Kateri Northwest Ministry Institute
For the first time in more than four years, on the first Friday of April, Fr. Mike Fitzpatrick, S.J., the director of KNMI, headed out from Oregon and drove to the Ursuline Centre in Great Falls, Montana, to begin once again to have Kateri weekend meetings with the folks from the surrounding areas. People were drawn in from quite far and travelled for several hours to be part of our gathering, including folks from the Fort Belknap Reservation, the Blackfeet Reservation, the Crow Reservation, the Helena area, the Billings area, from Great Falls itself, and a handful that came from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho as well. We were happy to welcome some new faces to our group and to see familiar faces that we have not seen for a few years.
A main topic of discussion that weekend centered around the needs of the Native people and their faith communities, and how the Jesuits, particularly through the Kateri Program, can best help to meet those needs. Many of the Native church communities that were once served by the Jesuits are no longer staffed by the Jesuits, and some are with no priest at all serving there, due to the declining numbers of clergy. This creates a dilemma for the Native Catholics and for the Jesuits, both of whom have a strong desire to continue walking the faith journey together.
Fr. Peter Byrne, S.J., the Director of the Rocky Mountain Missions Jesuits, joined in the meeting via Zoom on Saturday morning to listen to the people and to hear what their desires are in journeying with the Jesuits. It was clear to Fr. Peter and to all present that the participants want the continued presence of the Jesuits to minister among their people as much as possible, and that the Native people have a strong desire to continue their own education, training, and spiritual support through the Kateri Program. For the participants, the Kateri Program has provided a place and a time for them to gain a deeper understanding of the scriptures and of Church teachings, to enculturate Native ways in Catholic liturgy, to be trained in various ministries so that they can serve in their home parishes, to heal from past inter-generational traumas, and to revisit and renew relationships in the wider circle of the faith community. We will be continuing the discussion about how we can all find our way together in this faith journey when we bring Native people, Jesuits, and co-workers in Native ministry together to dialogue in our September retreat.
