Browning, Day 5, De La Salle, March 14, 2025
Today was our final day with the De La Sale Blackfeet school. Throughout this week I had the pleasure of being with the Little Flower Academy, the 4th and 5th grade classes combined and the youngest age group in the school. This experience has been amazing. These kids are amazing. One of the most remarkable things to me was the ease and freedom with which they are able to be children. Earlier this week we learned from one of our speakers how one part of the Blackfeet culture is this ease with which they are able to acknowledge the unpretty and mournful realities. They have a natural and cultural inclination to share with one another in their mourning and suffering as opposed to hiding it from another, and just within one week I have been able to see the ways in which this makes many of them a people who are easy in openness to relationship and easy in giving their love. And so I think despite all of the compounded trauma and adverse childhood experiences these kids have inherited, they are so resilient and kind and childlike at least in part due to this part of their culture. I was blown away by their love, their joy, and their strength in the classroom to struggle to learn new things.
One particular joy from today was just in saying our goodbyes to the kids. One of them gave me a goodbye note today in the morning, saying I wasn’t allowed to open it until later. She had given it to me while in the middle of a giant game of Sharks and Minnows with the 8th graders so I couldn’t understand when “later” was, but it worked out alright. When we did leave that afternoon and began taking pictures and giving our hugs and saying goodbyes, she gave me a hug and then said ever so quietly that I could open the note now. She had thanked me for helping with math, “the other things,” and wished us save travels back to college. All of my goodbyes were every bit as precious and surprising in how much the kids already cared for us. It is a remarkable touch of the hand of God in this community to have so many wonderful kids who truly get to be kids, and who get to embody the love the Creator has for His children.
Macie Frans
Senior, Carroll College
Browning, day 4, De La Salle Blackfeet School, March 13, 2025
Josie Gale Caritas Reflection Thursday, March 13, 2025 (Day 4)
Throughout the immersion experience, I have been working primarily with the 8th grade class. So far, we have had three full days with the students in the De La Salle Blackfeet School, and today was our last full school day with them. Today’s schedule looked a little bit different because Mass was incorporated into the school schedule, and the 8th graders were leading Mass. It was so wonderful to watch the students in the class I have been working with proclaim the word of God and lead the school through this beautiful sacrament. This was very nostalgic for me since my middle school would do the same thing in terms of having different classes lead Mass each week.
Within the 8th grade class, I have loved being able to work in small groups and one-on-one with students to complete missing work or provide more hands-on help for students struggling in a specific area of study. Through this, I have been able to learn a lot about the students. Earlier this week, I was working with a very shy student on math and all of a sudden she turns to me and this fountain of information started coming out of her mouth about the types of music she likes. I was both intrigued and excited at the same time that she felt compelled to share her interests with me, and it turns out that we have a lot in common when it comes to genres, songs, and bands that we like. In working with another student very little, I joined her for the chess enrichment activity and she began opening up to me about her family life and how close she is with her dad. I felt so blessed that this student, after knowing me for only a couple of days, was comfortable opening up to me in that way. Another student, very very shy and soft-spoken, when he speaks at all, has started coming out of his shell during my individual work with him. It is beautiful watching him be confident in the work that he is doing and the growth I have seen in just two days. Yesterday, when I first started working with him, it was difficult to get just a one word answer out of him, but now today, still with a little resistance and hesitation (but not nearly as much as yesterday), he makes eye contact, answers with confidence, and smiles.
I have also thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the teachers in the school. Specifically, with Mrs. Armstrong. She has been at De La Salle for a few years and teaches 8th grade homeroom, 8th grade ELA and Social Studies, and 7th grade ELA and Social Studies. I remember earlier in the week the two of us having a casual conversation during a break between classes and she opened up to me about two extreme losses she has experienced within the past month. She told me that sometimes she doesn’t want to come to school and wants to just stay at home and sleep, but she knows that’s not good for her and it wouldn’t be good for her students. In this conversation, she emphasized how important it is that her students receive a good education, but also how much she cares for each and every one of her students. I was so inspired by her devotion and commitment to her students and how she is able to put aside the difficulties in her life to provide them with an environment in which they can learn and grow. This immersion experience has been a beautiful encounter to the universality of the Church and a prime example of Jesus loving each and every one of His children. I feel blessed to have been able to witness selflessness, growth, excitement, child-like faith, determination, love, and so much more throughout my time in Browning. Thank you to the community of Browning, the De La Salle Blackfeet School, University of Providence, and Carroll College for this wonderful opportunity.
