throughout the year and we want to make sure to be able not just to cover them, but have some time to prepare. As chaplain, Fr. Anthony oversees the majority of home prayer and when my duties don’t take me away from St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus, we try to split up most of the rest.

But afterward, I was on the road again. Today my travels took me through Pierre and Fort Pierre, South Dakota. Those towns have suffered much from the flooding along the Missouri River, far more than Chamberlain has. (Watch this video of aerial footage of flooding along the Missouri River in Pierre and Ft. Pierre, South Dakota.) Several hundred people have been evacuated from their homes and the flood waters are still quite high and not expected to go down any time soon. Crews worked feverishly to construct earthen levees between the river and town, and sandbags and standing water are everywhere. Much of the country suffers from drought, and here we have the opposite problem.

 

 

This morning, about 20 of our staff took part in another strategic planning session. Besides preparing for the future, I’ve enjoyed the chance the past two days to see and catch up on the summer activities that have been going on around campus and in people’s lives.

This afternoon, I went to maintenance shop for break. After being gone for several weeks, I’ve been very impressed to see the progress the crew has made in fixing and renovating the St. Joseph’s Indian School’s campus. It’s easiest to notice the home remodeling and new paint jobs. There’s a lot of unseen preventative maintenance that goes on over the summer that is no less important.

Our hot weather continues, and I saw Mark and Gary on the roof at different times. They are unplugging vents and making sure the air conditioning systems don’t overheat. But the triple digit temperatures made for hot feet while on the roof. Everyone has been asked to drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks. The crew has gone hard at the home remodeling project during the morning hours, but once the heat starts to climb, they have to shift to different jobs elsewhere. Unfortunately, with the remodeling, one of the first things to come out of the homes is the heating and cooling system so a better, energy-efficient one can be installed.