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Short History |
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The Tekakwitha Missionary Conference began in Fargo in 1939 as a forum for the Plains States Catholic Missionary clergy. It has grown, with a name change, to be the national organization for all Native American Catholics. The Reverend Sylvester Eisenman, of the Order of St. Benedict, was a spectacularly innovative Monk from the Abbey of St. Meinrad in Indiana. He had been sent July 15, 1916, to the Fort Totten Reservation. Fort Totten, and Crow Creek were too small for his energy. His zeal mirrored the zeal of Abbot Martin Marty, the first Monk in Dakota Territory. Father Sylvester, through the persistence of three Yankton Tribal Elders, was allowed by his Abbot to move from Crow Creek to the Yankton Reservation. “In their desperate wish for a resident Missionary the Tribe sent a delegation to Father Sylvester at Stephan stating they were going to Indiana to plead with his Abbot to leave them their Missionary. Thunder Horse, Yellow Bird and Black Spotted Horse set out…Abbot Athanasius, in order to soften the disappointment of a negative answer, told the three he would need time to consider. The Sioux said, ‘Good, when you come to an answer, let us know.’ They would not be hard to contact, as they pitched their tent on the lawn immediately in front of the Abbey church and waited. “Later they were permitted to address the assembled priests and student in the music hall, where they eloquently pleaded for the reassignment of Father Sylvester to St. Paul’s. The students applauded, and the Abbot finally relented.” (1) Father Sylvester was, more than anything else, a barterer in ideas. He traveled frequently, listening to other men and sharing his experience with younger Missionary Monks. In North Dakota, after visiting with the Missionaries at St. Ann’s (Turtle Mountain Reservation) and at St. Michael’s (Fort Totten Reservation), he found that the Diocese of Fargo was preparing in 1939 to celebrate its first fifty years of service. At the Catholic Chancery he proposed to Bishop Aloysius Muench that as part of the celebration there be a gathering for the clergy from the reservations. Bishop Muench set the date and the place for the Conference and asked Father Sylvester to arrange the agenda and to chair the discussions. (2) On October 4th, 1939, 24 clergy from 3 religious orders in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota assembled in the crypt of the Cathedral in Fargo. With them at this opening session of the Conference were Bishop Muench, Abbot Alcuin Deutch of St. John Abbey, Collegeville and Abbot Ignatius Esser of St. Meinrad Abbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana. The names of the Missionaries were:
To provide a visual focus three adult church leaders, Frank Grey Horn, James Alex and Joseph Jackson, from the Fort Totten Reservation sat in the meeting and took part in the liturgy a the Conference closing. The life of the Conference had begun. The second meeting of the Conference was held in the Knights of Columbus hall in Jamestown, ND, October 15, 1940. Ten Benedictine Priests were present, along with the Chancellor of the Diocese of Fargo and the Provincial of the Sacred Heart Fathers. The Sacred Heart Fathers were newcomers to the United States and served on two of the South Dakota Reservations. It was at this meeting that Father Justin Snyder, OSB, proposed putting the conference under the guidance and protection of Kateri Tekakwitha. Kateri Tekakwitha was a young Mohawk girl, born in 1656; her mother was Algonquin. When Kateri was four years old, an uncle adopted her, after she lost her father, mother and brother to small pox. The disease left her badly disfigured and with impaired vision. At the age of twenty she was baptized a Catholic and during the next, and last, four years of her life showed outstanding virtue and zeal in serving her People. She died April 17, 1680. On January 3, 1943, Pope Pius XII declared her Venerable. Pope John Paul II beatified her on June 22, 1980. The choice of Kateri as guiding light to the Conference has raised Kateri to national prominence. Kateri Prayer Circles have been formed on nearly all the Reservations and in many Indian urban centers. (3) During the war years the Conference struggled for its existence. The necessity of the conference, though, was evident. There was little communication between men and women so busy at their own Mission stations, and Benedictines particularly, following their tradition of community consultation, looked forward to the short time together each Fall. From time to time during the war years, on account of gasoline and tire rationing, the number of attendants fell to a dozen or less. In the early years the mere existence of the Conference raised fears in some quarters that it might be a forum for criticism of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions. From the Bureau came a great part of the funding for some Catholic Reservation schools, and the Staff of those schools did not attend the