First of all, our thoughts and prayers are with those in the Midwest who experienced such awful weather over the weekend. The loss of life and destruction are truly tragic.
Chamberlain High School presented their annual play this past weekend, Father of the Bride. Two of St. Joseph’s high school students were in the cast and four were part of the stage and lighting crew. As an added bonus, St. Joseph’s students Amber and Ashley created the set designs! In Dramatic Arts class, the director divided students into teams of two and let them come up with design ideas for the play. Amber and Ashley’s design was chosen – way to go, girls!
Basketball season is underway at St. Joseph’s, and the Lakota girls in 4th through 8th grade have taken to the hardwood courts. On Saturday, the 4th, 5th and 6th graders played their counterparts from Chamberlain Elementary. There was a good turnout of family and friends on both sides to cheer them on.
The Chamberlain girls had some tall players, but St. Joseph’s girls had some real spunk and a ‘never say die’ attitude that helped them come back from early deficits and secure victory in the 4th and 6th grade games by one point each. The 5th graders, unfortunately, came up just 4 points short. This week, all our teams will be on the road playing schools in the local area.
I had a nice surprise during the basketball games on Saturday. I got to visit with the mother of a current student who was a student here herself in the late 1990’s. Fancee was a star basketball player at St. Joseph’s. Now, she is married with four children and works as a police detective on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.
She shared that her time at St. Joseph’s Indian School really prepared her for working with the Native American youth whom she now encounters in her profession. It was truly great to visit with her and hear how her years at St. Joseph’s helped her prepare for the future!
I hope each of you has a great week and that God’s blessings remain with you. Pilamaya – thank you – for your concern and generosity towards the Native American students at St. Joseph’s Indian School. Know that you and your intentions have been remembered in our Novena of Masses, November 11-19.
I hope everyone had a great week and lots of fun on Halloween. The Lakota students capped off their celebration of Red Ribbon week — a time focused on reminding them of the danger of drugs — with some spooky fun, wearing costumes to school and trick-or-treating on campus. The students then gathered in the rec center for the Grand March and judging of costumes. There were awards for scariest, funniest and most creative costume, along with awards for pumpkin carving and home decorations. Check out the fun on our Facebook album!
St. Joseph’s students capped off Red Ribbon Week with Halloween fun!
Our High School Academic Advisor, Tara, announced the members of the 2013 Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) Knowledge Bowl team. LNI is an annual event held before Christmas each year in Rapid City, South Dakota. It gathers members of the Lakota nation from all over the state and surrounding areas to compete in a wide variety of events — basketball, archery, an art show, Native American hand games, language contests and the Knowledge Bowl. Our students, Erica, Ashley, Michael, Cody, Kyran, Liliana, Jacob and Angela will meet every Sunday night until the competition to practice.
The CHS volleyball team – including some St. Joseph’s students – hosts Cheyenne-Eagle Butte on Tuesday in the state playoffs. This will be a tough one to watch since I spent five years in Eagle Butte serving on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation; but since I’m now in Chamberlain, I have to say ‘Go Cubs!’
As the weather is changing and cooling down, St. Joseph’s students are spending more time indoors. We recently held sign up for archery and wrestling. The younger students are also getting ready for Dancing Dolls and Dudes.
With the end of the first quarter, we acknowledged our honor roll students in grades 1-8. Students received certificates and a special prize for A and B Honor Roll and for perfect attendance.
Have a great week. Know that you and your intentions are remembered in our prayers. Thank you for your generosity!
It looks like our Indian Summer may be over in South Dakota – that dreaded word ‘snow’ is in the forecast. It won’t be a lot, but it does remind us we are moving later into the year and our warm, sunny days will not be around for a while. We saw some evidence of snow and slush yesterday up in Fort Pierre on my way to a board meeting in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. We visited the abused women’s shelter and residential care center for Native American youth in that community, both sponsored by St. Joseph’s Indian School. They are doing wonderful work as they reach out to the local community on a variety of fronts.
Several of the homes for St. Joseph’s older students got together and headed to Mitchell, South Dakota to go through a haunted house and pay a visit to McDonald’s as well. They had a great time! With our Halloween party and costume contest coming this Thursday, it may have given them some ideas for costumes.
