Social Justice Friends,
Thanks to the efforts of a number of us on this email, we are happy to say that there is a growing relationship between members of Lumen Christi Catholic Community and our indigenous neighbors, the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Tribal Community. Our church and many of our homes are located in the Dakota Homeland, and it is a blessing to us that the Mendota Dakota community is eager to get to know us and to work with us for the good of the people and of this place.
Now is a time when the MMDTC needs your support. Their Tribal Chairwoman, Sharon Lennartson, and their entire Tribal Council are working to establish a place for their community to call a home base. They have found an office in Mendota Heights to rent, and a group of us are helping to secure money to cover their first 3 years of rent payments. The MMDTC Tribal Council has secured the first 10 months of rent, and we need to raise an additional $47,960 to meet this goal.
This office is an important step forward for the MMDTC. It represents a powerful vision for the wellbeing of the community. A vision of home. A vision of place where the Tribal Council can meet. A place where the community can gather, break bread and practice ceremony. A place where irreplaceable historical documents can be safely stored. A place where members of the community can work for the good of the people.
This office is a step toward Sharon’s and the Tribal Council’s larger vision of one day building a community center on land that the MMDTC can call its own.
You can help us meet our goal by contributing whatever you are able. Donations can be made in a lump sum, or payments can made annually, quarterly or monthly. A number of people are pledging $25 a month as their commitment, and we ask that you consider what amount would be meaningful for you. Any amount helps, If you would like to donate your time and talent in addition or instead of money, please feel free to contact us.
We request your pledge by May 1, so that we can begin collecting monthly contributions in May.
To do your part, you can complete this pledge form: https://mendotadakota.com/pledge
For those of you who are already in relationship with the MMDTC, we ask that you consider how it has enriched your life. For those of you who have not yet met this beloved community, we hope you take this invitation to begin a relationship. Many opportunities abound for any of us to participate in sweat lodge ceremonies, the community’s annual powwow in September and in other cultural programming.
When this community says that all are welcome, they live it out in a way that embodies the idea that we are all related and that there is no separation between us. We have a lot to learn from this way of living and loving all of God’s creation.
We ask that you make the most generous gift you can to help realize the vision of the Tribal Council.
In gratitude and with good hearts,
Mike Harley
Jackie Mosio
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Mike Harley (he/his)
Executive Director | Environmental Initiative
cell: 651-208-7090
environmental-initiative.org
New address effective February 2022: 807 Broadway St., NE, Suite 230, Minneapolis, MN 55413