Hóčhoka Podcast

Many are familiar with the declaration in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against?” This bold and rhetorical question is subject to many considerations, but for oppressed peoples seeking to interpret Christian scripture, it can be problematic. Let’s unpack the issue.

What if we were to turn the clock back some 60 years and visit this soon-to-be-100-year-old school? Who might we encounter, and what might that person tell us? Here to accompany us as we travel back through time and up to the present day, none other than the 2025 Distinguished Alum, Gerald High Elk. Let’s go!

Filmmaker George Lucas of Star Wars fame addressed teachers with these words, “You have the most important job of anyone today. Our kids need you to advocate for their futures.” During our last episode, we learned how vital the Lakota language is for the future of our students. Today, we learn how two women at St. Joseph’s are advocating for them.

Lakota elder and teacher Dottie LeBeau once noted, “Losing the language means losing the culture. We need to know who we are because it makes a difference in who we are and who our children are.” If language is the carrier of culture, what does this mean for the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people, whose Native speakers now number in mere hundreds? Let’s talk about it.

Mother Teresa is often quoted, "I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things." That is the great benefit of collaboration, which shapes much of the work we do at St. Joseph’s. Let’s learn more about the school’s relationship with the University of Notre Dame.

Why are three college-age women traveling throughout the Indian Country of the Northern Plains distributing books? Let’s find out.

How is it that a former U. S. Marine from Texas with a Poly-Sci major finds himself deeply involved in the spiritual and administrative life of St. Joseph’s Indian School? Let’s talk with Fr. Greg Schill, SCJ, and learn all about it.

Leadership is a role performed uniquely by the person who holds the role. At St. Joseph’s Indian School, we are experiencing a transition in leadership that brings a new title and a new face. Let’s get to know this person!

President Ronald Regan and Vice President George W. Bush begin their second term in office. Coke releases new-and-improved New Coke, meeting so much opposition that old Coke is back on the shelves in three months. The Unabomber is on the loose. “Back to the Future” opens in theaters across America, and Mike and Kim Tyrell arrive for their first year as houseparents at St. Joseph’s Indian School. These things happened 40 years ago. Here to tell us what it’s like 40 years later, the school’s President, Mike Tyrell.

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