Naperville's St. Thomas the Apostle Parish hosts programs on Nicholas Black Elk
Nicholas Black Elk may soon be recognized by the Catholic Church as the next North American indigenous saint. He was both an Oglala Lakota medicine man and a Catholic catechist teaching the faith. He bridged the gap between traditional native spirituality and Catholicism during the first half of the 20th century while living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. An inspired and charismatic lay minister, he showed his people that they did not have to choose between the two spiritual practices.
In his vision, everyone could pray to the one God, in harmony and unity.
For many years, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Naperville has had a twinning relationship with St. Agnes Catholic Church in Manderson, South Dakota, Black Elk's home church and location of his grave. This is why St. Thomas is shining a light on this holy man's life in two virtual programs.
On April 13, the church hosted a documentary about Black Elk's life, "Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk's Journey to Sainthood." Black Elk was present at Custer's Battle of Little Big Horn, toured Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and was injured at the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. He converted to Catholicism in 1904, established and served a number of churches on the reservation, and led over 400 individuals to baptism in the faith. After the film, speakers explained the process of canonizing a saint and some of the changes occurring at St. Agnes since his case for canonization has been submitted to the Vatican and ultimately, Pope Francis.
A second program will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, via Zoom. It will feature members from St. Agnes sharing their insights on Black Elk and what it would mean for the St. Agnes and Lakota communities if he were canonized a saint.
To register and receive the Zoom link, contact Anne Schultz, Office of Outreach and Social Justice at St. Thomas, at aschultz@stapostle.org or (630) 355-8980, ext. 113.
St. Thomas the Apostle, a Naperville, parish of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, strives to bear the Good News of God's unconditional love to all generations through worship, faith formation, witness, and service. Organized in 1984, the St. Thomas faith community numbers more than 3,400 households of more than 10,750 people. Complete news and information on parish events, guest speakers and special programs is available at www.stapostle.org. For general parish information, please call (630) 355-8980.