Pilgrimreligion & culture in the u.s. SPRING 2012

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Mission at Gila River/15 Anos/Desert Habits~

religion & culture in the u.s.

Editor-in-Chief

Assistant Photo Editor

Priscilla Thomas

Editorial Board Matt AdamsMitch CaseyCayce CliffordTerry EilerSamantha GoreshMadeline GrayHeather HaynesDarcy HoldorfJunru HuangJim McAuley

Contents

Pilgrim

4 Mission at Gila River

20 Desert Habits

14 15 Años

Maddie McGarveyRebecca MillerPatrick OdenJoel PrinceBecca QuintBryan ThomasWayne ThomasPatrick TraylorAnita VizireanuEmine Ziyatdinova

Page Design Advisor Tristan Wyatt

Pat Traylor

Editor's Note

The eclectic cultures and religions of the world have always intrigued me. My mother, Gretchen Adele Clark, was raised Catholic while my father, Spero Michael Thomas, grew up in a tightly knit Greek Orthodox community of Lebanese emigrants in Vicksburg, Miss. As adults, however, my

parents attended Christian churches of several other denominations. I inherited this church hopper inclination though I expanded the scope of exploration to include Pentecostal, Evangelical, African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and many others.

My dad didn't always approve of my choices. During my freshman year of high school, he would usually drive me to whichever service I had chosen to attend that Sunday. At the time I was regularly attending a Pentecostal church and invited him to join me. Not only did he decline, but he wouldn’t even park the car let alone step foot on the pavement. Though he defined his religious boundaries, he has never impeded my curiosity or religious inquiries even when they began extending beyond the realm of Christianity.

In college, I majored in religious studies. My dedication and passion to the academic study of religions flourished. Tired of merely reading about various traditions, I began traveling to different countries to become immersed in the religions and cultures of numerous practitioners. Since 2006, I have traveled to India, Greece, Turkey, and Jordan. Though I’ve enjoyed experiencing new lands, what has and continues to captivate me the most are people and how religion, spirituality, and culture are manifested in their daily lives.

To me, one’s religious and spiritual experience is a living sacred narrative. In recent years, I’ve begun exploring and contextualizing these narratives through visual mediums of photography and video.

For this current project, I found myself on the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) in Bapchule, AZ, to chronicle St. Peter Indian Mission (SPIM). I had already photographed Franciscan nuns in Cambridge, Ohio and hoped that another opportunity would arise to get to know the women of Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity even more. After reading about SPIM in an article in the Catholic Sun, I was compelled to go out to the reservation and meet these Sisters and their students.

The 10 days I spent in Bapchule passed too quickly. But in that time, I was fortunate to feel welcomed and have the privilege to witness the lives and relationships of the Sisters and the children.

It was evident that the foundational element of this community is love. Rather than being limited to an abstract concept, it’s an active love that is shared through gestures, patience, and forgiveness.

This pervasive giving of the heart is something I hope is communicated through the images and articles. My curiosity to know this community is what initially drove my desire to do this project, but the relationships I formed and the narratives that remain to be told are what will keep drawing me back to the reservation and St. Peter Indian Mission.

- Priscilla Thomas

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Mission at Gila RiverA Catholic school in Bapchule, Arizona, adapts to the needs of the Native American students

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Story & Photography by Priscilla Thomas

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The school has two school buses on the premises, which transport some of the children to and from the mission. Everything from the vehicles to the buildings exist either through donations or fundraisers.

Surrounded by desert plains and the occasional house stands an encampment enveloped by barbed wire fencing. These miniature razor sheaths serve as an intimidating discouragement. However, the fence keeps

unwelcome guests out rather than imprisoning those within. This tucked away refuge is St. Peter Indian Mission (SPIM), a K-8th grade private Catholic school for children in the Gila River Indian Community or G.R.I.C, the locally used abbreviation.

This year the school celebrates its 90th year, a mere decade younger than Arizona’s denoted sovereign statehood. However, the establishment of Christian missions in southern Arizona predates its U.S. induction by almost two hundred years.

Starting in 1691, Father Kino, a Jesuit priest, founded

several missions and vistas in present-day southern Arizona. A few remain active or have been deemed historical structures. Though the current function of his founded sites vary, Father Kino’s expedition would initiate the convergence of Christian and Native American cultures.