Browning, Day 3, March 12, 2025 De La Salle Blackfeet School
March 12, 2025 – Day Three in Browning
The third day at De La Salle started wonderfully. I woke up to Roy singing and I knew immediately that it would be a blessed day. This whole week has been an incredible blessing and I am so very excited to be able to partake in it with friends and strangers who have now become my friends. I have experienced many graces over the short three days and today was no different.
The 6th graders, which is the class that I am assigned to, have started getting more comfortable with us in the class and I have felt more of a laid back and open presence in the classroom now. An example of this was at lunch today, multiple students asked if I could sit with them and we ended up conversing about life. They told me about their families and siblings and what they liked to do in the free time off of school. It made me feel more of a friend to these kids rather than just another immersion student. I think that my experience here has been very different than I thought. When I came here, I imagined these kids to be so incredibly different from me when I was their age. But that could not be further from the truth. The people at this school are just normal kids, who laugh and cry have fun exactly as I did in school. Some have a different family life aspect and are living in a very impoverished place, but they are still kids nonetheless. It is very powerful to see that these kids are not much different from others and that they still are very much worthy of love and attention as anyone else.
Last night we were asked about moments in the trip where we have loved as God loves, seen as God sees, and/or done as God does and so that question was on my mind and my heart all throughout the day today. I think that just being with these kids and being a part of their lives has really allowed me to almost enter in to their struggles. Obviously, I have not seen or experienced many of the things that these kids have, but being able to see them and get to know them has really opened my eyes. My first couple days here, I found myself getting frustrated some of the kids not wanting to work and wanting to just converse with their friends and goof off. But after reflecting on that and the context of their lives, I came to the realization that this time at school can almost be a get away for these kids. This may be the only time where they actually get to spend time with their friends and just be able to be themselves. If I was in their position, I would want to just spend time with my friends and just be a kid as well.
The last thing I want to say is that a lot of these kids are not where they should be school wise. When talking about the question above in reflection on Tuesday night, one of the fellow Carroll students spoke about how God doesn’t love us for the things that we do or accomplish, He loves us for being us. I think this is a perfect reflection in being here this week. A lot of these kids are not good at math or good at science, but that isn’t why we should love them. We love them for being creations of God and being part of the family of Christ. So it has been an incredible grace to be able to try and love as God loves in that way.
I can’t wait to finish the final two days and I will be sad when my time here comes to an end. This trip has exceeded all expectations and I recommend doing something similar to all people who truly want to experience the love and grace of Christ.
Chuck Markham, senior, Carroll College
Browning, Day 1, March 10, 2025 De La Salle Blackfeet School
Today was our first day working at the catholic school in Browning and it was absolutely wonderful! I got to work with the fourth and fifth graders and they were a blast. I was deeply moved by their simple joy. Their passion and excitement for life was infections. Throughout day I found myself being unable to stop grinning. I was pleasantly surprised by the kids sense of humor. I was laughing so much that the kids started making fun of me for it. But I couldn’t help myself these kids are just so darn funny. One highlight from the day was getting to help this young sweet girl develop a story. She ended up deciding the main character would be her older sister Kaia. To help develop this character I gave her sheet with a list of questions. The first question on the page was “What does your character desire most” to this she responded “My character wants more than anything to be mean to her little brother in the morning.” Anyway, I thought it was hilarious. I finished out the school day playing dungeons and dragons upon one of the students request. It was my first introduction to D&D and I learned that each participant gets to pick a player name by which they are to be referred. The names included “Issi” “Dark Lord” and last but not least “Big Daddy”. After the school day we had a lovey couple with two young children share with us the unique blessings and struggles of the Blackfeet people. It was a truly insightful discussion. Overall it was a great day and I am very grateful to Browning community for welcoming us in to their lives for a week.
Andrew Devine, Senior
Day 3, March 12, 2024, Browning
From Katie:
Our second day in the classroom had much more ease than our first day. It was a day that practiced patience and consistency. Throughout the day, the 4th and 5th graders started opening up to me and befriending me as a role model. Although there were parts of the day that were difficult, there was so much fulfillment in being present with the children and community. From playing sharks and minnows to helping children practice their reading skills and learning bits and pieces of the Blackfeet language to visiting with members of the faculty, I have fallen in love with this community and the way in which each individual cares for one another like family. The roots are deep within this community and even through historical trauma, hardship and violence within their lives, there is a deep sense of love that the community shares for one another. This experience has helped me acknowledge my blessings and embrace gratitude for the life I have. There is so much goodness and learning opportunities within the Blackfeet community, the gifts of humility and everlasting love have persevered within me.
