St. Ann`sNews Flooding hearts with a river of Grace

St. Ann s
’
Flooding hearts with a river of Grace
The Pastor’s Desk
St. Ann’s Indian Mission
Est. 1885
Serving the Turtle Mountain
Band of Chippewa and Metis
since 1885.
Society of Our Lady
of the Most Holy Trinity
www.fargodiocese.org
News
Spring/Summer 2012
By Fr. Mark Ropel, SOLT
Dear Friends of St. Ann . . .
May the peace and joy of the Most
Holy Trinity continue to be with
you, your families, vocations and
ministries!
Thank you for your generous
support of our 2012 Truck Raffle.
The winner is Rena Vallie, a local
woman who bought one ticket.
Rena is a waitress at North Forty,
a popular local restaurant. When
Truck raffle winner Rena Vallie and her husband Justin are all
Rena went to work the day after
smiles as Kelly (raffle volunteer) and Fr. Mark hand over the
the raffle, I understand that the
keys to her new Chevy Silverado from
entire restaurant gave her a round
Lake Chevrolet in Devils Lake.
of applause and she started crying.
Through your support we were able to raise over $31,000 for St. Ann’s Indian Mission and over $4000
for our other four parishes. The monies allow us to support our development office and make much
needed repairs and maintenance on our existing facilities. Thank you!
The one constant about life is change. Change with God can have many positive effects. It allows
us to reassess different areas of our life, grow in areas we have neglected and give us a different
perspective on people and places. Our Mission here is about to go through significant changes. Three
members of the St. Ann’s Ecclessial Team will be leaving the Mission to other assignments. Father
Shane Mckee SOLT has been assigned as pastor of St. Alphonsus Church in downtown Seattle and is
leaving in early June. Father Scott Brossart SOLT has been assigned to be our vocations director and
is leaving in late June. I have asked SOLT to explore the possibility of joining the Diocese of Biloxi,
where I had previously taught high school religion and I will be leaving in early August. The priests
replacing us bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our mission. Father Jeff Eppler SOLT will
be the pastor of St. Ann’s and St. Anthony’s Catholic Churches and was previously here for six years.
He is returning from his assignment in Belize. Father Scott Giuliani SOLT is coming to us from our
mission in Campoline, Colorado and has been here several summers working in our summer camps.
Father Dan Abalon SOLT is a veteran priest who is coming from our mission in Seattle and will be the
parish administrator at St. Michael’s in Dunsieth. I am confident with the grace of God that they will
take our mission to the next level.
Thank you for your support of my five years here at St. Ann’s Indian Mission as team leader and
pastor. Through your generosity we have been able to make many new renovations on our existing
buildings; new youth center, new bathrooms in the cafeteria and adoration areas, renovating a modular
building into a bunkhouse, paint the inside of our church, start bible studies with our men and women,
buy equipment to maintain our outdoor areas , consecration of the Turtle Mountain People to the
Two Hearts by our Bishop, and many, many other projects. Our Mission looks good thanks to your
generosity! I am very grateful for the wonderful support I have received from our parishioners. They
are a beautiful group of people who have inspired me in my faith. I don’t know how many of us would
drive at 1a.m. in minus 40 degree weather to make a holy hour, but they do. Their spirit of welcome
and faithfulness to Our Lord and Our Lady is something I will take with me to Mississippi. Thank
you! With the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
The Legacy of Laverne
By Kristin and Rebecca
Stubenville University Mission Trip Spring 2012
At the age of forty-eight, Laverne took on the care
of a new household, the Benedictine run Indian mission
at St. Ann’s. Fr. Wilfred was initially concerned that the
work would be too much for her, but she soon proved this
worry unnecessary. Essentially a housekeeper, she soon
became a jack of all trades. Her responsibilities began with
the laundry, cleaning priestly quarters and the kitchen,
snowballing to include: the guest house, resource center,
and the parish office. This kept her constantly on the go,
which meant that anyone looking for her had to run around
to find her since there were no cell phones back then! Soon
the Benedictine sisters took her under their wing as well.
In addition to her five day work week, she would help the
sisters at the thrift store and the food pantry on Saturdays.
