Guest blogger: Mike Tyrell

When I came to the office today, I had this note from Mike, our Director of Child Services waiting for me. Since he speaks of lots that’s going on around campus, I thought I’d share this with you.

20 Minutes at the Rec Center

On Saturday morning, I happened to find myself in one of those unique but fun 20 minutes in our rec center.  As I was winding down my workout, a houseparent came into the workout room with one of the boys from his home.  He was working with the student teaching him to properly lift weights.  It was nice to see the mentoring going on and the student following the houseparent’s lead. 

As I finished, I left the workout room, only to find that the Ambrose Home’s students waiting rambunctious to go to wresting practice.  We have not had a wrestling program in a few years and it was their first practice.  The kids and houseparents were waiting at the front door of the rec center as mini-buses moved around outside to pick up the students.  The boys looked eager to get going to Chamberlain’s wrestling room, as we do not have a mat yet for our wresting program. 

I then wandered back into the rec center gym where two houseparent we setting up and Archery course for the students.  Today was the first day of training our students about how to safely shoot a bow and arrow.  The staff, who recently went to be certified in archery training, were eagerly awaiting the student’s arrival.  In talking with the staff, you could tell they were excited. 

As I left the gym, I noticed two student reading books.  Apparently these students were in trouble, and reading was part of their discipline.  I asked what they were reading and one boy showed me the book Prince of Egypt.   I told him he could give me an oral book report sometime.  Both boys were also watching the archery range being set up with great interest.  If this was discipline, they appeared to be having a good time.   

As I was leaving the facility, the second of two rec center staff showed up.  They we looking forward to a busy morning followed by an afternoon of bowling.  As I exited the rec center building, the snow was falling heavily and piling up.  It was surreal as I thought of all that was going on at the rec center and across campus on this cold and snowy, January day.  It also made me thankful for the fact that we are fortunate in what we provide for our students.

 

Fr. Steve’s updates

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Today the town of Dupree (population 434) celebrated their centennial with a parade. Small town parades are an experience all in themselves. I wanted to get to main street early so I could get a good seat, but there was plenty of room because almost everyone in town was in the parade.

The town was founded on land donated by Fred Dupris, a French and Lakota trader whom the town was named after. He and Scotty Phillips are credited with saving the buffalo when they were almost hunted to extinction. One of the floats included many of his descendants who live in the area.

Another float had all the grandchildren of the Norwegian homesteaders who came to the area in 1910. There were antique tractors, powwow royalty riding in the back of pickups, and politicians positioning themselves for the November elections. All threw candy into the streets as children scrambled for the goodies.

I actually got to see the parade twice. Main street is only 5 blocks long, and the parade went south along the length of the town, then did a U-turn and came back north again.

Just a month ago a tornado went through the heart of town. The elderly manor was hit hard and residents had to be relocated to other area towns. Pioneer Hall – the community center – was damaged beyond repair and had to be bulldozed. In its place stands a large circus tent; the show and the centennial must go on.

It’s very indicative of life on these isolated prairie towns. People face great hardship with weather and life circumstances, but they find it within themselves to rebuild and keep going.

As I walked the sidewalks and stayed at the church for Saturday evening mass, the best part was seeing folks that I spent ten years of my life with. Some of those I remember as children are now parents. We recalled weddings and baptisms, sad funerals and times that made us laugh. So many of these folks have kept me in their prayers these past months and it was wonderful to be able to thank them in person and renew the ties of friendship.

 

Fr. Steve’s updates

Friday, July 9, 2010

I’m going to spend the next week on the Cheyenne River Reservation, where I lived and worked from 1984 – 1995 … I have so many fond memories.

Two of the towns, Dupree and Eagle Butte, are celebrating their centennials, and I figure I’ll be able to see a lot of people at the celebrations. The change of scenery should be helpful as I put office work aside for a week and just enjoy whatever comes my way each day.

The drive is 3 hours, but I stopped half way in Fort Pierre to visit former parishioners who have retired there. Glady and Andy are always gracious hosts, and besides good conversation and a huge meal, I’m so much at home there that I could even take a two hour nap before continuing the journey.

I’m staying at the rectory which was home for ten years of my life and ministry. It too is home when I get up here a few times each year. I was first greeted by the women who work in the rectory and keep the place going, now, as well as when I was here, and they’re all treasured friends. Later when Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt got home from their rounds, they gave me updates on folks in the area and made me feel most welcome. They cover an area about the size of Connecticut, and serve nine small mission parishes from here.