This unique multi-culture relationship remains omnipresent within the school. Classrooms are adorned with photographs of historic Native American ancestors, icons of St. Frances, laminated printouts of O’odham words paired with their English translation, and patriotic décor ranging from the U.S. flag to a poster of the late Pat Tillman, an Arizona State University alumni and NFL player who retired to join the Army Rangers after September 11th, knelt in prayer on the football field.

During morning and afternoon prayer, the children and

Children gather for prayer twice a day and mass once a week at St. Peter Indian Mission.

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faculty sing songs ranging from hymns to lively American pride pieces such as songs about the Green Berets or Ira Hayes, one of the soldiers in the infamous image of Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, who was born in Bapchule, Arizona and a member of the Gila River Indian Community.

The twice-daily prayers also incorporate the Pima Indian language, O’odham, by having everyone recite the Holy Trinity in both English and the Pima language:

“In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Ce:gigac ed heg t-O:g Cep heg Alidak Cep heg Spi:litu Sa:nto. S-ape.”

This emphasis on the O’odham language and Pima culture is included in the school’s academic curriculum. Twice a week for forty-five minutes, children are immersed in language, traditional songs and Pima craftsmanship.

(Top) The junior high girls gather with the entire school body on the large basket-ball court to watch a Toy Story themed skit by members of Reading Is Fundamen-tal (RIF). The organization also provides free books for the children as well as dance and face painting activities.

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(Right) During a literature lesson, Sister Pam has students relate excerpts of a poem to illustrative figures of speech.

“It's a working class. It's not recess. They've got to learn lifetime skills.”

- Alyta Hilliard

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only wants her students to know their ancestral roots but to embrace their unique culture.

She believes that, “If they are going to stand fast in the world and be strong, proud people, they have to be connected to their foundational culture. They have to know their language, their legends, their traditions, their customs, their songs, their dances, their foods, their relationships.”

In addition to sustaining cultural attributes, St. Peter Indian Mission has taken charge in educating and encouraging healthy living. The Pima Indians have the highest rate of type II diabetes in the world, and are a part of the longest medical study on diabetes, which began in the 1950s. More than 50 percent of the Pima adult population is diagnosed with diabetes. With childhood rates increasing as well, the faculty and staff have implemented nutritional changes and increased the frequency of exercise.

Students begin their school day by heading straight to the

Corrina Harrison, head of the cultural education class, shares teaching responsibilities with Bryson Hall. For Harrison, it is crucial for the children to take pride in their heritage and in themselves.

This week, Harrison is concentrating on colors. The children recite after her as she holds up cutouts with the colors and O’odham words. In a few instances, one word can represent several colors. S-ce:dagi can be used for either blue or green and s-wegi represents red or pink.

The school and the Sisters have been proactive in establishing the cultural education course, which has been implemented for almost forty years. Some have also attended Native American conferences focused on preserving language and culture. At the last language conference, Sister Martha was informed that the O’odham language was forecasted to become extinct within seventy-five years. As both principal of St. Peter Indian Mission and a educator, Sister Martha not

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(Left) Breakfast is served after the morning prayer. The foods served at each meal are inputted into a computer program to calculate the nutrition breakdown and caloric intake of the students.

(Top) While waiting to choose their free children's book from the organization Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), a few girls gather together.

have it three times a week for 45 minutes. Alyta Hilliard, a SPIM physical education instructor,

has been teaching at GRIC schools for several decades. She focuses on teaching the children nutritional knowledge as well as pushing them to increase their physical activity. Though older than her students, Hilliard has no trouble keeping up and serves as an example of what lifelong healthy living can do for a person.

Hilliard keeps the students engaged in exercise by varying the sports they play from soccer to golf. Along with offering eclectic athletic options, she encourages self-competition. Rather then having the children focus on winning against a fellow student, Hilliard prefers for them to concentrate on bettering themselves and beating their best times. Each week, the children are timed during a one mile run.

The junior high boys’ and girls’ new times are posted late in the week. During the water break, many crowd the two

track. The morning walk is designed to get groggy students active. After dropping book bags, most begin a leisurely stroll in which they chat with friends. The soft blue sky rests on the desert horizon, a panoramic view just on the other side of the track and field fence. Halfway through the elliptical path, a few students race one another in a sudden competitive bout. The children are sporadically peppered along the route when Sister Martha arrives to greet them all. Not one to be sidelined, she takes a few younger students by the hand and walks with them.

