GIVING :: Red Cloud Indian School

NAMED FUNDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

Fr. Bill Pauly,S.J. Memorial Fund
[O] ur world in great need of the healing forgiveness and loving justice that Christ’s birth brings to us. Life is difficult; no doubt about that! It is also very sacred, or as I like to say, “It is hard and holy.”

Those words were written by Fr. Bill Pauly, S.J. as he described his ministry among the Lakota people. He knew first hand the hard conditions challenged many people on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He often traveled miles to comforted the dying in spartan homes, he visited the sick and injured at all hours in local hospitals and he presided at funerals too numerous to count. He knew the grief and sadness could be one’s constant companions, yet he found joy in the laughter of friends, quietly praying alone in the chapel, running up Manderson Road before the sun was too high in the sky and seeing the face of God in the many people he served. And he brought joy to others with his distinctive laugh and comforting presence. Fr. Bill arrived at Red Cloud in 1989 after serving at Marquette University and St. Patrick’s Church in Milwaukee. For the next 17 years, Fr. Bill did parish ministry and became a well-known and much beloved pastor. His Lakota name Wacin Yanpi—They Depend on Him—shows the love and respect the Lakota people felt for him. While on a much deserved year of renewal at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL he died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 59. His death sent shock waves through the communities on the Pine Ridge Reservation and to his many friends across the country. In his honor the Fr. Bill Pauly, S,J. Memorial Fund has been established to help support the Red Cloud Indian School parishes and schools. Fr. Bill dedicated his life to both of these efforts.

Fr. Bill McKenney Memorial Endowment Fund
“To set our eyes on the future is to be stronger and strive for excellence in all ministries across the Reservation.”

Fr. Bill McKenney, S.J. will long be remembered for his energy, leadership, determination and hearty laugh, that so impacted life at Red Cloud Indian School. Through his work, he knew the importance of education for the children of the Pine Ridge Reservation and for the future of the Lakota people. He took much pride in the fact that Red Cloud Indian School gave its students a strong foundation in education and he never tired in his desire to constantly pursue the improvement of the educational experience of the students. He always questioned, “What more can we do,” to improve the academic, co-curricular and athletic experience of the Red Cloud students. Fr. Bill was instrumental in the rebuilding of the Holy Rosary Church following the devastating fire in 1996. In addition, he worked tirelessly to gather the resources to renovate the Heritage Center and reestablish the pre-school, Kindergarten Montessori classrooms and repair other fire damaged areas. While at Red Cloud he served as a high school teacher, youth minister and was President from 1995 until his untimely death on January 30, 1998 at the young age of 39. Fr. Bill was honored with a Lakota name, Oyate Waste Kilapi—Beloved of the People. In his memory the Fr. Bill McKenney Memorial Endowment Fund was established and continues to provide on-going support for Red Cloud Indian School.

Br. C.M. Simon, S.J. Memorial Endowment Fund
“Br. Simon was the sort of people that one is truly blessed to know, because no matter how far one travels and how many people one meets, there is no one quite like him.”

Well-known for his long beard, culinary skills and quick wit, Br. Simon was instrumental in organizing the Red Cloud Indian Art Show. With his vision and self taught expertise, the Red Cloud Art Show has grown to be one of the premier Native American art shows in the country. The celebration of the 40th Annual Art Show this year was bittersweet due to the unexpected death of Br. Simon on July 14 of last year. Arriving at Red Cloud in 1964 to work in the Business Office, Br. Simon spent the rest of his life here. He quickly became interested in the Native American traditional and fine arts and the culture and history of the Lakota people. As the years passed, he learned more and more about the beauty seen through Lakota eyes. From 1982 until his death, he devoted all of his considerable talent and energy to building up both The Heritage Center and the Art Show. He helped many Native American artists gain recognition and was sought after for his well known expertise on the history of the Lakota people, Catholic missionary activities among the Lakota, and contemporary Native American art. Born on November 23, 1936, he had been a Jesuit brother for 47 years at the time of his death at the age of 69. The Br. C.M. Simon, S.J. Memorial Endowment Fund was established in his honor for the benefit of The Heritage Center.