St. Stephens Mission Church
The winter months at Saint Stephen’s Indian Mission, despite the cold weather, saw a lot of activity. In the first quarter we handled 27 funerals of reservation members, which are usually accompanied by overnight vigils in Eagle Hall and followed by a great feast in which almost every attendee is given a gift by the family in what is called a “giveaway.” The gifts always are very generous. Many of these dinners are prepared and served by the Warren family and there is always a drum group present to lead the traditional round dance followed by face painting. We are very happy to be able to host them in our Eagle Hall which received a $5,000.00 update to the boiler.
Balancing out so many funerals, we were blessed this first quarter to baptize 35 children. Now we face the challenge of providing religious education and formation for these families. The Mission’s catechism program is small but growing through the help of Sister Theresa, Patti, Mary Shakespeare, and faithful families like that of Connie Brown.
This year marked the 43rd year of service by Sister Theresa Frawley, OSF, and one of her ministries is to let people go “shopping.” Sundays, after Mass, Sister arranges food, clothing, cooking supplies, and utensils that she manages to gather somehow throughout the week. She tells the people they can take anything they need but just leave the table! The people can sense her care and love and humor and respond accordingly.
One of the main ministries throughout the winter is provided by parishioner Dale Weber who arranges for three Alcoholic Anonymous group meetings per week in Incarnata Hall. These meetings enabled the ongoing sobriety and recovery of nearly 15 people for the past winter and into the future. They are capped by a large group meeting once a month that gathers around 60 people to be inspired by the story of someone who has been in recovery for many years. They all learn that they are not alone and they also see the light of hope. Sister Monica also serves a critical role in this ministry as almost everyone on the reservation knows to come to her when they are struggling with addiction, and she meets and counsels them in her house or office.
Thanks for letting us share with you some of the indoor activities that your grant helps us to provide during the winter months on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
