A Bed of One’s Own

Dec. 1, 2022

North Dakota Knights construct dozens of beds for children on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation

By Patti Armstrong

Dec. 1, 2022

Grand Knight John Berger of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Council 6540 gestures toward an assembled bed frame as families pick up new beds at St. Bernard Mission School in Fort Yates. Photo by John-Andrew O’Rourke

“There’s goodness in the world yet,” said Sharon Hanks, a resident of Standing Rock Indian Reservation, which spans the border of North and South Dakota. Several Knights of Columbus had just loaded wooden beds for her 8-year-old granddaughter and two teenage grandsons into the back of her pickup. Hanks thanked them for being “the heart and hands of Jesus,” adding, “Here in the dialect of our language we say, Wopida for thanks. So Wopida tonka. That’s big thanks.”

Altogether, Knights delivered 50 beds to the St. Bernard Mission School in Fort Yates, North Dakota — tribal headquarters of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe — on Sept. 17. The handmade bed frames, together with dozens of mattresses and bedding sets, were gone within an hour.

Knights from nine councils in Bismarck and Mandan collaborated to make and outfit the beds, an initiative they called “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” after the popular children’s prayer. Their effort was just the latest among a growing number of innovative K of C projects to engage with and assist Indigenous communities since the Order launched its Native Solidarity Initiative in 2019.

“We take for granted that we have a bed, but that’s not the case for all children,” said John Berger, grand knight of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit Council 6540 in Bismarck and one of the project’s principal organizers. “There are so many needs on the reservation and we won’t solve them all, but we can do something. Our project was very concrete: to provide a bed for a child who needs one.”

FRATERNITY AT WORK

Knights and family members in Bismarck, N.D., cut wood for beds during a work session in August. Photo by Spirit Juice Studios — Knights and family members in Bismarck, N.D., cut wood for beds during a work session in August. *Photo by Spirit Juice Studios*

The inspiration for the project began in June, when Berger heard that Knights in South Dakota had provided beds for children at the Pine Ridge Reservation. Thinking it was a great idea, he called Msgr. Chad Gion, pastor of Standing Rock’s Catholic Indian Mission since 2018, and asked if there was a need for beds.

“Yes, a tremendous need,” affirmed Msgr. Gion, who is a former chaplain of Spirit of Life Council 14816 in Mandan.

Sioux County, which comprises the North Dakota side of the reservation and is home to the mission, is the poorest county in the state and one of the 20 poorest in the country. Established in the late 1800s, the Standing Rock Indian Reservation covers 3,571 square miles, twice the size of the state of Delaware, with a population of 8,217.

“A lot of poverty exists on the reservation, together with a lot of brokenness and nontraditional families where children are often raised by grandparents,” Berger explained. “It’s just one of the realities of life that we have children who don’t have a bed to sleep in at the end of the day.”

Knights in Berger’s council responded enthusiastically when he approached them with the bed-building idea, as did the grand knights of eight other councils in Bismarck and Mandan, about 65 miles north of Fort Yates.

Each council did fundraising to help cover costs. Berger focused on securing mattresses and bedding at reduced prices from generous local retailers, while Ed Konieczka, a member of Corpus Christi Council 9589 in Bismarck, and Jim Doll of Council 6540 oversaw the building operation. Donald C. Klym, also with Council 6540, opened up his Precision Wood Finish business to provide workspace.

More than 100 Knights — along with sons and grandsons — constructed the 50 beds on two Tuesday nights in August, working in assembly-line fashion to cut lumber and fit for screws. A third Tuesday night was spent sanding and applying a lacquer finish.

While building the beds was obviously the primary goal, Berger said that “building fraternity and fellowship was equally important.” One of the fruits of the project, he added, was the number of young men who signed up to help.

“My boys were asking me on the way over, ‘Who are we making the beds for?’ I said, ‘For the Native American kids down at Fort Yates who haven’t been given the same home that you have.’ So they start to connect the dots: Love your neighbor — treat another one as they desire to be treated — treat all that you see as Christ.”

Richter’s son Adam, who serves as grand knight of University of Mary Council 16402, came to help build along with his dad and brothers.

“We have no idea what kind of poverty these children live in,” he said. “Just being able to contribute to making their lives better with this project is a very cool thing.”

Donald Klym was glad that his son, Christopher, who joined the Order as a student at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, was able to come and help out too.

“Because he worked in the business he knew exactly what to do, so it was very valuable,” Klym said. “It was also a good father-son bonding moment.”

As the work gained momentum, participation increased.

“Some nights we had up to 50 people there, so it was a wonderful turnout,” Klym affirmed. “And it just shows what the Knights of Columbus can do if we all work together.”

‘WE’RE HERE BECAUSE WE CARE’

A girl selects a blanket to go with her new bed, one of dozens built by a group of North Dakota councils for families on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Photo by John-Andrew O’Rourke — A girl selects a blanket to go with her new bed, one of dozens built by a group of North Dakota councils for families on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. *Photo by John-Andrew O’Rourke*

The morning of delivery day, Sept. 17, a dozen Knights loaded everything into one of Klym’s large trucks and drove south to Fort Yates.

Msgr. Gion greeted the Knights and volunteers from St. Bernard’s, who helped set up tables and neatly pile all the bedding in front of the school. A pillow and comforter/sheet set was included with each bed, and each recipient could also choose a brightly colored quilt or blanket donated by individuals and women’s groups from Corpus Christi Church and Trinity Lutheran. One bed frame was assembled and a mattress placed on it as a model.

Cars, trucks and a large trailer were parked on the periphery as families who had signed up for a bed ahead of time checked in. Announcements had been sent home from school, and the opportunity was advertised through the local media.

“For students at our mission school who didn’t have beds last night, their lives just got significantly better,” Msgr. Gion said after the last bed had been picked up and driven away. “It’s hugely impactful for their lives.”

As pastor of the Catholic Indian Mission — which includes five parishes, St. Bernard Mission School and Keya Childcare Center — he said that restoring hope amid so much hardship is his most important responsibility.

“We’re here because we care about them as human beings and want to make their lives better,” he explained. “And if that opens the door to introducing them to Jesus and helping them come to know how loved they are, that’s fantastic.”

One of the Knights who helped deliver and then load the beds into vehicles was Mike Taylor, a professor of education at the University of Mary. A longtime Knight who helped to establish the college council there, he has brought university students to help at St. Bernard’s.

“For several years we’ve helped with whatever the needs are here at the school, and I often feel I get so much more than I could ever give,” Taylor said. “I’m just really proud of the Knights for being involved in projects like this.”

State Deputy Kevin Boehm is likewise proud of the North Dakota Knights who took on the initiative. In fact, he traveled four hours from Grand Forks in August to witness the work in action and help out.

“When I received a flyer about it, I just had to come down and applaud them,” Boehm said. “It was worthwhile to actually see all the guys and their camaraderie, united together in their faith while doing an excellent charitable work.”

Father Shannon Lucht, assistant state chaplain and a member of St. Bernard Council 3971 in Strasburg, also visited the Knights during one of their work sessions.

“This is a wonderful thing on so many levels,” he said. “It goes back to Father McGivney’s reason for founding the Knights — to help widows and orphans.” He added, “The theme of our supreme convention this year is on display right now. Here are brother Knights stepping in to fill a breach.”

*****

PATTI ARMSTRONG is an author, freelance writer and correspondent for the National Catholic Register based in Bismarck, N.D.

A Bed of One’s Own

FRATERNITY AT WORK

‘WE’RE HERE BECAUSE WE CARE’

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