Last Wednesday, I was invited by the local Kiwanis to be their guest speaker. I shared an update on recent happenings on campus, encouraging them to visit our new Alumni and Historical Center. I also filled them in on Fr. Steve’s new role as Provincial for the Priests of the Sacred Heart.
Our students worked with an artist in residence last week to create Christmas ornaments for the National Christmas tree in Washington, DC! Currently 48 ornaments are nearly ready to go. St. Joseph’s Indian School is the only school in South Dakota to take part in decorating the tree, so this was a very special opportunity indeed. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting project!
On the sports front, the Chamberlain High School football team has qualified for the State playoffs! The first game will be tonight. They are hosting Todd County, whom they recently beat. We hope they are able to repeat the victory. Several St. Joseph students are contributing their talent and skills. Go Cubs!
Sunday, our inter-city basketball league got started. This program gives St. Joseph’s Lakota students and local 6th, 7th and 8th graders the chance to play basketball on Sundays. They play together on four teams and compete against each other every Sunday afternoon. We see it as an important way for the students to meet each other now so that when they enter high school they’ll know each other a bit better.
The experience of playing together also helps them to be aware of each other’s talent, which is great in high school. The upcoming boys’ varsity basketball team for Chamberlain High School should be a good team this year. Last year, the “C” team was undefeated; it had several St. Joseph’s players on the team, so we’re looking forward to an exciting year!
I hope each of you has a great week. May God’s blessings be with you now and always.
My name is Amanda and I am a family service counselor at St. Joseph’s Indian School. I work with girls in grades 6-12, along with two other female counselors.
We have 17 high school girls who attend Daughters of Tradition two times per month. This group explores traditional Native American culture along with alcohol and substance abuse prevention. The girls in the group asked if we could hold an Inipi. An Inipi (also known as a sweat lodge) is a traditional ceremony that takes place to pray and purify or cleanse oneself. Two Lakota elders were asked to come from a local Indian reservation to lead the ceremony and pour water for the purification part.
Five students and one staff member participated in the ceremony while the other students and staff helped by making a traditional meal that included homemade beef stew, fry bread and chokecherry wojapi.
The fire was started around 3:30pm to heat the 15 rocks (they are also called grandfathers because they are the oldest entities on earth). When the female elders arrived, students offered a traditional gift of tobacco and money to thank them for giving of their time and wisdom to our students in this way.
Prior to entering the lodge, participants smudge with sage to cleanse and to bring positive energy to the Inipi. All enter the lodge clockwise and say Mitakuye Oyasin (all my relatives) to invite our ancestors in the lodge with us. The rocks are then brought into the lodge one by one and placed in the four directions by the fire keepers. The elders place flat cedar on the rocks as they pray for a good Inipi.
The girls prepared a traditional meal of stew, fry bread and chokecherry wojapi to follow the Inipi.
Once all this has taken place, the flap to the lodge is closed. While we sit in the darkness with steam from the grandfathers, we all pray and ask for guidance. During this Inipi, we completed four rounds with a break in between so we could have fresh cool air and some water. Once the rounds were completed we all exited the lodge and thanked one another for a great sweat.
During an Inipi, it becomes very hot in the lodge. By the time you leave, you are soaking wet; however, you feel so refreshed and alive and cleansed! After the sweat was complete, we ventured up to one of the high school girls’ homes and enjoyed a nourishing homemade meal and fellowship.
St. Joseph’s is blessed to have a sweat lodge and fire pit, so several Inipis take place throughout the year. An Inipi is a truly amazing experience that allows you to pray with others and purify yourself. The girls always enjoy the experience and the delish meal. They often ask when the next one will be.
As you may have heard from watching various weather reports over the last few days, western South Dakota was blasted with over 30” of snow! It is being called one of the worst storms in South Dakota history. We received some heavy rain in the Chamberlain area on Friday and Saturday, but thankfully were spared the snow and power outages. The rain wiped out the Chamberlain High School Homecoming Parade, but the game was still played, despite a torrential downpour.
You may recall that both the Homecoming King and Queen elected last week were close to many hearts at St. Joseph’s Indian School. King Cody is one of our high school students, and Queen Marilyn is the daughter of two staff members. In addition, several other St. Joseph’s high school students were selected to be part of the honor court.
St. Joseph’s students performed with Kevin Locke at the South Dakota Indian Education Conference last week.
