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Catholic News Herald

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052220 Black ElkCHARLOTTE — “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood” – a documentary about Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk – offers a unique glimpse into this Catholic lay leader’s life and spirituality.

Nicholas Black Elk was a Catholic convert and catechist among the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Tribe in South Dakota during the late 19th and early 20th centuries – among the most turbulent times for Native Americans living on the Great Plains.

A second cousin to Crazy Horse, Black Elk was 12 when he participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, in 1876. He fought in the aftermath of the Massacre of Wounded Knee, in 1890, and spent two years touring Europe with Buffalo Bill Cody.

In 1904, at the age of 40, he came to know the Jesuits at Red Cloud, then Holy Rosary Mission, and converted to Catholicism after a Jesuit missionary confronted him about his medicine man practices. At his baptism he chose the name Nicholas in honor of St. Nicholas, known for his humility and commitment to serving the poor. After he learned to read, Nicholas Black Elk became known for his ability to memorize Scripture and for his dynamic preaching. He worked tirelessly as a catechist and lay missionary among the Lakota Nation, promoting peace and reconciliation between them and the U.S. government. He is credited with bringing 400 people into the Church.

He also experienced much suffering in life. His first wife died in 1903, and five of his children died either in infancy or of tuberculosis. He himself suffered from tuberculosis from 1912, but he never complained about his suffering – proclaiming his Catholic faith until his death in 1950.

His cause for canonization was put forth by the Diocese of Rapid City in 2017. If canonized, he would become the second Native American saint after St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

“Walking the Good Red Road” will air on WSOC-TV Channel 9 in Charlotte on Saturday, May 30. Airtime is 2:35 a.m., so you’ll likely want to set your DVR to record this special documentary.

Presented in partnership with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission, it was funded in part by the USCCB’s Catholic Communications Campaign.

— Catholic News Herald