She learned a lot from the sisters, especially Sisters Mara
and Wilma, whom she often joined for lunch. Sister Mara
taught her how to clean the Church sanctuary and sacristy.
While learning this, Laverne internalized her faith on a
deeper level. She was trusted to clean the purificators (the
linen cloth used to clean the sacred vessels used during the
Liturgy), albs, and acted as a Sacristan (the person who
prepares the Church for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass). She
also prepared the church for the different liturgical seasons,
including St. Ann’s feast day. She often prayed the Rosary
as she vacuumed, embodying the Benedictine saying “Ora et
Labora” (pray and work).
Fr. Tom asked her to assume the duty of cook until
they found a permanent replacement . . . she stayed in
this position for thirty years! As they say, ‘the kitchen is
the heart of the home’ and Laverne filled it with love and
cookies. During her time at St. Ann’s, she met over 200
people from all walks of life including lay workers, deacons,
sisters, brothers and priests. She fondly remembers all the
priests, especially Fr. Don, Fr. Wilfred, Fr. Theophane, and
I.
Kristin, Laverne and Rebecca enjoy their visit.
Fr. Joe. She also saw the transition of leadership at St. Ann’s
and welcomed the SOLT family as they were invited to run
the mission.
Despite loving her work, it was not without its
challenges, but the task-driven Laverne was determined to
meet them. Even cooking for a group as large as forty, in
only two hours time, could not unsettle her. Cookies and
cakes were staples of her kitchen, particularly carrot cake
and upside down pineapple cake with the exception of Lent,
of course. When asked, she could not choose one aspect
of the job as her favorite and simply said “I loved all of
it”. She was invaluable to the running of St. Ann’s. On one
particularly icy day, Fr. Mark himself got her to and from
work to ensure her safety in travel.
When illness in the family required more of her attention,
Laverne made the decision to retire. It was hard for the
family at St. Ann’s to see her go. After thirty and a half years
of hard work, retirement is sometimes boring. Since she has
a heart deeply rooted in service and because old habits die
hard, she can still be found baking for her grandchildren
and taking in mending. However, the change of pace does
allow her to spend more time with her family. It would seem
that St. Ann herself has hand selected Laverne from the
beginning, as her feast day, July 26, is Laverne’s birthday.
The patron saint of housekeepers wanted to make sure that
St. Ann’s Indian Mission had the very best.
O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock
and it will be opened to you.” Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of . . . (here name your
request) Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be to the Father . . . Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all
my trust in you.
Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
II.
O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will
give it to you.” Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of . . . (here name your request)
Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . . Glory Be To the Father . . . Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust
in you.
III. O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.”
Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of . . . (here name your request) Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . .
Glory Be to the Father . . . Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and
grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.
Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us
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~ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
St. Ann’s Youth Ministry
By Robert Jenkins
In our winter newsletter, Amanda mentioned our
upcoming retreat for 6th – 8th graders at Cooperstown
Bible Camp. Well, we are back and what a retreat it was!
Taking a bus full of our youth, I made the trip down to
Cooperstown, stopping at McDonald’s for dinner along the
way (who would have thought a few items from the dollar
menu would raise so much excitement?!). From there, we
rode another 20 minutes out into the beautiful rolling plains
where the camp is located. We couldn’t have asked for
better weather – despite warnings of storms, it was dry and
sunny all weekend!
Our kids from Dunseith and Belcourt joined others
from Rugby, Fort Totten, and the rest of the Diocese. Our
theme for the retreat this year was the purpose of family
as an avenue of God’s transformative power of love. We
kicked this off with the video The Butterfly Circus, which
inspired some great reflection and discussion. We were also
blessed to incorporate the Holy Mass and confession into
the weekend, thanks to Fr. David and other diocesan priests.
Other highlights from the retreat included family skits,
human foosball, and a hike around the camp grounds. Many
thanks to our co-directors Amanda Estabrook and Nick
Coombs, the Cooperstown staff, and all the other volunteers
who made the weekend possible!
This is an exciting time for us in other ways as well! We
are having our end-of-year party for our youth at the end of
the month to celebrate the time we’ve been able to spend
together and with our God. We are also preparing for the
arrival of our new volunteers who are coming to help with
summer camp, which starts in June – how quickly it has
come! Thanks to the support we’ve received from Catholic
Extension and St. Joseph’s Community Health Foundation,
we were able to purchase a breadth of new and exciting
equipment – these include archery supplies, a giant soccer
ball, and some paddleboats for the lake. This is bound to be
an awesome year of camp, and I look forward to seeing in
what other wonderful ways our God moves!
