children prairie - St. Joseph`s Indian School

CHILDREN
St. Joseph’s Indian School
We serve and teach, we receive and learn.
With spring being the season of rebirth, it is a wonderful time to remember and honor
someone who has touched your life. A St. Joseph’s memorial is a wonderful way to do just
that. In a lasting and meaningful way, a memorial benefits St. Joseph’s Lakota children in the
name of the person you love and wish to remember.
Take your help one step further.
Campus Calendar
April 15
T-ball Practice Begins
MAY 30, 2014 IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO ESTABLISH A JUBILEE SCHOLARSHIP MEMORIAL.
For only pennies a day, you can do so much for a Lakota child who needs you!
❏ $12 a month will help pay for one week of nutritious meals.
April 27
Baptism &
First Communion Liturgy
❏ $21 monthly will help supply the books and reading materials a child needs
to succeed in school.
April 25
Annual Sobriety Walk
lusive:
Online exc
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Stay connec
children
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g our blog
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/blog!
— stjo.org
Mail this form to:
St. Joseph’s Indian School
Tiyospaye Club
PO Box 326
Chamberlain, SD 57326
May 1
Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
May 18
Chamberlain High School
Graduation
May 23
Eighth-grade Graduation
Summer Homes Open
Finding Purpose in Your Life
A blog post by Joe, St. Joseph’s Pastoral Care Associate
May 26
Memorial Day
Do you ever have one of those days when it seems like every time you check an item off
your “To Do List” two more items are added? Many of us find this to be a regular occurrence
these days. Miraculously, just when it seems to be too much something happens that
suddenly reminds us of our purpose in life. One of those moments recently happened to me.
May 27
Summer Day Camp Begins
As I was walking to my car, I heard shouts from the playground. Students were asking if
I could join them on the swings.
1-800-341-2235www.stjo.org/cop
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make these
smiles possible!
Vol. 54, No. 2, April 2014
To establish or learn more about our memorial programs simply complete the information
on the enclosed envelope and return to us. You may also contact Denise Hyland, our Planned
Giving Manager at 1-800-584-9200 or online at stjo.org/memorial.
If you are ever feeling overwhelmed during the day and are wondering what in the world is
going on, take a deep breath, look around and be thankful for what God is doing in your life.
You
Spiritual Enrichment
Will you consider honoring those you loved so dearly with a St. Joseph’s memorial? Each
memorial gift received offers over 200 Lakota children the care and education they deserve.
God quickly reminded me what an amazing place St. Joseph’s is. The happy shouts of
the children reminded me that, no matter how long my list was, the main reason that God
has me at this school is to build relationships and touch the hearts of the Native American
students who attend this wonderful place.
PRAIRIE
NEWSLETTER
In Loving Memory
April
2014
of
the
Join our monthly tiyospaye — extended family — club.
June 7-8
Donor Event in
Washington, D.C.
Alicia and Joe stop for a snapshot
during Religious Education class.
Want More?
Stay in touch with St. Joseph’s
happenings. Sign up at
stjo.org/eclub and receive
periodic email updates on
the Lakota children.
❏ A generous $70 monthly gift helps cover all the basic needs — meals, school
supplies and loving staff.
I pledge a monthly automatic gift of $_________to St. Joseph’s Indian School.
Children find a sense of belonging by participating in worship services.
❒ I have enclosed a check for my first gift. Please transfer my monthly gifts from my checking account OR
❒ I have noted my credit card information below. Please transfer my monthly gifts from my credit card.
Dear Friends,
You may be aware that since our founding in 1927, St. Joseph’s Indian School has
been providing, with your help, a safe haven for Lakota (Sioux) children. Here, they
can escape the strong holds of poverty and substance abuse. They are assured safe
homes, nutritious meals and a solid education, but we would like to share with you in
this newsletter how your generosity is impacting the spiritual enrichment of the Lakota
children in our care.
❏ $37 a month makes sure our highly specialized houseparents are available
24 hours a day to give the children the love and care they deserve.
God bless,
Fr. J. Anthony Kluckman, SCJ
Chaplain
In light of the high volume of requests for Mass to be said for a loved one on holidays such as
Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas, we will combine all of your requests into a
single Mass on each of these special days. There will be no specific donation asked. All you need
to do is let us know which day or days you would like to have your loved one included in the Mass
intentions. We are open to fulfilling requests for other days on an individual basis, but hope this
arrangement will enable us to meet the need of our tiyospaye — extended family — as we ask
God’s blessings and grace on your loved ones.
Call:
1-800-762-2162
Card #: ________________________________________ Expiration Date: ______/_______
I understand my monthly gifts will be transferred directly from my account to St. Joseph’s Indian School. A record
of my gifts will appear on my bank or credit card statement, and I can increase, decrease or suspend my giving by
calling St. Joseph’s Indian School at 1-800-762-2162. Transfers will begin in 2-4 weeks.
Go online:
stjo.org/tiyo
Name _______________________________________________________________________
Address _____________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________________ State __________ Zip ______________
Email _____________________________________ Phone # _________________________
As a Tiyospaye Club member, you will receive monthly updates on the Lakota children and the many
programs you make possible with your automatically recurring gift. Each month we will send you:
• A letter carefully handwritten by one of our Lakota students.