meetings, lest they jeopardize their support from Washington. However, men like Fr. Paul McHarness, OSB, through personal direction and correspondence, kept the spirit strong. Benedictines have a long history of Missionary action. In Europe their Monasteries, centers of health and education, dotted every Nation and Province. At the fourteenth centennial of the death of St. Benedict, March 21, 1947, Pope Pius XII called Benedict “The Father of Europe”. (4) Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, German author, said of Benedictines, “They are the saviors of western civilization”. (Interview, January, 1997) (5) American Benedictines, led by Abbot Martin Marty, gave careful attention to the instruction of the 1659 Vatican Document to Missionaries in China. It reads in part: “Do not regard it as your task, and do not bring any pressure to bear on any peoples, to change their manners, customs and usages, unless they are evidently contrary to religion and sound morals. “What could be more absurd than to transplant France, Spain, Italy or some other European Country to China? Do not draw invidious contrasts between the customs of the native peoples and those of Europe; do your utmost to adapt yourselves to them.” (6) And so, the conversation between the Missionaries gathered in Fargo was centered on personal adaptation and service to local cultures. In the 1940’s and 50’s the Conference moved from reservation to reservation, from mission to mission. The cost was minimal, and the hospitality was genuinely brotherly and pastoral. World War II presented hardships for the Missionaries and their travel. Benedictine fraternity and the desire to see one another kept the brothers and fathers interested in the few days of togetherness. In some meetings there was marked tension between the so-called “school men”, the administrators and teachers, and the “field men”, the home visitors and pastors. The tension is not accurately reflected in the minutes. Each side had a distinct anthropology and theology, unfortunately not recorded. I name the difference as a difference between the heart and the mind, between the pastoral and the professional. Perhaps this is my bias. I was never in the schools. In 1952 the recurrent themes of the Conference were gathered by Father Daniel Madlon, OSB, and kept for reference: assimilation, language, comparison of boarding schools with day schools, dialogue (if may be called that) between “field men” and “school men”, selection of lay coworkers, home conditions, vacation schools, the native men and women societies, adult discussion groups. (7) There were and are today marked advances in the genesis of the Conference. At its beginning the Conference was solely for clergy. In 1967 at Blue Cloud Abbey Rev. Stanislaus Maudlin, OSB was Chairman. On account of the contributions of our sisters, especially Sister Inez Hilger, OSB, in anthropology and in the new science of missionology, Sisters from Benedictine houses were invited. Since then, and in growing numbers, Indian Sisters from other Catholic Orders are prominent in the leadership. In the same year, 1967, the American Indian Culture Research Center (AICRC) was founded at Blue Cloud Abbey. The Center was established as a place into which the common wisdom of the Missionaries might be gathered and from which their wisdom might be dispensed. The two purposes of the Center are 1) to assist elected Indian leaders to gain control over the agencies and influences that are shaping their lives. This goal was easily attained. The leaders needed only a forum for self-expression. The Indian Mystique Conference in 1968 hosted by the University of South Dakota, Vermillion and arranged by the American Indian Culture Research Center and the South Dakota Association of Christian Churches gave the leaders a prominence never before matched. A year later, 1969/1970, the Center was a sponsor for the Summer Program in Cultural Enrichment (SPICE) Program at South Dakota State University. Dr. Jack Marken oversaw this program and offered a forum for outstanding, but as yet unknown, Indian scholars to speak at a University level. (8) The second goal of the AICRC is 2) to teach the non-Indian public to respect the world-view, the philosophy of life, the spirituality of Native Peoples. This goal has not been reached. The work is quietly going on through print publishing, color slide photography, slide shows, radio, video and Internet. In 1968 the Conference was hosted at St. Joseph School, Chamberlain, SD. Father George Pinger, SCJ, was the planner and the chairman for the year. He was careful to assure the presence of the two South Dakota Catholic Bishops, Bishop Lambert Hoch of Sioux Falls and Bishop Harold Dimmerling of Rapid City. Local Indian laymen and women were invited. The face of the Conference was changing. In both 1977 and 1978 the Benedictine Sisters, St. Martin Monastery, Rapid City, SD hosted the Conference. The Conference was becoming more professional, and the need was seen for a permanent Director and a permanent office with Staff. A three member Advisory Board was