BAPCHULE, Ariz. — Saint Paul’s Catholic Student Center in Madison had almost 30 students join their winter break service trip to Arizona. 

The students served kids in need on the Gila River Indian Reservation, working alongside the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit and the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. 

The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity run St. Peter Indian Mission Catholic School, located in Bapchule, Ariz., where Saint Paul’s students spent the week giving their time to the children: tutoring, helping with classes, praying with them, playing with them, helping with farm work, and even repairing the church door. 

Children in need

“Our students come from very difficult backgrounds,” said Sr. Pamela Catherine, principal of the high school at St. Peter Indian Mission Catholic School. 

“They are invisible children. Many are being raised by their aunties or grandparents. The girls take on a motherly role at a young age, helping to raise the younger siblings and even cousins at times. We, as St. Francis, want them to know they are incredibly loved and precious in God’s eyes and in ours. We let them simply be children here at school.”

The missionaries step in to help with this goal. “The students from Saint Paul’s are a ray of sunshine in the lives of our students,” said Sr. Pamela Catherine. “They come with hearts of service and a desire to help and give of themselves fully [during] the short week they are with us. The children crave positive attention, and the Saint Paul students shower them with love, joy, and comfort!”

The children’s joy, in turn, impacted the Saint Paul’s missionaries. 

“People had a lot of fun,” said Maggie Sanders, hospitality intern at Saint Paul’s and trip leader. 

“Just being with the kids meant a lot. And just being in that environment and seeing how joyful they are, even though maybe they don’t have the best circumstances, they’re still so joyful.” 

Faith and witness

Joy wasn’t the only quality the missionaries noticed; faith was seen as well. 

“I was working with the third graders all week,” said a Saint Paul’s student,  “and you know how little kids are, I mean most of their classes, they’re a little rowdy, or they might get distracted, but when it came time for us to do religious ed, they were always super locked in . . . part of the reason is because it was the end of the day and some of them were tired, but I think the other part is that it was just something that they’re really interested in.”

The Saint Paul’s students also had the chance to appreciate the witness of the Religious they worked with. 

“Some of the best experiences were after dinner, just sitting there, listening to them tell their stories and hear the Spirit work through them,” said one missionary.  

Sanders was impressed by the faith of the Sisters. “They’re like, ‘No matter what happens, we know that it will work, because God wants this to work.’ And so they have complete faith that no matter what the reservation decides, or money or whatever, they’re just like, ‘We know it will work. Because God wants it to work.’” 

Saint Paul’s and the Sisters

The partnership between the Sisters and Saint Paul’s dates back several years and continues to flourish. 

“Sr. Julie Ann, our vocation directress, was the connection piece between us and Saint Paul’s,” said Sr. Pamela Catherine. 

“Their first year at the mission was in 2017, and it became an annual event, at the time of which we were told St. Peter was the only annual trip offered. As I am writing this, that makes so much sense — Peter and Paul!”

While Saint Paul’s now has many other opportunities for students to serve, this mission remains a commitment that the students look forward to. 

This year, as a thank you gift, the Sisters gave the missionaries coffee mugs – an excellent choice for college students. 

The mugs are from HF Coors, a veteran-owned company, and they are both sustainable and made in the U.S, being made out of the desert clay in Tucson, Ariz.  

St. Peter Indian Mission Catholic School has been serving children for more than a hundred years. 

“We are sort of a diamond in the rough, one could say,” said Sr. Pamela Catherine. 

“Amidst a culture of drugs, alcohol, gangs, and violence, we try to provide a sound foundation, not only of education, but of a virtuous life with Jesus at the center . . . Our school stands upon the pillars of faith, culture, and patriotism. Along with a Catholic education that focuses on academics, our students are growing in their love for Jesus, in their O’otham heritage, and learning from the greatest heroes of their Community, the veterans of Gila River.”