 

Visitors and sunshine give new perspective

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Two visitors brightened my day!

Fr. Byron drove in from Milwaukee to check in on how I’m doing. He was my formation director and mentor during my college years and retreat director several times after. He hadn’t been to St. Joseph’s in 13 years, so I took some time to give him a tour to see what’s new since then.

For more than an hour, we walked the campus and met people who explained their role at St. Joseph’s. I learn something new and appreciate more each time I hear staff reflecting on their jobs.

But, I also realized at the end of our tour that was the most walking I’ve done in some time. With a good friend at my side, and a nice sunny day, I just didn’t feel so sore and tired in my leg!

Bishop Blase Cupich of Rapid City also stopped in to see how I’m doing, and he joined us for lunch. Recently, we heard he’ll be leaving Rapid City to oversee the Spokane, Washington diocese. I felt it was even nicer of him to take the time to see me given all the transition and wrapping up that he has to do in the next month.

At the end of his visit, we went to the chapel and each said a prayer for each other. I’ve received so many prayers for my healing and recovery, and I am grateful for each one. The prayers and kind thoughts seem to be working as I continue to mend!

 

Weekly Reflection

Sunday, July 4

After masses were done, all the SCJ priests and our seminarian gathered in Lower Brule for our monthly time of meeting, fellowship, prayer and food. The discussion at the meeting was lively and continued through supper. We have a good and committed group here trying to fulfill the mission of our community in South Dakota.

We live at the western edge of the Central Time zone, so it’s not dark enough here for fireworks until after 10.

Chamberlain/ Oacoma always puts on a good show, and our house sits high atop a hill for a good view from our back yard without having to go anywhere. The drawback of the yard is that it’s been so wet here this year we have a bumper crop of mosquitoes, so inside was better for viewing.

I watched the first few explosions to get a flavor of the holiday, then crashed into bed because that was late enough for me to stay up.

Monday, July 5

Today was the business holiday on campus. Almost all our staff had the day off, so campus was very quiet. When I went to check on the summer home, I found out even they were gone for an outing.

I stopped by the school gym to try my had at free throws. So much of my shooting power comes from the legs, and at first, I shot like the NBA centers who get intentionally fouled because they can’t hit anything. It took me many tries even to get myself back to a 50/50 rate.

While I feel sharp mentally, physically I have a long way back. This morning, I tried some simple yoga I’ve done for years and found even that painful.

But, whether I rest or exercise, my foot still hurts, so I may as well go and exercise!

Tuesday, July 6

A couple from Portland, Oregon, who has been giving to the school many years, stopped by for the first time today.

They’d been to Mt. Rushmore and figured the extra 200 miles was worth it to see what they’ve been a part of. I answered their questions as best I could and showed them one of the homes where the students live.

They were grateful and satisfied and headed back west toward the sunset. I’m always grateful, too, for our wide and varied array of donors who make St. Joseph’s possible.

Heavy rains, some hail and tornado warnings filled our afternoon and evening.

Because we’re redoing the chapel roof, we had some water seeping through and had to get out the buckets to catch where it was leaking. That’s one of the calculated risks of redoing a roof, but the years have taken their toll and it needed doing. We expect the new roof to be lots more energy efficient and last for many years when it’s all done.

Wednesday, July 7

I tackled the hill today!

From our house to the office is just 2/10 of a mile, and the hill has a pretty steep grade in parts. I used to walk it all the time, but since surgery, I’ve had to drive.

Tonight after supper, I needed something from the office and decided to give it a try on foot. Down and back would normally take 10 minutes, but today it took me a half hour.

I huffed and puffed climbing back up, and I’m sore in places that are not where the nerves are hurting. But, it was a good feeling as I try to get back to tackling bigger hills and more important issues.

As people on campus and in town ask how I’m doing, I wish I could say “better every day,” but I’m stuck in the position of feeling about the same every day.

When the doctors told me 6 – 12 weeks of recovery, I optimistically believed I could whip it in six, but as that time nears, I know it’s going to take longer and have to deal with that disappointment.

But, I need to not forget to ask people how and what they are doing and listen with care and empathy.