Last week, our community was also the site of South Dakota’s Indian Education Conference. Our Principal, Kathleen, and several teachers attended. A group of St. Joseph’s students, along with Kevin Locke, gave a flute recital and did a great job.
Today, members of St. Joseph’s Parent Advisory Council met on campus. Parents and guardians of current students and some former students themselves, these folks generously give their time to help us improve our programs. They provide feedback from a parent’s point of view and help us better understand their children’s needs and hopes.
At today’s meeting, they were brought up-to-date about our new anti-bullying program, the latest criteria for admissions and insight into a wellness program for the Lakota children. They also had the chance to visit Chamberlain High School to get an idea of what a day is like for our high school students.
We are grateful for these parents and guardians giving of their time to listen and give responses as to how we can keep making things better and safer for the Lakota boys and girls entrusted to our care. The council meets twice per year and membership rotates, so there is a good mixture of parents and guardians involved from different Indian reservations in South Dakota and Nebraska.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain
P.S. During our recent powwow, we had slips of paper for guests to jot down prayer requests for our students and staff to remember in their evening prayers. As I was going through them to pick out some intentions for October, I came across a slip that asked a question:
“Since the government gives the Indian nations money, what percentage does St. Joseph’s get for subsidies, if any?”
Thank you for the question! Federal money is given to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which then distributes the money to the various Native American groups; however, as St. Joseph’s is not affiliated with any tribe or reservation, we do not receive any money from the government.
St. Joseph’s does get some financial aid for the school lunch program and Title program, which provides specialists to help with the education of our students. However, the bulk of St. Joseph’s financial resources come through YOU and your generosity! Your kindness and support make all our programs possible. Pilamaya—thank you!!
The Great Spirit really blessed St. Joseph’s Indian School this past weekend with great weather for our 37th Annual Powwow. Many new friendships were made, and over 400 visitors were given the chance to see where their generous donations go and how they impact the lives of our Lakota (Sioux) students.
The festivities kicked off on Wednesday, with Fr. Steve returning for the weekend. The students and staff had an ‘official’ going away gathering that gave everyone time for tears, handshakes and sharing memories. Thursday morning, we were up bright and early to take part in the bus trip to the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Reservations.
Friday, the morning got started with breakfast at the Development Office. Tours were also included so visitors could see how the mailings go out and how the donations are handled when they come in.
Later, at the Rec Center, there were three different cultural presentations:
Visits to the school and classrooms, with the Lakota boys and girls acting as tour guides, took up the early afternoon prior to the crowning of St. Joseph’s royalty — Eagle Staff Bearer, Miss St. Joseph’s and Jr. Miss St. Joseph’s. The afternoon concluded with a demonstration of Hoop Dancing by Kevin Locke who told stories, taught us sign language and employed 28 hoops in his dance. The Friday evening banquet at Cedar Shores was jam packed with 375 guests. There was a drawing for a Lakota Star Quilt and a silent auction for a painting by Mr. Del Iron Cloud, a St. Joseph’s alumnus.
Saturday was absolutely awesome weather-wise with sunshine and gentle breezes. Early guests on campus that morning had the chance to visit several of St. Joseph’s homes prior to the Grand Entry at noon. All veterans were invited to take part as the colors were presented and then shared their name and branch of service.
We had a great turn out of youth dancers – 191 in all – and all the practice our students put in paid off. Twenty St. Joseph’s students claimed prize money, with five winning first place!
Everyone enjoyed a buffalo stew supper after the powwow.
The evening ended with an honor dance for Fr. Steve, which began with a blessing for him in his new assignment as Provincial of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in the United States.
There was a full house for Mass on Sunday morning, which began with some of St. Joseph’s dancers – wearing full regalia – leading us in as our drum group provided the entrance music. Many pictures were taken and then our guests were free to visit the museum again or begin their journey home.
As I shook hands with those leaving Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel, many mentioned they are looking forward to coming again next year. Our students and staff hope they are able to return and that others, who were unable to come this year, might make it next year. St. Joseph’s 38th Annual Wacipi – Powwow – will be September 12-14, 2014. I hope you all can join us!
P.S. One thing that really impressed me was how many individuals or church groups brought donations of school supplies, clothing and other needed items. Several mentioned they have been doing this for years. Pilamaya —thank you.
Hope, Miss St. Joseph’s and Sasha, Jr. Miss St. Joseph’s, are pictured with Fr. Anthony and Ben, St. Joseph’s Eagle Staff Bearer.
