By Carole Brown

The Road Less Traveled
The last line of Robert Frost’s famous poem is quite moving. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” There are profound gifts that come with the decision to go off the beaten path to hidden places of profound beauty. The people who, by God’s providence, find their way to the Sioux Spiritual Center retreat house, experience this in abundance. Each year, dozens of people find this hidden place, seemingly by accident. In the restfulness of this environment, God is able to minister to their heart in amazing ways. Together with God, they can sort out the pieces and go home in peace.

One day a man from a major city called to inquire about making a retreat. He had been struggling with some difficult personal matters, and he remembered attending one as a Jesuit high school student. Now in his 60s, and away from the church for many years, he thought — maybe I should make a retreat. So he googled “Jesuit retreat,” and miraculously, of all the retreat houses in the world (several of which were within a short drive), the Sioux Spiritual Center appeared at the top of the list. The retreat impacted his life profoundly. He was reconciled with the Church, and this year his adult children were baptized.

The Sioux Spiritual Center is a unique asset for the Diocese of Rapid City. For most of its 45-year existence, its ministry was focused almost exclusively on serving Native Catholics. Since 2018, it has been welcoming all-comers, and has been discovered by people from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Everyone seems to agree — there is no place quite like it in all the world!

While continuing its ministry to native groups, the Center has expanded its offerings to include 8-day Ignatian retreats, inner healing prayer retreats, Life in the Spirit retreats, and the Covenant School of Spiritual Direction. It is a great venue for parish and diocesan groups to provide their own program. This summer, construction is underway for a self-contained hermitage cabin for individuals who wish to make a longer private retreat. Come and see!

Progress on the Endowment
In this season, we are asking the Lord to prosper the work of our hands. Two years ago, Bishop Peter Muhich expressed concern about the Center’s annual budget deficit. In order to protect its future, he encouraged the board of directors to increase its endowment to $1.5 million. To date, the board has secured almost $1.2 million in pledges and gifts. We are grateful for every gift we have received! With just over $325k left to raise, we are hoping to identify 13 additional donors who would be willing to come alongside us with a pledge or gift of $25k or more. The endowment is held by the Western South Dakota Catholic Foundation. For more information, please contact Dr. Carole Brown, Director of the Sioux Spiritual Center, cbrown@diorc.org.