Foundation Spotlight

A few weeks ago, Cathedral High School was delighted to welcome Father Maurice Henry Sands for a visit. Father Sands is the Executive Director of the Black and Indian Mission Office in Washington, D.C., and a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit. He is a member of the Ojibway, Ottawa, and Potawatomi tribes, who are known together as Anishnaabe. He is from Bkejwanong First Nation, which is located on a beautiful island at the mouth of the St. Clair River, just north of Detroit, Michigan. Father Sands also serves as a consultant to the USCCB Subcommittee on Native American Affairs and as a consultant to the USCCB AD Hoc Committee Against Racism.

Father Sands concelebrated Mass for the student body with Father Kelly, pastor of St. Francis de Sales parish. Afterwards, Father Sands was given a tour of the school and met with Cathedral High School leadership to speak about the school, its recent relocation, and its religion program, to which the Black and Indian Mission Office provides generous support. Father Sands also met with Mr. Jim Philipps, religion teacher and Campus Ministry Director at Cathedral High School.

Father Sands then joined Mr. Philipp’s senior religion class, who were learning about vocations, and he spoke about his personal vocation story and how God has been at work in his life. Father Sands shared that he was discriminated against as a child for being Native American. He looked to his parents as role models and turned to his faith as a source of hope and strength. Father Sands told students that faith in God is truly a gift and that God has a plan for each of them.

Father Sands asked the students to reflect on the people that they admire and aim to imitate, whether family members, teachers, public figures, or historical figures. Students noted that they look to their mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers; to people in popular culture such as Lin-Manuel Miranda and Rita Moreno; and to saints such as St. Martin de Porres. When prompted by Father Sands as to why these individuals inspired them, students responded that all of these individuals are role models who embody perseverance and hope.

Cathedral High School is extremely thankful to the Black and Indian Mission Office for its generous support of teacher salaries at Cathedral High School. We are especially grateful to Father Sands for taking the time to come up from Washington, D.C. to visit us, to celebrate Mass, and to meet some of our faculty and students!