St. Joseph’s recently hosted the Superior General of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Fr. Jose Ornelas, SCJ. He was accompanied by Fr. John van den Hengel, SCJ. Father Ornelas visited Canada and the United States to meet with all the SCJ priests and brothers and see our various ministries in action. St. Joseph’s Indian School was founded by the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1927.
Their visit began with a community meeting of the SCJs here in South Dakota. Fathers Jose and John then toured St. Joseph’s campus, visited the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center, as well as the Tokéya uŋkí nájiŋpi Historical and Alumni Center. They watched some of the Lakota (Sioux) students practice their dancing for the upcoming powwow, looked in on classrooms to see the students in action and helped with homework in several of the homes before having supper with our high school boys in Sheehy Home.
Tuesday, they visited the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservations, where the SCJs began their ministry to the Native American people back in 1923. They met with members of the pastoral team and drove around the area to get a feel for the land and work being done.
We also kicked off the Olweus Anti-Bullying Program last week at St. Joseph’s. As part of the program, the Lakota students will meet each week and discuss the effects bullying can have on people. We want to encourage a positive environment for our students, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Teachers, house parents and staff will also take part, and students’ families will be involved as well.
The powwow is on the horizon! We find ourselves in a ticklish situation as we are praying for rain for those areas of the country that are suffering from drought or fires, yet we also want good weather here at St. Joseph’s so that our guests will have an enjoyable (and dry) experience as powwow activities unfold on September 20-22. One guest we look forward to welcoming is Father Steve!
Have a great week and may God’s blessings and strength continue to be with you. Pilamaya – thank you – for your support of St. Joseph’s!
Activities were taking place all around the Chamberlain area this weekend, as well as on St. Joseph’s campus.
More than 1,000 people attended the powwow on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation this weekend.
The high school students returned Sunday and are now taking part in an orientation to get them ready for the first day of school at Chamberlain High on Wednesday, August 21. We are excited that we’ll have 50 Lakota students in our program this year. High school sports practices have also begun.
The biggest event of the weekend was the powwow on the Crow Creek Sioux Indian Reservation, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of Fort Thompson, South Dakota. They had a big turnout, with nearly 1,000 people on Saturday alone. Many dancers, singers and drum groups took part in the celebration. A good number of our Native American students come from the Crow Creek Reservation and they were happy to be able to spend time with family and friends.
St. Joseph’s upcoming 37th annual powwow is right around the corner! This week began with a planning meeting for the celebration, which is scheduled for September 21. We hope you’ll have the chance to visit St. Joseph’s Indian School for the event! You can look over our schedule at www.stjo.org/powwow.
Have a great week and enjoy the last remaining days of summer. May God’s blessings continue to be with you, and gift you with health and happiness.
Have you ever traveled roughly 2,000 miles in ten days and never left your state?
These Native American boys spread the word – free books!
You would have if you traveled along on the St. Joseph’s Indian School Bookmobile! This is one of my favorite activities of the summer. We travel to 32 communities on reservations in South Dakota giving out books, both new and gently used.
My name is Mary Jane. I am the Outreach/Alumni Coordinator at St. Joseph’s. For the last several summers, I have traveled with the bookmobile giving out free books, meeting new folks as well as former students of St. Joseph’s.
This summer we started our journey heading north to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. We visited 13 communities.
White Horse, South Dakota, was the smallest community we visited. There, we had 15 children total. When we drove in to town, we were spotted by three Lakota girls out riding their bikes. They followed us and picked up a few friends on the way.
The girls were so happy to see us and to learn that they could pick out their own FREE books and that they got to KEEP them!! As we left, they told us to come back again. They would be waiting! J
In Eagle Butte, South Dakota, we saw the most children – well over 100 in three separate stops.
The girls are so excited to choose their books!
The following week, after reloading the van, we headed south to the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Indian Reservations, visiting 16 communities and distributing 1140 new books and 1710+ used books.
Mission, which is on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, was one of our biggest stops. There were over 50 children at the local Boys & Girls Club. Some were busy planting a garden, but were eager to take a break and pick out their books.
Our smallest stop this trip was in Kyle, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. There we saw six children and two adults. A Native American father brought his two young children to choose their books. He was so excited to be able to have something to read to them! Luckily, we had some books for very small children packed away in a ‘special’ box. We made sure he had a bag of books for him and his two young girls. He was very grateful.
