St. Francis Mission is sponsored by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). It is a Roman Catholic not-for-profit organization. The purpose of St. Francis Mission is to re-evangelize Catholic Lakota people and bring the Gospel of Jesus the Christ to those who have not heard it. This purpose is achieved through cooperation among Catholic Lakota people, priests, religious sisters and brothers and lay leaders.
Father John Hatcher, S.J., Superior of the St. Francis Mission Jesuit Community
St. Charles Catholic Church
The Board of Directors have determined that the mission would be best carried out by concentrating on the following goals:
There are large numbers of baptized Catholics on the Rosebud reservation. Many of these people are not active in the Church. This is especially true for young people. According to the US Census forty three percent of the people who live on Rosebud are eighteen years of age or younger. From a recent study commissioned by the Diocese of Rapid City we know that most of these young people are not affiliated with any religious tradition although many have been baptized. These young people demand our full attention. A scientific study conducted by Dartmouth University and the YMCA of America, shows that If they are not given a spiritual foundation they will seek to fill up the hole in their souls with drugs, alcohol, violence and sexual promiscuity. Our immediate challenge is to help these young people find meaning in their lives by bringing them into contact with Christ.
As a Jesuit apostolate, sponsored by the Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus, St. Francis Indian Mission is animated by the charisma of St. Ignatius Loyola and by the Spiritual Exercises, Jesuit traditions, and documents, especially those describing the service of faith and the promotion of justice. St. Francis Indian Mission acknowledges the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Christian Charity, who helped found the mission, the Xaverian Brothers, and other religious congregations who have shared their gifts with the Lakota people.
Effective evangelization cannot simply be directed to youth. It is imperative that we work with people of all age groups. Part of our effort to evangelize will be the Generations of Faith Program. This brings families and people of all ages together to study, pray, and recreate. The program will allow the senior generation to share their faith with children and grandchildren and give them the opportunity to learn together.
We will also bring Renew to the reservation in order to facilitate good continuing education for adults and help them form a strong sense of community.
At St. Francis Mission we have chosen to invest heavily in education. Last year we have opened a new release time education building near St. Francis Indian School. It serves two hundred students, kindergarden through fifth grade, who come once a week for Religious Education. Next year we will provide classes from kindergarten to eight grade. This year we remolded the old CYO building in order to begin a released time religious education program in the town of Rosebud. This program serves one hundred and fifty children i grades one thru five. Moreover in January 2006 we opened and after school program at Spring Creek, a Lakota speaking community, adjacent to the public school. This program provides Religious Education, help with home work, reading skills and help with Lakota language. We have conducted a feasibility study to determine the possibility of opening a Catholic elementary school. The study was very positive. A committee of local people will meet in early March to begin planning for a school.
This goal is absolutely essential if the Church is to thrive among the Lakota people. A big part of our evangelization effort is to involve Lakota Catholics in the evangelization process. This means inviting them to participate in decisions about evangelization and enlisting their leadership to reach out to those who for one reason or another do not fully participate. In order to do this we will offer adult education classes and continue to form men and women in the Ministry Formation Program as well as the Permanent Diaconate program.
Presently the primary structures to implement these goals include pastoral works and programs in eight reservation parishes; two aftercare programs for those in recovery or returning from prison--one at Icimani Ya Waste Center in St. Francis, SD and a second at a center in White River, SD; KINI radio station; the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum and the Fr. Jones Religious Education Center in St. Francis; the CYO Religious Education Center in Rosebud; and the Wiwila Wakpa after school program in Spring Creek.