During sunset I embarked on a beautiful evening walk with Emma, I enjoyed singing happy tunes, listening to the river clap among the rocks and watching the amber sunset fall to sleep behind the rocky blue mountains. When arriving back to the cabin, I loved having dinner with our guest teachers tonight and asking questions, listening to their wisdom, and playing with their children. The night ended with a beautiful closing prayer and day reflection, a perfect way to end the day.
I have greatly enjoyed “doing life” with these passionate students and faculty members accompanying me on this trip. I realize the beauty and power this opportunity offers, the memories, laughter and cultural insight will accompany me throughout my entire life journey. I will deeply miss this community and I am forever thankful to be able to spend a week with the Blackfeet community.
From Sarah:
Hi friends!
Today was the second day with the kids, and it was a lot easier than yesterday. Yesterday, I felt like I had failed the kids and that I was going to be dreading going back every day. However, I really just needed to think about it in a different way. So, I prayed more and really considered the Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta’s words on service through Mary; “Lend me your heart” was her prayer to Mary. This morning I offered up my day to her, asked her to use me as a she fit and asked for her heart to see these kids as they are. As I came into the day today, I came in with hope that I would offer myself up, not my work and that something about me would be worthwhile for the kids.
I felt that the kids needed to see that they could be vulnerable with me, so I offered up my vulnerability first during our morning circle up. I think it did work because I had more students come and ask for help and just want to talk with me. One student even gave me a book recommendation! I am so determined to finish this book, just so I can talk about it with her. I also got closer to another student when we were working on an assignment together, she had asked me what I knew about the Blackfoot tribe and I was honest in the fact that I didn’t know much. She really wanted to hear what I had to say so I answered honestly, “I’m here to learn just as much as you are.” It was really cool to see her so content and maybe even grateful for my answer. She just sort of unwound. Of source the day had its lows as well, but I was grateful for today and I’m excited for how tomorrow will play out; hopefully just as well
Peace and Prayers,
Sarah
Day 1, March 10, 2024 Browning, MT
Hello from Browning!
Our trip is already starting off with one roadblock and one detour but we made it and had an informative and great day! We were five minutes out from making Mass at 10:30 in Browning, and could see town – but the road was blocked off because 60MPH+ wind gusts blew over a truck & trailer across the road. So no Sunday Mass for us with the Browning community.
We backtracked to the Mission property that we are staying at. I can’t wait to explore it more, hopefully when the wind dies down. We unpacked our stuff, had a yummy lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup (thanks Emma, Sarah, and Hailey!), and then were able to drive into town. We had an informative orientation session at the school and then we toured it. It’s pretty small!
Then we walked across the street to the grocery store to stock up on lunch and dinner items. It’s crazy how small town grocery stores are so expensive. One bag of apples was $9. The brothers said that people will drive to big grocery stores in Kalispell or Great Falls, but man, what an out-of-the-way experience just to stock up on basic and affordable necessities – all while having to pay for gas for a 4-hour road trip.
We got back to the mission, rested a bit, and were treated to a yummy dinner cooked by Brother Dale, who’s the president of the De La Salle Blackfeet School and the director at the mission property here. We had dinner with Brother Dale, Brother Jim (who’s retired, and is the caretaker of the bunkhouse we’re staying at here), Brother Dylan (the president of the school), and Brother Brian (he’s visiting here for a month from the East Coast). Brother Dale made a turkey casserole, green beans, cornbread, salad, and a peach-mango crisp!
As we couldn’t have Mass in a church, we were lucky enough to have a communion service held in the church here on the property after dinner.
A bit about the mission property: it is fairly large and includes three homes (one for the brothers, one for working faculty at the school, and another for volunteers). There’s access to the river here. It’s by a buffalo jump (which is basically a tall cliff which the Native Americans would use to hunt and kill the buffalo by driving them over the cliff so they’d fall). There was a boarding school here from 1890-1940 but that building isn’t here any more. The church was built in 1938 and is equal parts simple yet beautiful: lots of old, dark wood, stained glass windows, a bell we each got to ring, and a feeling of simplicity and serenity. We had a very nice communion service, and then headed back to the bunkhouse to pack our lunches, reflect, and go to bed!