The morning walk is supplemented with recess and gym. A playground set and two basketball courts are at the Mission. The younger elementary children spend playtime on swings, slides, and obstacle courses while the older students partake of activities on the courts. Though recess is daily, gym is rotated. The younger student have gym twice a week for 30 minutes while the junior high class

Second graders enjoy playing before lunch. Recess is considered an important aspect of the school's efforts for children to sustain higher amounts of daily physical activity.

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“If they are going to stand fast in the world

and be strong, proud people, they have to

be connected to their foundational culture.”

- Sister Martha Mary Carpenter

printout sheets scanning for their name and time. Waylon, born three-fourths Apache and one-fourth Pima, is the young man to beat. Still holding the best time, he smirks. Several of the girls are satisfied with their times. Hints of their pride show with meek smiles behind their drinking cups.

Hilliard acknowledges, “It’s a working class. It’s not recess,” she continues, “They’ve got to learn lifetime skills. So, while we do the skills for soccer, the skills for basketball, the emphasis is really on lifetime activity.”

In conjunction with increasing the children’s physical activity, the school has returned to a more traditional Pima diet. Food is often cooked from scratch rather than using processed edibles. SPIM enriches the nutrition options with plenty of beans, vegetables and milk while banishing soda and candy. No vending machines are on the premises, and it is only for special occasions that diet soda may be served along with popcorn or pretzels as a treat.

The mission’s proactive methods for enriching the body and mind also expand to the spirit. Gathering for prayer serves as a communal activity as well as individual.

“Prayer is the foundation because it opens the communication with God or continues it,” Sr. Martha explains, “In a school setting we teach our children a lot of things. And many of them they’ll forget. But in their lives they will always need to pray. Always. And we want to instill that spirit of prayer that St. Paul says, ‘Pray always. Never lose heart. Always be thankful.’”

As the students sing along and recite the week’s prayers, the honey hued glass windows saturate the afternoon sunlight. Almost two hundred people unite in the adobe church. Its walls a shared space of Christian murals and Native American art and symbols envelopes the group as they close another school day in Bapchule.

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A coming of age ritual crosses cultural borders

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15 AñosStory & Photography by Priscilla Thomas

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Each pair stands side-by-side as the music on the laptop signals the start of the first traditional dance. A few of the girls are barefoot, donning darkly polished toenails that contrast the light of the teal blue party dresses

they’ll wear in the next few hours. These five boys and girls make up only half of Amelia Martinez’s court, and as the song ends, her mother, Kim, instructs them to practice again.

Today is Martinez’s Quinceañera, a rite of passage from childhood to womanhood. Though common to Latin American communities, it is undeniable the cross-cultural influences that have emerged from generations of close border ties to Mexico and the intermarrying of people from Native American and Latin cultures.

The itinerary of Martinez’s celebration closely resembles a traditional Mexican Quinceañera, which places greater emphasis on a Thanksgiving mass before the fiesta. The

(From left) Ana Alvarez, Coreena Gonzales, Joan Jackson, Alicia Alvarez, and baby Bria Alvarez get ready for Amelia Martinez's Quinceañera.

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religious service is intended to highlight the Virgin Mary and encourage Martinez to cultivate the bond with the Mother of God.

Before mass, the damas, or girls of the court, spend a few hours on hair, makeup and dressing. The congregation hall’s usual décor includes a poster of Mother Theresa, Joe Garagolia baseball memorabilia, photos of former students in military uniforms and a statue of Jesus kindly welcoming restroom seekers. Today the addition of a white ball gown trimmed in teal adornments, a hoop underskirt and a half dozen A-line strapless dresses hangs on a doorframe’s molding.

As the boys, or chambelanes, straighten their teal dyed vests and the damas slip on their dresses, Martinez hides in the doorway of the women’s restroom trying to refrain from crying. Her friends joke, “It’s all Jesus,” - it’s all good. Her boyfriend, Simon Moyah, soothes her with a hug before it’s her turn to sit in the hair and makeup chair.

The ease of the morning fades, as the time for mass

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Amelia Martinez is comforted by her boyfriend, Simon Moyah, after becoming overwhelmed after seeing her court dressed. This day marks a transition into adulthood, which is celebrated by family and friends.

is only an hour away. People begin to rush making final touches on hair, posing for portraits, and lotioning dry skin. Martinez’s dress slightly brushes the ground due to wearing traditional black and white converses while her damas balance in several inch heels. The court arrives to the church fashionably tardy by forty-five minutes, but this assures all guests have arrived and are settled in the pews.

