“Starting Palm Sunday, the church is telling us that these are the eight days that changed your life. Your life was redeemed by Jesus Christ and transformed,” said Dr. Tim Gray, guest speaker at the Palm Sunday Brunch sponsored by Catholic Social Services...
Keynote speaker Dr. Tim Gray, one time employee of the Diocese of Rapid City and now President of the Augustine Institute, is a well known Catholic speaker and author...
As we enter into the season of Lent, we are invited to fast, pray and give alms. Through these actions we set ourselves aside for the sake of God and others...
Diana Redden is an Uplifting Parents participant who emigrated from Ghana 10 years ago. She hadn’t been back to Ghana since moving to America, but returned this summer to care for her ailing mother. Her family in Ghana will meet her 8-year-old son, Denzel, for the first time...
Memorial gifts for Sr. Marmion Howe, OSB, one of the first executive directors of Catholic Social Services who died Nov. 26, 2020 at the age of 100, will benefit Catholic Social Services.
People unable to pay their bills. Grandparents suddenly asked to provide childcare for grandchildren. Parents wondering how they would pay this month’s rent. Families struggling to put food on the table.
They all found a little help and hope amid the Covid-19 pandemic at Catholic Social Services from the CSS Covid-19 Response Fund, which provides up to $250 per household for emergency needs.
Per·se·ver·ance: noun Persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Tenacity. Determination. Resolve. Resolution. Dedication. Endurance. Commitment. You could add Anna Castillo’s name to that dictionary definition.
I grew up in a big family with three siblings and over twenty cousins. I was very blessed to have two parents who loved each other and each of their children. They were positive role models that I wanted to be like for my own children one day.
Monae Johnson has been parenting children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder for the past 16 years, but the FASD Parenting 101 class at Catholic Social Services she attended recently was still a great reminder that there’s always something new to learn, or relearn, about FASD and its many challenges.
Lakota Circles of Hope Partners with Rural American Initiatives
Lakota Circles of Hope prevention curriculum is now being offered to students in Rapid City middle schools thanks to a partnership between Catholic Social Services (CSS) and Rural America Initiatives (RAI). Ateyape Wicozani, a RAI program, staff received training in December and have begun offering LCH to students in the Rapid City Middle Schools, grades 6-8 in their after school program.
CSS Staff and Volunteers attend Catholic Charities USA Disaster Training Workshop in Colorado Springs in December
Staff and volunteers of CSS were able to attend a national disaster response conference due to a recent grant from Catholic Charities USA. The Applied Institute for Disaster Excellence (AIDE) conference is a “by the network, for the network” training that strengthens local disaster response capacity. Attendees come away with best practices and new relationships that serve as a critical asset at a time of a disaster event. In addition to the core training, peer-to-peer networking opportunities and daily liturgy, attendees had the opportunity to go the sites of previous disasters and witness the impact as well as recovery measures made post-disaster.
CSS Staff and Volunteers helped with disaster relief in Oglala in November and December
The weather cooperated with sunshine and 60-degree temperatures on Nov. 20 and Dec. 11 as a teams of Catholic Social Services volunteers repaired Wilma Blacksmith’s mobile home and several others that were damaged in a Pine Ridge Reservation hailstorm last summer.
CSS Staff and Volunteers help with disaster relief in Oglala
The weather cooperated with sunshine and 60-degree temperatures on Nov. 20 as a team of Catholic Social Services volunteers repaired Wilma Blacksmith’s mobile home and two others that were damaged in a Pine Ridge Reservation hailstorm last summer.
Founder’s Award honoree Mayor Barnett recalls Msgr. O’Connell’s wisdom
In 1971 a 28-year old man became the youngest mayor of Rapid City. His two terms were pressure packed times of natural disaster and civil unrest. Catholic Social Services chose to award former Mayor Don Barnett with the Msgr. William O’Connell Founder’s Award for his work following the 1972 flood and the 1973 American Indian Movement demonstrations on Main St.
The Prosperity Initiative is helping students at the Career Learning Center of the Black Hills achieve amazing educational outcomes, according to the South Dakota Association for Lifelong Learning.
Imagine coming home to discover that your child, perhaps a 12-year-old daughter or a 16-year-old son, has taken their own life. I can’t imagine such an experience. But too many parents in communities across South Dakota have experienced this tragedy. Many priests and ministers serving in our communities agonize over the number of funerals resulting from suicide.
Catholic Social Services Responds to Bishop’s Challenge
The South Dakota Legislature has a new mandate regarding suicide prevention efforts (SB 129) for all SD School Districts. Effective July 1, 2017, all teachers, administrators and other educational professionals must have suicide prevention training. This training must be a minimum of one hour of suicide awareness and prevention.