formed. Sister Genevieve Cuny, OSF, of Pine Ridge, SD, and Francis Hairy Chin of Fort Yates, ND, were joined with Father Gilbert Hemauer, OFM Cap, who was the first full-time director. Under Father Gilbert the old suspicions about the Conference (see above) were allayed. With the cooperation of the new Director of the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, Monsignor Paul Lenz, the Conference was integrated with the Bureau. The main office of the Conference was at the Bureau and it was funded almost totally by the Bureau. The Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, SD hosted the annual Conference in 1979. The Monastery and Conference were joined in dramatically shaping the emergence of Native prominence in the Catholic Church. Sacred Heart Monastery was the first home of the first Benedictine Monk in Dakota Territory, Abbot Martin Marty. At this place, Native People fist spoke up with dignity to their priests. At all earlier meetings, Bishops had been invited, but the Bishops had not found room on their calendars. The Tekakwitha Conference was a small gathering and not very influential. At Sacred Heart Monastery, however, four Bishops were present: Bishop Paul Dudley of Sioux Falls, Bishop Harold Dimmerling of Rapid City, Bishop William Connare of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, representing Cardinal Krol, and Bishop Thomas J. Murphy of Great Falls. For the first time, at the invitation of the Board of Directors, a large crowd of men and women from the Reservations was present. The next paragraphs are my personal and vivid recollections. At the back of the auditorium of Mount Marty College I stood with a Bea Swanson from the White Earth Reservation. Let her always be remembered. Bea spoke quietly to me, “is it possible for me to say something?” I said, “Of course. I’ll get Bishop Dudley to call on you.” A momentous change in the Tekakwitha Conference was about to come. The Church from the Reservation was about to give direction to the clergy who serve them. Bea walked slowly to the front. She stood shy and trembling, but resolute. “Bishops, you are so nice.” They smiled. “You always say such nice things.” They beamed. “But you always say the same things.” There was stillness. Humble men, the Bishops listened. “Can we Indians talk to you ourselves? You say you are our pastors. Can we just be alone with you? Can the priests and sisters go out? We have something to say to you by ourselves.” To understand what has followed in the almost twenty years since 1979, it is best to hear the report that came from the Circle of 66, as they were called. It is to be noted: their report is called “Expressed Concerns”. The Concerns were not couched in words of demand. How prescient were the people who spoke and who wrote out their concerns! THE EXPRESSED NATIVE AMERICAN CONCERNS While many expressed regret that so few bishops were present, considering the fact that all those with Indian populations in their Dioceses had been invited, all expressed gratitude for those who were present. The Indian People invite, need and will welcome their bishops to be present and to share in their lives, celebrations and activities, and most especially they need you to be their shepherds. Many felt that a number of the priests are not available for wakes, funerals and important Indian gatherings, both urban and reservation. They would appreciate your support and encouragement of Native American missionary personnel. After many centuries the greatest need still exists: a native clergy. The people are concerned that priests, deacons, deaconesses, brothers, laymen and women come into fuller prominence among their own people. They feel that the Bishops must consider: 1)
New ways of training missionaries that are more appropriate for
Indian People. OTHER GENERAL AREAS NEEDING ATTENTION The people also felt that evangelization is mutual—not only does the Universal Church give to Indian People, but Indian People give much to the Universal Church. Indian views and wisdom should be solicited. Much healing is needed among the Indian People. Indians must open their hearts and now allow prejudice and bitterness to stop them from responding to the Holy Spirit. Urban Indians often feel lost with no Church that especially includes Indians. Coming together with other Indians is very important in the city. Meetings like the Tekakwitha Conference reveal a great strength and unity among the people. They want to foster this. Indians tend to dwell in the past. Together we want to go forward. Special problems or concerns: alcohol, family, youth, dealing with red tape in the Church, and the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha. The people want to support each other, and these meetings promote inter-tribal communication. Signed: Circle of 66 (9) After 1979, and after the Expression of Concerns noted above, the Conference took on fresh energy. (10) In 1980, Bishop Thomas Joseph Murphy of Great Falls, Montana, offered a substantial building for the permanent offices of the Conference. The building is still used by the Conference.