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Amelia Martinez poses for a photo with her father after the Thanksgiving mass. Her course waits for Martinez before leaving for the celebration.

Accompanied by her grandparents, parents and court, Martinez walks down the aisle holding her sister’s hand. Her grandparents stay by her side for the entire mass. Given the traditional items of a tiara, scepter, necklace, and a blessed rosary, Martinez leaves flowers at the feet of the Blessed Virgin Mary before taking communion. The mass concludes with relatives gathering around her as the priest prays.

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Many people have come to see Martinez’s transition into womanhood as the church is as tightly packed likeas crayons in a box. Guests slowly filter out to congratulate the Martinez family before heading to a reception offsite.

Gathering for a group hug, Martinez embraces her parents and sister, before maneuvering into the limo. Though tradition has declared her a young woman,

Martinez has yet to bear the responsibilities that will come with adulthood. But with her family and the members of the community that supported her on this day, she will not have to face anything alone.

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Sister Thereselle (left) and Sister Martha ride one of the golf carts back to the convent after doing some school work in their classrooms.

DesertHabits

Six Franciscan nuns embrace service and community at Gila River

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Story & Photography by Priscilla Thomas

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moment came one night in 1995 when a couple of men broke into the old adobe convent while the sisters still resided there. The men ran down the convent’s singular hallway, past the sisters’ rooms, to the back door and exited. One of the mission’s vans was stolen, burned and abandoned in a river.

The incident not only resulted in the barbed wire fencing, but also the addition of animals. Though the Franciscan sisters are usually not permitted to have pets, an exception was granted to have guard dogs on the premises. The first two great danes were Danger and Bullet, but monikers have tamed over the years. Currently, four dogs call the mission home: Duke, a great dane, Buster, a black lab and mastiff mix, Lucky, a rescued black lab, and gentle Sarah, an Australian shepherd given to the sisters by a retiring

Reversing down the driveway, Sister Martha peers over her shoulder as she navigates. The small engine revs as she hits the acceleration pedal with her black loafers and quaintly speeds off in a golf cart. Making her final

daily sweep of the school grounds, the motion sensors illuminate one after the other in melodic timing as she passes the church to the old adobe convent and makes a final whirl around the smaller basketball court. After locking two additional gates, she hops back in her ride to return to the convent.

There were not always gates and barbed wire fences enveloping the mission. In recent decades, gang violence on the reservation has increased drastically. The decisive

(Top) A portrait of Sister Martha in the convent.

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(Left) Sister Carol lights candles while preparing the church for Sunday mass. Several priests rotate conducting mass within the parish since one is not assigned to the area.

nun from a different parish. In addition to the dogs, there are several cats, four ducks, a desert turtle and a newly adopted goat, Billie.

Between an exponentially growing animal haven and construction projects, the mission has evolved from its humble beginning. When it opened in 1923, only three adobe structures existed: the church, a convent and one additional building that presently serves as the school’s cafeteria. Much of the present day facilities have only existed a few decades. The U.S. Air Force and Joe Garagiola, a former baseball player and well-known sports broadcaster, are primarily responsible for the additional facilities through donated funds, labor, resources, and materials.

Though people in the community generously donate,

it should not be overlooked that sisters are constantly donating to the mission through their service to the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC). None of the six sisters are paid salaries for their teaching, administrative, or staff positions. Though the school day ends around 3:30 pm, some students remain for after school activities or tutoring for up to two hours.

Sustaining an open flow of communication with students and parents also takes priority. The sisters are tech savvy women often utilizing computers, tablets or cell phones to communicate. When a student’s grandfather passed away, both her mother and the girl kept Sister Martha informed about the funeral and the family’s wellbeing through text messaging. This medium of conversation is succinct and

On a Sunday afternoon, the Sisters play the card game hand and foot. Pictured from left: Sister Elena, Sister Pam, and Sister Martha.

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(Top) In one sacred narrative, Fioretti, St. Francis of Assisi tames a wolf. Similar to the patron Saint, in the presence of the Sisters, an intimidating beastly dog like Duke acts like a mere pup.

efficient. It is not uncommon for the staff or the sisters to text pertinent questions or relay information. Rather than leave some of the junior high students to ask Sister Martha a question about a schedule change in the school day, Sister Pamela merely pulled out her slider cell phone, texted her query and received an answer within a few minutes.

