Every timber, every element of the new chapel at the Sioux Spiritual Center is instilled with a wonderful energy of coming together in this special way. Windows facing east, west, north, and south are etched
with images depicting Lakota concepts of the spirit world, drawn by artist Martin Red Bear of Rapid City and etched into the glass by Beth Ann Ferly, of Phillip, a small community southeast of the Center. In our
wildest dreams, we could not have asked for more spectacular results. On the Southwest wall hangs a tanned buffalo robe depicting the circle of life and hand-painted by Sonja Holy Eagle of the Dakota Drum Company, in Rapid City. On the northwest wall hangs the Lakota Christ crucified, a breathtaking carving by Charles Rencountre of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is originally from Rapid City, where his parents are
members of St. Isaac Jogues, a Lakota parish. Charles tells a heartrending story about how carving the crucifix changed his life completely. He was able to stop drinking. Moreover, before starting the
project he was unable to reconcile his Native spirituality with his Catholic faith. Now he feels there is no other way to worship.

The granite for our altar was donated by Ruth Ziolkowski, the widow of the artist who designed and started carving the Crazy Horse Monument, a Mount Rushmore scaled project in the Black Hills. Chuck
Rausch, of Rapid City, polished and carved the stone, doing the work for practically nothing, and donating completely the work he did on the holy water font. On the south wall hang two star quilts.

The Lakota endured many cultural changes during the 19th century, during which we were forced to abandon our nomadic, warrior, hunter-gatherer lifestyle and were restricted to reservations. Isolated from the rest of the nation, we became dependent on federal handouts and
even the sad determination by the Catholic Church that our religious
practices were demonic. Thankfully, all that has changed, and now we’re able to incorporate different aspects of our culture into our faith life, hence, the buffalo robe, the star quilts, and the drum that occupies a special place in front of the altar. To the Lakota, the star represents knowledge. The Morning Star symbolizes new beginnings or a new dawn. The circle of color within the star quilt represents the unity of the Oyate.