Serving the American Indian community

Over fifty unique American Indian nations are represented in the Twin Cities metro area. In fact, South Minneapolis has one of the densest populations of American Indians in the country. CSAF is grateful to support the people who have lived on this land for generations as well as those who were moved here throughout our country’s history.

“Our first task is to immerse ourselves in the languages and cultures of the people we minister with. Our primary cultures are Ojibwe and Dahkota/Lakota/Nakota, but it is not unusual to minister with other nations,” says Shawn Phillips, Parish Director/Pastoral Minister for the Church of Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis. “We build relationships to serve the American Indian community. Our primary task is to get to know them and learn the best ways to serve their needs. We have relationships with Indian Tribal Governments, Indian Agencies, and American Indians in the community.”

The American Indian ministry has taken to heart the words of Pope Francis’s address to the Indigenous Peoples Forum in February. The Holy Father encouraged all “to recognize the Indigenous Peoples of the whole world, with their cultures, languages, traditions and spirituality, and to respect their dignity and their rights, in the knowledge that the richness of our great human family consists precisely in its diversity.” Our world, nation, and local area have a lot to learn from the American Indian communities that live among us. Pope Francis asked us all to continue “listening to the messages of wisdom they give us. Because it is not an encyclopedic wisdom. It is the wisdom of seeing, listening to and touching daily life.”

CSAF supports the American Indian Ministry’s relationships with parishes, schools, agencies that create a bridge for these communities, some of the most marginalized communities in our society. The giving goes both ways. The team also connects with Catholic parishes, schools, and universities to teach about the Indigenous ways of loving the Earth, the history of the relationship, and the important steps needed to move forward together as one community.

The Church of Gichitwaa Kateri is a vibrant parish, caring for the same needs as other parishes in the Archdiocese. Sunday Eucharist, Sacramental preparation, and teaching of the Word are shared. Gichitwaa Kateri’s ministry is also prayer in action - reaching out to the most marginalized, those without shelter, those in poverty, working with widowed and orphaned, in health care facilities and prisons to share a broader connection with the Church.

In beautiful ways, culture and language are an integral part of the Church calendar. In the spring, sage is harvested and brought into the Liturgy. The sage, similar to an incense, takes on a symbolic role as a covering to the Tabernacle. We learn the Dahkota and Ojibwe traditional stories and discover together ways to bring them into the celebrations. 

“Being invited into the neighborhood by Ojibwe and Dahkota to aid with addiction is a great honor,” Shawn notes. “We support several recovery circles, recovery lodges (sweats), White Bison Recovery, Red Road Recovery and Medicine Wheel. We minister with Harm Reduction groups and those that provide care at encampments.”

Perhaps one of the most significant and also largest ministries of the American Indian Ministry is focused on grief. Though the parish attendance is smaller, Gichitwaa Kateri celebrates an average of two funerals a week. These funerals last for at least two days, offering loved ones with language, culture, and a Sacramental presence. 

Additionally, the American Indian Ministry supports many important community and political issues that affect the Indigenous Peoples of the area. Involvement in issues such as: racism, colonialism, intergenerational trauma, land acknowledgment, health equity, MMIP (Missing and Murdered Indigenous People), Care for Creation, Indian Child Welfare Act, American Indian Religious Freedom, and Healing from Boarding School Trauma. Staying connected to these issues allows the team to understand and provide greater resources to other parishes in the Archdiocese.

Shawn emphasized and encouraged CSAF’s outreach with these words: “If Matthew 25 speaks to you. If you want to feed the hungry, to give water to the thirsty, to shelter the homeless, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick and imprisoned, then your support of the American Indian Ministry and the Church of Gichitwaa Kateri with time, talent, and treasure is so important.”

**Special thanks to Shawn Phillips for his information in this article.