What does your job entail?
I coordinate outreach for all six Catholic churches across the reservation. I help coordinate clothing, food, hygiene and all other social ministries across the churches; I also schedule and coordinate the wake and funeral ministry across the reservation.

What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is the “thank yous” I receive as a minster, whether that be when I am helping the homeless or praying with a grieving family, I appreciate each and every thank you.

What is one of the challenges you’re facing right now?
There are a lot of challenges in my ministry; I deal with a lot of violence in our communities because of the drug and alcohol abuse that is prevalent on our reservation, so you encounter a lot of neglect and abused individuals. I work really hard on trying to find the resources for anyone that I encounter. I try and pray with them and always try to show them compassion because I know I might be encountering Jesus, himself.

Every day is a challenge on our reservation, there is always a death, there is always a crisis and there is always tragedy, but one thing about our people is that there is a lot of resilience, and we can find humor even amongst the darkness of the world. Somehow through the grief we learn to stand together and pray together to make it to the next thing.

We are a culture of constant grief, and in this overwhelming grief, we have to find these little bits of light, the little shimmer of beauty in this world as Lakota people, simply because we have nothing else to hold onto. There are so many grieving parents, so many grieving people, that it is impossible to ever try and completely heal that wound, so all we have left is prayer.

What are some of the lights and shadows you’ve experienced as a woman working in partnership with a men’s religious order?
The light that has shone on me is Ignatian spirituality because I really enjoy praying like the Jesuits and with the Jesuits, simply because it is similar to Lakota spirituality and helps me stay connected to the Lakota traditions and rituals.

The light of the Jesuits has helped me through some of the darkest times of my life. Somehow, I have always encountered the right Jesuit at the right time, and I was blessed by each and every one of their relationships throughout the years. I cannot even count the number of ways that the Jesuits have impacted my life, both in my recovery of addiction and all my health issues, the Jesuits have been there for me and prayed for me, and I really believe that I would not be here in my ministry without them.

Some of the darkness I’ve encountered has come in the form of male dominance in this field. In Lakota culture women are the leaders, so it is a challenge to work with Jesuits that come from a patriarchal society because Lakota women are strong, passionate and very opinionated, so it can be hard, and we can clash when we are expected to stay quiet.

How does Ignatian spirituality shape your approach to work?
It shapes the entirety of my work because I live my profession — this is not just a job, it is my lifestyle. I try and look at the world from a Ignatian/Lakota perspective of seeing God in all things, and approaching all people like they are Jesus himself. You can easily get overwhelmed by ministry on the Pine Ridge Reservation, so it is important to stay humble and compassionate.

Our life expectancy here is not long, and I can attest to that being in the funeral ministry, because I do bury more young than old, so I know the impact of a higher power in your life. You need to create Christ’s love in the midst of your dark reality, and I really hope I can create some kind of light for my people. I try and be an example of Christ’s generosity and love and help my people through times that are usually very tragic and difficult. I have not escaped the reality of shortened lives; I lost my son in July of 2024 in a tragic car accident, so I know how the sorrow and heartache of losing a child, a young life. I just want to help people through our grief and help them pray through our broken hearts.

What’s one of your favorite quotes about leadership or the best leadership advice you’ve ever received?
There are two quotes that I live my life by; the first is in St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “Without love, I am nothing,” and the other is the end of a prayer written by Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk, a holy man and catechist among Native Nations of the northern plains. He wrote, “Tunkasila (God, the Father) without you, I am nothing.”

Both of these quotes shape my everyday outlook on life, seeing as we as Lakota people have a short life span, we must embrace and appreciate the love around us. That the only thing Tunkasila (God) wants us to do is love one another. I carry that in my heart and in my ministry. It is not my duty to ask why someone is where they are, I just want to help them along their journey and hopefully bring the light of Christ into my people’s lives and show them with love anything is possible.