Our Lady Of Guadalupe Convent
By Sister Mary Elizabeth, SOLT
Dunseith, ND
“It was like this huge wave of grace that just washed over
me and carried away all my sins and made me clean!” These
words—accompanied by an exuberant full-body demonstration of
the ‘wave of grace’ crashing over him—were spoken by a St. Ann’s
second grader on the church’s front steps after making his First
Reconciliation.
Just as Spring means new life in the order of nature, so too
does the Easter season mean new life in the order of grace. What
a blessing it has been for Sr. Kateri Marie, Sr. Maria Hostia and
myself to have a front-row seat as God works fresh wonders in
the sacramental life of the Church. Whether it be Bishop Aquila asking questions to the Confimandi—and getting
the right answers!—before anointing them with sacred chrism and sealing them with the gift of the Holy Spirit in
Confirmation, or seeing the RCIA Candidates and First Communicants receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist for the first
time, or hearing a child come out of the confessional and ask, “Can you see my halo?” the reality is always the same:
God makes his love visible.
Another gift that comes with Spring is May, a month dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. The SOLT Aspirants
(Alejandra, Cindy, Lesly, Monique and Rachel) have spent the month studying St. Louis de Montfort’s work, True
Devotion to Mary, in preparation for making their Consecration to Jesus through Mary on June 2nd. Blessed John
Paul the Great said of this consecration, in which we entrust ourselves entirely to Jesus through the hands of Our
Blessed Mother, “The reading of this book [True Devotion] was a decisive turning point in my life…I say turning
point, but it was a long inner journey…This ‘Perfect Devotion’ is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself
to Christ and the work of redemption.” May Our Blessed Mother continue to draw each of us ever deeper into the
heart of the Most Holy Trinity!
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Little Miracles
Confirmation
Mass,
April 2012
Confirmation cake
The St. Ann’s Mission SOLT Team 2012
Confirmation servers “making faces”
Aspirants with Tribal Elder Agnes
Father Bob Gronin on St. Patrick’s Day
at the school
Three new baptized babies at St. Anthony’s
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Dominque from Duluth, MN. and St. Ann
students having fun on the playground
Deacon Francis helping the
Bishop before Confirmation
Fr. Mark announcing the raffle winner
Fr. David and Fr. Paul at
St. Benedicts (rural Belcourt)
co-celebrating Holy Saturday
Mass
Kelly and Terra, (ticket selling machine),
enjoying the raffle banquet
Good St. Ann
and baby
Mary at the
Car Raffle
Sister Kateri picking raffle winner as Doc
helps out
Dave Garcia and family at the raffle banquet
Sarah,
missionary
volunteer
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Women’s Cursillo 2012
Announcements for St. Benedict’s
and St. John the Baptist Parishes
Hey kids! St. Ann’s Summer Camp – Have fun and
learn about Jesus, Mary and all the Saints. Junior High
Camp begins June 11–June 15 and June 18–June 22;
High School Camp begins June 25–June 29. Brochures
and applications will be available in the St. Benedict’s and
St. John’s foyers.
Novena for The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
The Novena begins on June 15 and ends on June 24. Let’s
ask John the Baptist for strength and courage in our times.
June 17 - St. John’s Father’s Day Brunch after the
10:30 mass sponsored by the Parish Guild
By Phyllis Gourneau
Cursillo is held in Belcourt each year in March, one
session for the men and one session for the women. Cursillo
has been very successful in the conversion of many hearts,
devoted to the love of Jesus Christ. Cursillo is a short course
in Christianity. This retreat has been a life changing event to
many in our community.
Cursillo is a Catholic Christianity movement that works
by the grace of God to enable Catholic Christians to excel in
their uniqueness, originality and creativity of each person.
Once this is discovered, they can use their God given talents
to build up the church and evangelist to their fellow man.
The ‘PRAY, WALK, RIDE’ group will be camping out at
St. Benedict’s on June 16 and will be cooking and serving
breakfast on Fathers Day June 17 after the 8:30 service.
