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Jesuit Journeys
Winter 2000
Making a comeback
New hall renews
hope,life in Oglala |
 With the new Brother Denny Hall open and nearing completion, rebuilding is well under way at Our Lady of the Sioux Parish where the Oglala community continues to regroup following last June's devastating tornado.
Parishioners lined the walls and stood in doorways of the humble pole barn structure as Fr. Tom Simonds, SJ, of Red Cloud High School, presided at the first Sunday Mass celebrated in the new building.
Traditional hymns were sung in the Lakota language. Peace and hope abounded among the faithful. Strength and renewal sounded in their voices. Past this threshold, finally the members of Our Lady of the Sioux Parish could say, "Pimalaya pelo, Wakan Tanka" - "Thank you, God, for all you have done for us."
While God has done much, a great deal remains to do. The rebuilding project is in its infancy, and the parish is just beginning to crawl to its collective feet.
"It seems that everything we've been doing since June has been in response to the tornado. Now, with this building completed, we can begin to resume some of our more normal routines," said Sr. Julie Brockamp, SSND.
The tornado completely demolished the church and two other buildings that comprised the Oglala community parish. Since then, parishioners, administrators, religious and contractors have met regularly to determine what design improvements should be considered for a new parish church, a residence for the sisters, and a new Brother Rene Hall.
"Based on our experiences with the old buildings, we can improve on what was working and add features we felt were missing before," said Fr. Peter Klink, President of Red Cloud Indian School. Fr. Klink and his staff are assisting efforts to raise the $3 million needed to rebuild the parish.
MAC Construction of Rapid City, South Dakota, general contractor for the project building, is currently working with an architect on site development studies. |
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 If you would like to help rebuild Our Lady of the Sioux Parish, please make your check payable to the parish and send it to: Red Cloud Indian School, Holy Rosary Mission, Pine Ridge, SD 57770. |
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