Signing off from Browning, Glacier County, Montana! The wind says hello.
-Natalie
Day 4 – Browning, MT 2023
Iris Hartwig
Today was out last day in the classroom with our students. It was bitter-sweet to say goodbye because I grew to love the kids. I was in a class all week with 8 4th grade students, 2 girls and 6 boys. Immediately the little girls were welcoming and wanting to spend time with me, while the boys were more hesitant because of my “cooties”. By the end of the week, however, the boys were chasing me with snow balls and making fun of me, so I felt accepted ha ha. The majority of the students were behind in their education, but with time, I was able to help the students to slowly work through their work. Throughout the day, I focused on helping individual children practice their spelling, language arts, mathematics and social studies. The 4th graders were reading the book Through My Eyes, the story by Ruby Bridges. We engaged in a lot of conversation with the kids about civil rights and the tragic history of the inequality of race. Hearing the kids excitedly share their stories about insight about these historical events and hardships our country faced was great to see their little minds amazed by the different times. My favorite activity to do with the kids was recess. We always played basketball, and these kids played went hard. By the end of the 30 minutes, everyone was sweating and out of breath.
Mike Kirby
I noticed a parallel between the words of one of our guest speakers and the teaching staff. During morning assembly, the children were taught an important life lesson through a simple sheet of paper. The students were instructed to crumble their paper in a ball. After adequately crumbling their papers, they were told to open the paper back up. They observed that the paper was no longer in its former condition. It had creases and folds that it was previously free of. The staff challenged the students to rid the paper of these creases and restore it to its former glory. An adult would immediately realize that this is an impossible task, but the young children confidently and excitedly attempted to cure the paper. Some bent the paper over their knee and rubbed its surface, while others applied other methods. Of course, not one student succeeded. The staff revealed to the students that they were all pieces of paper. That can be crumbled and creased by the words and actions of class mates. They can do their best to apologize, but that alone will not restore them to their former condition.
Today, we listened to a speaker who shared a similar message. He took a less metaphorical approach and explained to us the realities of the trauma that the Blackfeet people bear. He noted that these traumas stem from the actions of colonizers generations ago. That suffering has been passed down through generations of Blackfeet people. He said that we “shouldn’t be surprised that that wound is still bleeding.” Although time and generations have passed, those creases and folds have not come out.
His description of this suffering being a generational curse reminded me of how we understand the fallen nature of humanity through original sin. He said that the Blackfeet people are still limping from attacks against earlier generations. “The wounds are still bleeding.” I was shocked by how deeply sin can destroy. Cruelty against the Blackfeet people has cascaded down family trees and poisoned the roots. The story of Adam and Eve describes not only the fall of the first man and the first woman, but the fall of the entire human race. The sin they committed has been transmitted generationally.
Day 3 – Browning, MT 2023
3/15 – Veronika Fomishyna
Throughout this week we have discovered much about community and culture here as well as ourselves. Community can be found within the classroom through interactions between the classmates and their teachers. Students are attuned to what each other needs. They understand that not all problems can be solved using the same type of “band aid” and they know everyone experiences their own struggles.
The teachers are interested in and show much love for their students. At the beginning of each class I noticed the relationship, which they built during previous semesters and how teacher knows which student needs which kind of interaction. And seeing how they treat their students with respect and love is inspiring.
Going home after this day I realized that I am looking forward to share my thoughts with other immersion students. That’s what we all want – to be heard. Every day I see how everyone in the class is trying to share somehow what they have in their minds. Sometimes there is no time or place for that but for this they need immersion students. We are here to be present, to give them our time and attention, to give them opportunity to share. As all human beings we just want to feel worth of attention, to feel that our story is important, to know that we have a right to feel what we do. These kids have their story to tell too.
3/15 – Maddie Vandehey
These students are incredibly resilient and hardworking. During my first interaction with these young people, it was easy to see how dedicated they were to their education. Just as in every classroom, students become excited and frustrated. Yet, when they want to learn, they want to learn. Today I worked with a student who was clearly frequently absent. As this is the last week of the quarter, they had much work to catch up on. I was given the opportunity to work with them in their catchup work. In moments where I found myself struggling to keep working and noticed their tiredness, I would ask if they wanted to take a quick break. Yet, they shook their head. They wanted to keep going, to keep learning.