Attention all Cursillistas! De Colores! June 21 in
Belcourt at Queen of Peace is an upcoming Ultreya. Bring
your families and a dish to share for the potluck. If you have
questions please contact Ben Seitz at (701) 540-8248.
St. Benedict’s Summer Picnic is July 8th. Serving to
start at noon. There will be a raffle, games, good food
(home cooked deep-fried chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs,
salads and desserts) and merchandise bingo ($100 payout
on the last game).
Militia Immaculata Youth Camp July 8–July 13 and
July 14–July 20. Brochures, Registration forms, parents
waiver forms and tally sheets will be available in the Church
foyers of St. Benedict’s and St. John’s.
The Good Shepherd
By: Sr. Mary Elisabeth of the Coronation, SOLT
Kansas City, Missouri, Novice and House Servant
Catechist at Our Lady’s Montessori School
“We all love you”, whispered a little girl to a statue of Our
Lady, during a visit to the school grotto; a moment later, a
four year old boy ran to the garden statue of St. Francis and
announced, “I want to be a saint like you!” We are blessed
at Our Lady’s Montessori to have teachers who love their
faith and bring it to the children in the ordinary events of the
school day.
I have the opportunity to share our faith in a particular
way with the three- to six-year-old children through the
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, using Scripture and
Liturgy to help them discover and delight in the love that the
Good Shepherd has for them. We recently had a lesson on
baptism, during which the children hear that Jesus calls them
by name to receive His light. The joy with which they bring
their little candles to be lit from the model Paschal candle is
evident in their beaming faces and outstretched hands. They
love the light, and each time we light a candle in the Atrium,
they are asked, “What does the light remind us of?”, and with
great enthusiasm, they reply, “Jesus, the Light of the World!”
When we read scripture together, we use figurines to help
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us meditate, so that we can both hear and see what is taking
place in the parables and in the life of Jesus. Once, when we
were meditating on the Annunciation, a little girl demanded
to know where the figure of David was. She heard the angel
say that Jesus was to receive the throne of David, his father,
and so she thought that David should be there too!
We usually end our session with a visit to the Oratory,
but one day, we were running late, so we walked right back
to their classroom door. Alexander, 3, tugged emphatically
on my sleeve, “ We can’t go back. We didn’t see Jesus”. He
knew what was most important. When the Good Shepherd
calls you by name, you have to respond.
One Body In Christ
By Sara Thimons, Missionary Volunteer Reflection
Give mission work two years and you won’t change the
mission field. It will change you.
When I first came to the Turtle Mountain Indian
Reservation to “serve” the native Chippewa and Metis, I
didn’t realize it then, but I do now, I had somewhat of a
proselytizing outlook, kind of like I was “above” those I
was serving. I admit now, I was a bit of a snob. I was doing
something great—sacrificing my homeland, my family, all
I loved and held dear—to answer Christ’s call to preach
the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to those seemingly
“un-christianized,” “uncultured,” “underprivileged.” I was
living the Great Commission, I thought. I would offer all my
St Ann’s School
Two Hearts
By Fr. Shane McKee, SOLT
Parochial Vicar and Chaplain
Here at St. Ann’s Indian Mission, we have Mass for
the school children three times a week. As chaplain
of the school, I seek to impart the Word of Christ by
engaging an active participation. Last Friday, we heard
in John’s Gospel, “No greater love has a man, than to lay
down his life.” Somewhat unorthodox, I walked down
from the ambo and half-dived into a row of 1st graders.
They squealed with laughter. After getting up, I asked
the children, “Is this what Jesus meant when He said,
‘Lay down his life’?” All smiles, they said emphatically,
“Nooo!”
For the month of May, we are particularly honoring
Our Blessed Mother. So, I proceeded to point to the
exposed Immaculate Heart of the statue of Our Lady
of Fatima. “We know Jesus loves us very much,” I
continued, “so how can we show Him our hearts love
Him the most?” The little St. Ann’s Soldiers of Christ
offered various ways they could love Jesus.