“I have greatly looked forward to visit with you, the original peoples of this vast country. I thank you for inviting me to be with you and for sharing with me some aspects of your rich and ancient culture…As your representative spoke, I traced in my heart the history of your tribes and nations…Here your forbears worshipped the Creator and thanked Him for His gifts. In contact with the forces of nature they learned the value of prayer, of silence and fasting, of patience and courage in the face of pain and disappointment…Unfortunately (in coming to your land) not all members of our Church lived up to their Christian responsibilities. But let us not dwell excessively on mistakes and wrongs, even as we commit ourselves to overcoming their present effects…I encourage you, as Native People…to preserve and keep alive your cultures, your languages, the values and customs which have served you well in the past and which provide a solid foundation for the future. These things benefit not only yourselves but the entire human family.” Surely the Conference had come of age, when the Universal Father came to sit with and talk and listen to the gathered adult Church of a New World. Two years later in 1989, the Conference had reached its diamond jubilee. Once more, the site was Fargo, North Dakota. The keynote speaker of the Conference was Francis Cardinal Arinze, the head of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue at the Vatican. Cardinal Arinze, a native of Africa, cheered the spirits of North American Natives by his reflection on his own traditional native roots. He opened his address: “One of the major objectives of the Tekakwitha Conference is attention to the religious and spiritual traditions and values of the Native American cultures, I wish to propose to you some reflections on the following points: 1) Importance of the cultural roots of a People. 2) Bringing the Gospel to a People in their culture. 3) Traditional Religions and the importance of pastoral attention to them. 4) Dialogue in the Church and study of local circumstances. 5) Some key doctrinal points. 6) Looking toward the future. “The Creator has walked with you and your ancestors along the centuries. You are richly gifted in your traditions, history, customs, sacred ways and cultures. Your collective historical consciousness merits respect and credibility. “Pope Paul VI emphasizes that culture and the Good News of Jesus Christ must meet: ‘Fidelity both to the message whose servants we are, and to the people to whom we must transmit it living and intact, is the central axis of evangelization.’” <Evangelii Nuntiandi, n.4> “If in any particular area of the world there has not been adequate attention paid to the people’s culture in the work of evangelization, this is not due to lack of proper official directives from the Church, but due to failure to follow these instructions.” (11) The anniversary crowd heard in those words the plea of Bea Swanson ten years earlier, “Bishops and priests and sisters, listen to us.” At the close of the Fargo Conference the first non-clergyman was chosen to be Administrator/Director of the Conference, Fred Buckles, an Assiniboin. Under Mr. Buckles and other Directors following him, the Conference has enlarged its scope and touches all Indian Nations. In conclusion and in Dakota we salute you: Mitakuye Owasin. We are all relatives. July 24, 1998 1. Black Robe for the Yankton Sioux, Fr. Sylvester Eisenman, OSB 2. AICRC Archives, Center for Western Studies, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD 3. Kateri Tekakwitha, Mystic of the Wilderness by Margaret R. Bunson, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Indiana 4. Sermon at Fourteenth Centennial, St. Paul’s, Rome 5. The Tablet (magazine), London, April 19, 1997 6. History of Christian Missions by Stephen Neill, p. 179 7. AICRC Archives 8. Collection of Papers, South Dakota Historical Society 9. AICRC Archives 10. Tekakwitha Conference Center, PO Box 6768, Great Falls, MT 11. Tekakwitha Conference Center |
