‘The king is dead, long live the king!’

Good Day from St. Joseph’s Indian School!
You’ve heard the saying, ‘the king is dead, long live the king,’ and we’ve seen an indication of it here at St. Joseph’s!

Most of the Christmas decorations came down right after our Christmas celebration on January 10 and several decorations promoting St. Valentine’s Day went up – not just commercially, but on campus as well. There is a sign welcoming you to the infirmary with two big hearts, a set of lips and the greeting ‘hugs and kisses.’

St. Joseph’s staff participated in the annual Chili Cook Off yesterday. We have yearly contests to find the best chili and soup! Those entering need to make a good amount so the staff can come and taste the variety of entries. Staff make sure they come early so as not to miss out on the goodies! The various dishes were tasted by our judges and prizes were awarded.

As our second semester gets under way, we’d like to update you on how our recent grads, alumni and scholarship recipients are doing! Kyron, JaTonne and Angela are back in class for the second semester. RJ is working here in Chamberlain at Sanford Hospital. Shawn is in Yankton looking for work. Cody, a 2014 grad, is back in class at University of South Dakota. Erica is discerning what her next step will be.

Former alumni who are in class now and will be graduating this coming May are LaSheena at United Tribes in North Dakota with a degree in Business Administration; Larry at SE Tech in Winona, Minnesota with a degree in welding; and Whitney at SinteGleska will get a CDC in Human Resources. Andrea graduated from South East Technical School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in Nursing this past December and now has her LPN license

Those attending on St. Joseph’s scholarships are:
• Christopher at University of Minnesota in Morris pursuing a degree in Business Administration
• Ashely pursuing schooling in Cosmetology
• Terrell at Northern State in Aberdeen, South Dakotaearning a degree in Business Management
• Caressa at United Tribes pursuing a degree in Business Management
• Frankie at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota earning a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Human Services.

Thanks to your generosity, dreams are being achieved!

St. Joseph’s recently participated in another acalympicscompetition, this time in Pierre, South Dakota. They competed against twelve schools in the subjects of Math, English, Music, Current Events and Science. Kathleen, our Principal, said the contest was very close and precious points were lost due to not spelling some answers correctly.

There is another one scheduled for March in White River, South Dakota, where we have been invited to send two teams.

This past Sunday, we held a Lakota Mass at Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel on campus. During this service, those in our Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC) became catechumens. We currently have 24 students getting ready to receive Sacraments in April when they get back from Easter Break! 17 of the students will receive the three Sacraments of Baptism, 1st Communion and Confirmation. Six have already been baptized and are preparing for First Communion. Of these six, two will be making a Profession of Faith by which they’ll join the Catholic Church. One of our High School Seniors is preparing for Confirmation. The Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming enables these students to let their fellow classmates know of their spiritual journey and ask for their prayers and support as they continue their preparation. We will be having a special retreat for them on February 13.

Please keep them in your prayers that they may continue to be open to hearing God’s gentle call to ‘Follow Him.”

I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. Stay warm! May God’s blessings be with you now and always.

Fr. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain

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. View all posts by St. Joseph's Indian School