Finally, I gave them a nearby example. Jaden,
the smallest boy in Kindergarten, after receiving the
customary blessing at the time for Holy Communion,
always looks intently at the Priest—with his little
cherub face and big bright blue eyes—and pronounces a
determined, “AMEN”. As a minister of Christ, I can tell
that Jaden’s “Amen” is not a routine response, but an act
of faith from a noble heart.
St. Ann’s Indian Mission School, is resolute in
teaching the Truth of Christ. Though our staff works for
little or no pay, and our facility lacks many resources, we
are proud to know we fulfill our motto: “TOGETHER, we
are achieving our personal best to glorify God.”
gifts, my own background, my own culture, my own music
to people who were “deprived” in a way. I would slavishly
work to bring about the kingdom, I would preach to people
and work to “save their souls.”
As time went on, I don’t know how or when it happened,
but my heart and my mind began to change. I found myself
enriched to the simple, childlike, and charismatic faith of
the people. I found myself singing their worship songs
in my own personal prayer, I found myself wanting their
enrichment. I found a community of believers who built
one another up in love, who stood through the centuries,
and who frankly, didn’t need me to prosper or to survive.
I found myself overtaken by a rich culture, a privileged
people of faith, love, and family, a people who served each
other and were there for me in my own personal struggles. I
found myself learning to let go of the American workaholic
mentality and experience the joy of being with people who
knew the value of human relationships and the human
presence. Maybe it’s the Chippewa background that taught
them how to truly live, maybe the French; I personally think
its a rich heritage of both built upon a strong faith that makes
a unique, strong people called the Metis. They have a lot to
be proud of.
Yet, as I looked upon these beautiful faces, I realize that I
often did not see pride and confidence. I saw rather shame,
bitterness, and demoralization. I would say, “It’s because of
the alcohol, it’s because of the drugs, because of anything . .
. the cold, freezing winters” - when unbeknownst to me the
issue was much deeper, it was a deep wound of the heart. A
wound inflicted long ago and still inflicted today - inflicted
by “the whites,” the US Government, and yes, even by
the missionaries. It is inflicted by those who, like myself,
thought that they themselves were somehow there to serve
and better the “poor Indians” and make decisions for them.
And thank God many missionaries and priests never had my
attitude (which I am certainly personally exaggerating). But
to some extent, we all have. Can I somehow apologize on
behalf of myself and those, who in the name of God have
belittled you and your human dignity?
As time went on, I saw it wasn’t so much about me
serving them. Or them enriching me. Honestly, I saw that
we were on an equal plain. One Body in Christ - serving
and being served, ministering and being ministered to.
Each offering and accepting the unique God-given gifts the
other had to offer. One Body in Christ - where I stopped
thinking of the Indians as a different color, tradition, and race
(and vice-versa, while each valuing one another’s unique
heritage). Where we were all fellow children of one God.
Where we were all equal before God. All one body seeking
to bring about His Kingdom more alive in our own hearts
and in the world.
But in the end, it is not an equal relationship. I will
always be indebted to those “I served” in ways that I can
never ever repay. But such is also the love of God. Some
things just leave you humbled.
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St. Ann’s Mission Among the
Chippewa and Metis
P.O. Box 220, 1115 Louis Riel Dr.
Belcourt, ND 58316
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage Paid
Belcourt, ND 58316
Permit No. 2000
Telephone: 701-477-5601
www.StAnnsMission.Org
stanns@utma.com
Serving the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa through five local parishes
St. Ann’s • St. Anthony’s • St. Michael the Archangel • St. Benedict’s • St. John the Baptist
Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
Lily of the Mohawks
Born at Auriesville, N.Y., 1656
Baptized at Fonda, N.Y., 1676
Died at Caughnawaga, Canada April 17, 1680
Declared Venerable by Pope Pius XII January 3, 1943
Beatified by Pope John Paul II June 22, 1980
Canonization by Pope Benedict October 21, 2012
O GOD, who among the many marvels of Your Grace in
the New World, did cause to blossom of the banks of the
Mohawk and of the St. Lawrence, the pure and tender
Lily, Kateri Tekakwitha, grant we beseech You, the favor
we beg through her intercession – that this Young Lover
of Jesus and of his Cross may soon be counted among the
Saints by Holy Mother Church, and that our hearts may
be enkindled with a strong desire to imitate her innocence
and faith. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.