 

Fr. Steve’s updates

Friday, July 2, 2010

Lloyd, one of our houseparents, stopped by the office to give me  Star Trek  DVD’s.  He knew I’d appreciate having something to watch during my resting times.  I’ve seen all the episodes many times, but this includes many behind the scenes shots and info. With the way my foot feels, it’s too bad Dr. McCoy couldn’t give me a quick hypo-spray and regenerate my damaged nerves.

Today I stopped by the high school summer home. The only high school students still on campus are those who are working around town this summer. Many had already checked out for the holiday weekend, but Dominic and Shay were still around.

I find the students are more talkative when alone or in small groups, and I had some good conversations with both.  Whether summer or school year, it’s important to take some of that face to face time to understand our students and their needs.

 

Fr. Steve’s updates

Monday, June 28, 2010

Our summer day camp is finished, and campus is much quieter … for a few weeks. We still have four homes open for our students who need to be here over the rest of the summer months. However, quieter in one way makes for busier and noisier in other ways.

With fewer children around, our construction and remodeling projects are moving into high gear. I went into the church basement to check on the stabilization project. They are driving pylons 60 feet down to bedrock to keep the church from shifting further – one of the disadvantages of living at the edge of a river.

We’re also shingling the church roof, which is no small project. But it’s all on track to be finished by the start of the school year.

The traffic of folks stopping by increases over summer months, and I spent some time at the museum with donors from Washington and Maryland. It is exciting when folks who’ve known about St. Joseph’s for a long time finally get to come visit. It’s sort of a pilgrimage for them. I enjoy talking and answering questions when I’m able. I’m still not walking too far, so I have to leave it to other staff to conduct the tours.

I went to the clinic for a blood draw and my levels have stabilized, so I don’t have to change the medications. I won’t need a further check for a month.

I took a 3 ½ hour nap in the afternoon, so a) my body must have needed it, and b) it makes it very hard to get anything done with the day. I’ve just had to accept the limits.

 

Fr. Steve’s updates

Sunday, June 27, 2010

The weekend was slow in one way because I slept a lot. The doctors said I would need extra rest as my body continues to heal.

Saturday night we said goodbye to Juan Carlos, our SCJ seminarian who worked at the day camp and took part in other activities this past month. After some vacation time he’ll begin his novitiate at the end of July.

We had supper at Charley’s restaurant, and there were plenty of towns folk I hadn’t seen since the surgery. My trip to the salad bar took 20 minutes as folks came up to me and got the update on how I’m doing. When we went to pay the bill, it had already been picked up, courtesy of Doc Holland, the retired physician who for many years took care of all the St. Joseph’s students and staff.

Today I did my first driving of any distance, a half hour to Lower Brule where I concelebrated the 11:00 mass. I’ve been on many prayer lists, and I got to thank the parishioners and tell them the good news that so far I’m cancer free.

Fr. Joe invited me to stay for lunch afterwards and over a bowl of chili we caught up on doings on the Indian reservations and in our SCJ province.

 

Fr. Steve’s updates

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Fr. Anthony, two of our high school girls, a houseparent and two staff from Planned Giving took off for New Jersey, where they’ll have a couple of appreciation luncheons for our donors.

I’m usually the MC at those, but I still need to get a little stronger before I start traveling.

Before the crew left I went over to the high school house to wish the girls well. Talia said she was a bit nervous, so I had her practice with me the things she planned to say.

I didn’t see Shay until just before they were ready to leave, but I sent her off with a hug and load of good wishes.

I find that our students have a lot to say about life on Indian reservations and hopes and dreams for a better future. It just takes a lot of encouragement to get them to believe in themselves and know that so many people are interested in what they have to say.

 

Fr. Steve’s updates

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I arrived home from the hospital after two days of tests and consultations.

On the cancer front, everything looks good. I don’t need any more treatments for now, and I’ll just go on their regular 3 month checkup interval for this first year.

They were very pleased with how the incision is healing up, and how things look inside after the surgery. They think they were able to get all the cancer.

The nerves in my foot are still in a lot of pain. The doctor said that will take a while to heal, several months or even as long as a year … you just never know with the nerves.

I’m on some pain meds to manage that, but the down side is the medication make me sleepy.

The doctor said I can start pushing myself – doing a little more exercise and activity every day – and try to get back to a normal routine. But, I still may need more rest for a while and have to pay attention to my body.