• A colorful student drawing capturing a piece of campus life.
• An informational newsletter with a detailed account of campus happenings.
• Daily remembrance in prayers and at special Masses.
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Donors “light up” Christmas
Thank you for helping us “light up” the Christmas holiday
for the Lakota boys and girls! Reflectors on Christmas trees
filled Our Lady of the Sioux Chapel with a warm glow,
bringing the love and prayers of you, our tiyospaye —
extended family — into our students’ lives.
Pilamaya — thank you — for truly being part of our
holiday celebration!
St. Joseph’s Indian School
St. Joseph’s Indian School
We serve and teach, we receive and learn.
We serve and teach, we receive and learn.
Helping Lakota (Sioux) students find their spiritual path
Lakota (Sioux) students celebrate National Catholic Schools Week
St. Joseph’s Indian School provides for the needs of the whole
child — mind, body, heart and spirit. Students learn about their
Lakota (Sioux) culture and traditions as well as Christianity and the
Gospel message.
Each year St. Joseph’s students celebrate National Catholic Schools Week,
beginning the last Sunday in January and continuing all week. The focus of
this week long celebration is the value Catholic education provides and its
contributions to our communities and our nation.
Students who attend St. Joseph’s Indian School are not required to
be Catholic, however approximately half are. With the support of their
families some choose to be baptized or confirmed into the Catholic faith.
The Lakota boys and girls joined students and staff from across the country
who took time to recognize the well-rounded education Catholic schools
provide. St. Joseph’s Indian School is proud to offer our Native American
students an education and environment that meets the needs of the whole child
— mind, body, heart and spirit.
Julia and Mia take time out to catch up
on their reading during National Catholic Schools Week.
Each spring several St. Joseph’s students choose to take this step in
their faith walk; they prepare for and receive the sacraments of Baptism
and First Communion.
Pilamaya — thank you — for helping our students learn about their
faith AND culture; your generosity makes it possible for us to provide
for the needs of the whole child!
Joshua’s godfather looks on as Fr. Anthony baptizes
him into the Catholic faith.
Scripture Reflection
“First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and
thanksgivings be offered for everyone … that we may lead a quiet
and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.” — 1 Timothy 2:1
Alisha reflects on her hopes and dreams
for the future.
This school year, Catholic Studies classes viewed the video
“Keep Going” by Joseph Marshall III, writer, speaker, actor and technical
advisor for films. Marshall was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Indian
Reservation. His short but valuable message encourages viewers to use the
storms and difficulties of life to grow stronger. Marshall advises that even the
smallest step made in hope is stronger than any trial we encounter.
Inipi — Lakota Rite of Purification
Just as students may choose to be baptized and join the
Catholic Church, their families may also practice traditional
Lakota spirituality and ceremonies. At St. Joseph’s
Indian School, students also have the opportunity to
participate in inipi.
undertaking to purify the body and gain strength and power.
The Lakota term for sweat lodge is inipi which means —
to live again. Inipi is a Lakota purification rite and facilitates a
kind of spiritual rebirth.
The formation of the site comprises an earth mound just
outside the door of the sweat lodge, facing east, and a fire pit
containing stones. The fire represents the sun. Another mound
partially encircling the fire pit represents the crescent moon.
This is the outer world or cosmos; the inner world is the sweat
lodge. It represents the womb of the universe from which
souls are created anew.
The sweat lodge is central to inipi. Prayers offered there
draw on all the powers of the universe — Earth, Water, Fire
and Air. In the old days, inipi was done before any major
Prayers are said at each stage of the construction of a sweat
lodge. When it is completed, a burning coal is brought in
and sweet grass is burned by the leader of the inipi to purify
the lodge. The pipe is smoked and carried outside where it is
placed on the mound of earth.
To round out the lesson, students were asked to reflect on their own experiences and write down three things
for which they hoped and prayed. Their responses reflected lives filled with trial and tribulation. With hope for
healing brokenness in their families, that loved ones would receive God’s message and hope the world would be a
safer place for them to live. One message that struck a chord in me was that of a young boy who had recently lost
his mother. With the tenderest of hearts he wrote; “I hope my mom can hear my prayers in heaven.”
God of Hope, who hears the deepest desires of our hearts, may we grow in tranquility and dignity as we offer our
prayers and petitions for each other to you. Amen.
Trivia
(from page 2)
A: Seven. Read more about each by visiting the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center’s website, aktalakota.org.
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Trivia (Answer on page 3)
Q: How many sacred rites are there in Lakota tradition?
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The actual lodge itself is a dome constructed of 16 young
willow trees placed in a circle, traditionally covered with hides
so no light could penetrate inside.
St. Joseph’s drum group, The Chalk Hills Singers, performing
during our 2013 Powwow.
The other participants enter the lodge, sitting in a circle
on sacred sage, and the pipe is brought in and smoked. The
heated rocks are placed on the center fireplace and the pipe
returned to the earth mound. Then, the door is closed. During
the ritual, the door is thrown open four times to represent the
four ages described by the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Woman.
The fourth time, participants leave the lodge, emerging from
dark to light which represents the liberation from the physical
universe. All that is impure is left in the sweat lodge.
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