St. Ann's Indian Mission, Belcourt, ND
By Michelle Kuhar - Development Director, St. Ann's Indian Mission in Belcourt, ND
Much joy was seen during the Christmas season around St. Ann’s, especially in homes where the holidays often bring uncertainty and concern. Parents struggling to provide a festive meal for Thanksgiving or to place gifts under the tree were grateful for the parish volunteers and donors spread across the United States who helped make the holidays complete for countless families.
Turkeys, shared by parishioners with an overabundance of food, found their way into St. Ann’s Catholic School freezer and then into the hands of several families in need of holiday provisions. These traveling turkeys brightened a number of tables and faces on Thanksgiving. Christmas brought its own surprises when a large number of gifts were purchased through the generosity of donors and the local Lilley/Dionne American Legion Post. At St. Ann’s, the gifts were carefully wrapped by Fr. Dave, parishioners, and the missionary volunteers. They were distributed door-to-door by our pastor, Fr. Michael, along with Santa and his local elves. Since winters in North Dakota are similar to the North Pole climate, Belcourt is a great location for training elves!
Students at our school also received a visit from Santa after performing their Christmas Around the World concert. The children sang beautifully, sharing Christmas carols in several different languages. These included a song titled the Huron Carol written in the Native tongue of the Huron Tribe, Un Flambeau Jeannette a French song in tribute to the area’s Metis heritage, and the ever-popular Spanish language tune, Feliz Navidad.
Catholic Schools Week and Winter Festival Fun
St. Ann’s Catholic School kicked off Catholic Schools Week in January by leading the 10:00 a.m. parish congregation in a joyous celebration of Sunday mass. The students participated in the mass by lecturing, altar serving, singing, and presenting the gifts. They did an amazing job and the choir’s young, enthusiastic voices provided a rare treat for everyone in attendance!
Wrapping up the week, we held our first Winter Festival to kick off Giving Hearts Day. It was a huge success! For those not familiar with Giving Hearts Day (GHD), it was started in 2008 by the Dakota Medical Foundation and helps charities across North Dakota raise money for their organizations. St. Ann’s has participated for a number of years to raise funds for our tuition-free school. Due to its local focus, we encourage those in our community and the surrounding region to get involved.
Since this was our first kickoff event, we were unsure about the turnout, but we were wonderfully surprised! Streams of kids with sleds wanting to see action, adults craving a bowl of hot chili, and others who heard about the horse drawn sleigh-rides all gathered at St. Ann’s for the event. The event was a kickoff for our GHD fundraiser but it was also an opportunity to showcase St. Ann’s School to local parents and grandparents interested in sending their children and grandchildren to our wonderful little school.
The ever-popular sledding hill next to our adoration chapel saw its biggest crowd this winter. New inner tubes on loan for the day and a rainbow of brightly colored sleds sped past onlookers throughout the afternoon. Children with rosy cheeks and glowing eyes puffed their way up and down the hill. More red cheeks were spotted out on the lake where our horse-drawn sleigh looped across the frozen ice, taking riders on a magical winter adventure!
Inside the gym, families took breaks from the cold to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate or a bowl of chili. Children darted from station to station, playing ladder golf, creating mini-igloos at the craft table, posing at the photo booth, or dragging their parents and grandparents to the bake sale table to beg for treats.
Helping the Community with our New Wheels
Three times a week our food pantry team makes a 45 minute trek to the closest Walmart to pick up fresh, overstocked produce and bakery goods to deliver to our community. A team of volunteers, led by Jackie Giron, the pantry's director, drive the van, load and unload the goods, then weigh and stock them as they arrive. Outside, patrons line up waiting for dry goods already on the shelves and the newly delivered produce, eager to carry bags of welcome goods to elderly parents and home to hungry children.
Last fall, our old delivery van started to deteriorate and Jackie realized it needed to be replaced. Thanks to a grant from the First Nations Development Institute, we were able to obtain initial funding for a new van. When we finally identified a suitable vehicle it was slightly outside of our price range. With limited resources and a tight timeline to finalize the sale, we reached out to the Turtle Mountain Tribal Council for help. After presenting the details of our situation, the Council voted in favor of the purchase and cut a check for the remaining amount. We are so grateful to First Nations and our local Tribal leaders for collaborating with us to ensure our seniors and families in the area are provided for.