As he got off the bookmobile, he reached out to shake our hands and said, “Keep up the good work. You are doing a wonderful job. Thank you!”
The Lakota children are always happy to see St. Joseph’s Bookmobile!
All along our journey, we distributed boxes of used books, crayons, notebooks, construction paper and some dictionaries to various Boys & Girls Clubs, daycares and others who were in need of these items for their programs.
What’s the best part of this summer adventure? Meeting new people as well as former students and seeing children’s eyes light up when they get to have their books!
We just finished our donor luncheons in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Merrillville, Indiana! Our two Lakota (Sioux) students who told folks about their life at St. Joseph’s were Selena, who just graduated from eighth grade and will enter Chamberlain High School in the fall, and Chandler, who just finished her seventh grade year.
On the shores of Lake Michigan.
When I asked the girls to share about their hopes and dreams for the future, Selena spoke about going into law enforcement to help make life better for the people at home – the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.
Chandler shared that she wanted to go into nursing, possibly as a midwife. Then she added that a dream of hers was to attend college at the University of Notre Dame. On the way from Michigan to Merrillville, we took a slight detour, and went to South Bend!
The university was a lot bigger than she imagined. Rather than scaring her off, this excited her more!
Whether or not Notre Dame becomes her final decision, when our Native American youngsters talk about college, we try to encourage them to think big and then to prepare themselves by working hard.
We took a few pictures by the Golden Dome, and bought some souvenirs in the bookshop.
Our time in Michigan included a visit to the Gerald Ford presidential museum, just a few blocks from our hotel. In the evening, we ate at a fun family center that included a pizza buffet, go-carts and bumper car rides. Selena was the daring racer who lapped everyone else, flying by with the biggest grin on her face!
After our luncheon on Sunday, we headed up to Chicago. My religious community’s formation house is in Chicago, and with students gone for the summer, there was plenty of room to make that our home base. We spent the next day touring the Windy City.
I attended college and graduate school in Chicago, so know and love the city well. It’s always fun to see the sights anew through the eyes of newcomers, and Selena and Chandler were enchanted everywhere they turned. We spent the evening touring the Hyde Park neighborhood, including the University of Chicago and getting our feet wet in Lake Michigan. Even on a hot summer’s day, the water is always icy cold. Then, we picked up some deep dish Chicago pizza and came home to enjoy the feast.
Monday, we made our way around the loop, and up the Magnificent Mile. As we walked past a silver statue, the street performer came to life and jumped up next to Selena, who almost jumped over the Wrigley Building!
They laughed and got their picture taken with him. Lunch was at Ed Debevic’s. At first, the girls didn’t know what to make of the intentionally rude waiters. But they laughed and enjoyed the outing, especially when our server sang and danced on the table. We made our way to Lincoln Park Zoo. Our staff members were surprised that such a nice a zoo could be free, and enjoyed the lovely scenery and animal antics.
Selena and Chandler were startled by a street performer.
Besides the girls’ first plane ride on the trip out, they also experienced their first city bus and subway/el rides, and then took a spin on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel for a great view of the city. The best view we had was standing by Buckingham Fountain in the evening, with patriotic music playing, the mist shooting high into the night, and the city lit up all around us.
These were my last two donor luncheons. Most folks have gotten word via email that I will be moving on at the end of the month, so the days were nostalgic and bittersweet. I got so many hugs and congratulations, and cherished the people who care so much about St. Joseph’s Indian School and want to make sure the good work continues. With our committed, passionate staff, I assured them that it would. There are no doubt greater and more exciting things to come after I’ve completed my time there.
I have truly loved and enjoyed the chance to meet the people across the country who make the work we do at St. Joseph’s Indian School possible. So many folks make great sacrifices that allow us to run our programs. So many people have never gotten the opportunity to visit up close and personal, so it is a joy to let them meet the students and find out more about all we’re doing.
Besides being a blessing to the school, our donors have been a blessing to me personally.
Many folks have been praying for my health. A week ago, I was back at Mayo Clinic for my 6-month check in with the oncologists. I’m happy to report a continuing clean bill of health. After running the comprehensive battery of tests, the doctor told me that I can now wait a full year before needing to come back – thanks be to God!
The girls get their first glimpse of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza!
