NEWS :: Red Cloud Indian School

Parish News: Pine Ridge Reservation parishes bid farewell to priest, youth ministers
by Shannon Grooms, Our Lady of the Sioux Church
posted on June 03, 2009

Red Cloud Indian School will bid a fond, bittersweet farewell to three staff members who have played an important role in enriching the lives of young Lakota men and women on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Fr. Pat Burns, Erin Anderson and Clementine “Minnie” Bordeaux will be leaving the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation this summer to embark on future endeavors.

Fr. Burns has been at Red Cloud for the past 10 years, where he has ministered in the parishes and served in a number of capacities at the school, including the vice president of finance and assistant vice president of advancement. A member of the Wisconsin Province of Jesuits, Fr. Burns has been called back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to take on a new assignment with the Jesuits.

Anderson, a volunteer at Red Cloud, has also served various roles, from a teacher’s aid in kindergarten to a religious education teacher and a youth minister at Our Lady of the Sioux Parish in Oglala. She will begin graduate school this fall at Princeton University in New Jersey.

Lastly, after two years on the reservation, Bordeaux will be leaving Red Cloud to further her studies as well. As the youth ministry coordinator, she was also stationed at Our Lady of the Sioux, developing and implementing a number of activities for parishioners.

“Erin and Minnie were available to help whenever needed,” says Sr. Connie Schmidt, pastoral coordinator at Red Cloud. “They had a remarkable way of connecting with the youth of our parishes, and we’ll miss them deeply.”

“We are grateful to these three ministers of faith—and all of those who continue to carry out the mission of our institution,” says Fr. Peter Klink SJ, president. “They will be deeply missed.” Youth ministry positions are currently available.

To express interest in a position at Our Lady of the Sioux, please contact Sr. Schmidt at 605/867-5673.

Shannon Grooms is a member of Our Lady of the Sioux Church. She taught Religion at Red Cloud Elementary School for four years until the birth of ther daughter. Shannon, her husband, and her daughter live on a ranch nine miles north of Oglala, SD.

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