This synthesis of traditional and contemporary is omnipresent in the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity (FSCC). The order’s emphasis on incorporating Internet and technology was highlighted in a 2007 issue of Time Magazine. This also displays the FSCC’s ability to adapt in order to ensure the order’s continuance as well as develop other modes that may service communities in the United States. One of the FSCC’s multimedia campaigns concentrates on vocational outreach for women that may be interested in becoming a Franciscan Sister.

Sister Pamela’s journey has been well chronicled since she attended a retreat on the Sacred Heart in 2007. Her video interview shows an everyday young woman in a gray zipper hoodie and cranberry colored polo contemplating her future. Not a careless talker, she articulates thoughtful introspections about the likelihood of pursuing the Franciscan life.

She had just finished her first year teaching history and French. During her undergraduate studies, she had gone abroad to France to be immersed in the culture and dialect. These experiences are no different than many college aged people, but for Sister Pamela, there was a desire for something more.

Several years later, Sister Pamela has ventured through postulancy and novitiate. Sister Pamela acknowledges that while journeying down this road has yielded questions, the sense of being on the right path has remained constant. Currently she is a temporary professed Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity and has six years to take final vows.

Though she now tucks her strawberry blond hair beneath a habit and wears the simple yet classic black and white attire of a Sister, she still enjoys activities known to others outside her vocation. For instance, Sister Pamela likes a good cup of Starbucks coffee, meandering in a Target store or watching adorable baby

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“Prayer is the foundation because it opens the communication with God or continues it. And God is the source of our strength and our energy and our love. And without it, life would fall apart.”

- Sister Martha Mary Carpenter

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goats in a YouTube video that’s synced to the Christmas ditty “Jingle Bells.”

Deciding to become a nun can be a foreign notion to many, but choosing to become a sister often seems a natural inclination for these women. Sister Martha was just 14 when the religious vocation became her lifelong endeavor. After her principal, Sister Mary Jane, declared that she would become a Franciscan nun, she took this to heart. Sister Martha had already become prolific at praying after a schoolmate, Genie Schmidt, became ill with spinal meningitis and almost died. She prayed for Genie to be healed and for God to keep her posted on becoming a nun.

Soon thereafter, Sister Martha had to decide about which Catholic high school to attend upon completion of the 8th grade. One evening at family dinner, her parents and brother pressed her for an answer.

“I looked at my dad and said, ‘I think I’ll go to the convent.’ There was complete silence” she says “And then my brother laughed, ‘Yeah right!’”

It was a decision that changed her life, but it has been anything but dull. Aside from spending most of her vocational years in Bapchule at St. Peter Indian Mission, she’s had the opportunity to also embrace a love of sports, particularly football and baseball. An avid Green Bay Packers and Cardinals fan, she’s been a guest at a Super Bowl. As she passionately cheered for a team, a young man asked her a simple question.

“Excuse me, miss, what do you call yourself?”With a chuckle, she replied, “I call myself Sister Martha.

What do you call yourself?”“Shawn Carter” he replied. Unbeknownst to her, she was sitting next to a man known

to most of the world as the rapper mogul Jay-Z. Sister Martha later put his name in the Google search engine to learn who Mr. Shawn Carter was and the results surprised her.

“If I would have known about his lyrics, I would have talked to him about that,” she says with a gentle laugh.

Regardless of the unexpected detours and the people they meet, the sisters always stay focused on their spiritual devotion. This internal relationship with God visibly manifests through prayer. The sisters pray daily as a group as well as individually.

“Prayer is the foundation because it opens the communication with God or continues it” Sister Martha explains, “And God is the source of our strength and our energy and our love. And without it, life would fall apart.”

This relationship with God drives their choice to pursue a life of service. To outsiders it may seem that the sisters sacrifice much of their time and energy for the community. But when one is called to the vocation, it is an inclination as natural as breathing. When that desire is inherently present, it is no longer work in so much as fulfilling what they are compelled to do for God and for their community.

Sister Thereselle arranges artificial flowers that Sister Carol purchased. These flowers are a part of an array of decorations adorning the church and school to celebrate Catholic School Week.