Catholic church serves as 'beacon of hope' on ND reservation

[rug]

By Amy Dalrymple
Today at 6:08 a.m.

BELCOURT, N.D. — At St. Ann's Catholic School on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, volunteer principal Allen Mehrer also serves as music teacher, evening bus driver, maintenance worker and occasional custodian.

The school relies on volunteers and a handful of paid teachers who give new meaning to the word multi-tasking in order to provide a free Catholic education to elementary students on the reservation.

"Because of the economics here at Turtle Mountain, we don't want to close the door to any child," Mehrer said. "And we would be by charging people."

But with deteriorating buildings and no sustainable funding source, the school's future was in question.

http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/north-dakota/4186330-catholic-church-serves-beacon-hope-nd-reservation

1:29 video at link.

http://www.stannsmission.org/