Bleary Eyes, First Communion, Orientation

We arrived in Great Falls at around 9:45 Mountain time and got our rental vehicle, luggage and some groceries. Our travel had already spanned 5 hours by plane, but we still had to drive the better part of 2 hours to the Holy Family Mission. We arrived at the Bunkhouse at 1:00 am Local time and there was a renewed excitement after they all took a catnap on the way up. We settled in and despite the long day the boy’s energy level was pretty high. It took them a couple of hours to settle in, but Mr. Ott and I went to sleep and left them to talk, snack and wind down.

The morning went pretty well, despite the short sleep they all were up and moving in time to clean up, eat and make Mass at 10:30 am. Mass at Little Flower is always an experience. It is very social and there is always activity with people coming and going. This year we had a new priest Fr. Joe who is working with the Pastor Fr. Ed. He has the same gift of giving a Homily as Fr. Ed. Along with Mass we also had the opportunity to witness the first communion of several members of the Parish. Seeing the thriving parish in action was moving and the level of participation is in stark contrast to what our boys traditionally see in their own parishes and churches.

Following Mass we headed over to one of the two chain restaurants in town, Subway for a quick bite to eat. The one side note is that it is colder up here than at any time I can remember during the previous 7 trips. I leverage that against that it is not at windy, but still cold (35 degrees). Considering that it is May and 2 weeks later than we usually come I think everyone was shocked. We saw snow on the ground in some places and on some of the cars that have been sitting over the weekend.

After Lunch we headed in to the school and met the Immersion Coordinator Jon Ficaro, who gave the first part of the orientation to prepare the boys for their week of service here. Learning about the culture, traditions and history of the Blackfeet is the first step of this orientation. Understanding things like the Buffalo Jumps, Sweat Lodges, Matriarchal society, Tribal Bundles and Medicine Lodges are just some of the things they learned about.

The brief history and cultural lesson transitioned to a tour of the school and then a session on the expectations by Mrs. Ficaro and CBC Alum Michael Hairsine. The importance of consistency, boundaries and being genuine with the students was a major theme of the session. How the school day runs and the organization of the school and a discussion with our students on the tasks they will be doing throughout the week.