Coming into this weekend, I believed I wasn’t coming in with any expectations. But I was clearly proved wrong within the first day. I believed that my role as an immersion student was to take on being a tutor. While this is some of the work that we take on, our presence to this community means so much more. Our goal should be to build relationship with these students so that we can learn from each other. Having a relationship with God makes building these relationships so much easier. We are able to see these young people as God’s creation, not just some kid in a community that struggles with poverty. We see each child for who they are: unique individuals created by and in the image of God. As much as we talk about what this means, it was difficult for me to fully understand what this means until my experience here at the De La Salle School. I have learned that my role is not to “help” others but to serve them.
Day 2 – Browning, MT 2023
3/14 – Brooke
This week has definitely been full of a handful of emotions, and we are only on day 2. But if I am learning anything, it is the beauty that these people have. At first, the 5th grade class seemed rambunctious, and compared to my own education, it didn’t really feel like much got done. However, after being with this group of lovely students for a second day, I began to see something different. Although the classroom might be chaotic, with lots of different things happening at one time (some educational, and some not so), there is a high love for each other. The students all treat each other as family, pushing each other to work harder, and collaborating. Perseverance is also quite evident. We are visiting during the last week of the semester, and all students are madly working to get their missing work in. They have no fear yelling out in front of the class asking for their grade, and then doing extra work to make it up.
I spent quite some time with a particular student this week who has really moved me. They are further behind the rest of their peers, and require some assistance to get even remotely motivated to do work. However, throughout multiple conversations with this student I have learned that their heart is so genuinely filled with pride about who they are and where they come from. Their family and community are a vital part of who they are, constantly mentioning that they are a member of their clan. The Lord has made himself evident to me through these children. Their resilience, perseverance, and love for each other has truly opened my eyes to how the Lord works through others.
3/14 – Peter
It’s so easy for me to see the bad in others. So often I shed light on the 10% of bad things that people have done and never reflect on the other 90%. I guess you could say that I’m a “the glass is half empty” kind of person. It takes effort and special attention for me to recognize the good in things. After these last couple of days, however, this attitude has vanished. Spending time with the 5th graders has really allowed me to only focus on the good in people – especially with a bunch of rambunctious ten-year old kids.
I think one of the reasons why I came on this Immersion trip is because the Lord was calling me to step outside of all of my negative thoughts. I think the more time we spend in our heads the less we are pouring out our hearts. This is what I have noticed about my time at the De LaSalle Blackfoot School. Not once have I had a negative thought about the kids I was working with. My time and energy have been completely devoted to pouring out my heart to the kids I am serving. The more we pour out our hearts, the more like Christ we become.
Day 1 – Browning, MT 2023
3/13 – Michael
The start to our week was certainly an interesting one. After introducing ourselves to the students via a “magic show” that took advantage of the fact that we have twins in our group, we participated in the school assembly, which involved prayers unique to both the La Sallean brothers and the Blackfeet community and a pledge of allegiance to both the United States and the Blackfeet Nation. Moving over to the classrooms, I was almost immediately overpowered by the sheer chaotic energy exhibited by the seventh-grade class (it has been a long while since I was in middle-school). Rather than attempt to suppress this chaos, however, the teachers seemed to flow with it and leverage it, something I had never quite seen before.
While I didn’t feel able to directly help the kids today, I noticed that the presence of the immersion students seemed to motivate the kids to work harder. They strove to impress us almost more than they did their own teachers. In a sense, just by being there I am able to play my part. This is comforting and allows me to focus more on developing my relationships with the students here, learning from them about their world and allowing hem to learn about mine. I look forward to the rest of the week and am thankful that God has given me the opportunity to make a positive impact, however small it may be, on the lives of His children here in Browning.
3/13 – Isaac
Day one has been a learning curve. After deciding to participate in this immersion experience, I told myself not to have any expectations coming into the week. Despite my greatest efforts, is was difficult not to compare the learning experience of these students to my own from 7th grade. The classroom is run in a completely different way than I have ever experienced, which made me appreciate the immersion title of this program. I met a ton of new people today and am looking forward to fostering deeper and more meaningful relationships with the students here.
Just being here for one day, I have already witnessed the care that the students have for each other. Today was the day for their social studies presentation, and my class was working frantically to finish their posters before it was their individual times to present. There was a particular student who had barely started his poster, and 3 of his peers rallied to help him cut and glue the information on his board. In a buzzer beater effort, their collaboration enabled him to present on time and get full credit for his work. It was such a great witness to the community here and I was really happy to see them help each other. I’m excited to see what the rest of the week brings.
Carroll College Campus Ministry 