At its best and bottom line, this story is about Steve Walsh and a vision he had for a way to ascertain and validate the dreams, hopes and aspirations of the people of St Joan of Arc. It was a plan that included symbol, image, ritual and action. He met with the staff and they enthusiastically embraced his idea. The story tells the ways his dream has manifested in the community of Saint Joan of Arc, how members of the congregation wrote down their ‘dreams’ and sent them forth, how they tied bits of ribbon and cloth to the dreamcatcher to represent dreams and hopes.

But the word ‘dreamcatcher’’ has so many levels for me, that I want to ask you to walk through time with me as the story unfolds.

My mind is whirling like those scenes in old movies where everything spirals to show the passage of time. This afternoon I drove by Saint Joan of Arc and saw the beautiful Dreamcatcher attached between two flags, and I remembered: for years I owned a dreamcatcher. During those years, when my friends and I were younger mothers, many of us put one over the beds of our children to catch the good dreams and reflect them back to the children

In Ojibwa (Chippewa) culture, a dreamcatcher (or dream catcher; Ojibwe asabikeshiinh, the inanimate form of the word for "spider" or bawaajige nagwaagan meaning "dream snare") is a handmade object based on a willow hoop, on which is woven a loose net or web. The dreamcatcher is then decorated with personal and sacred items such as feathers and beads.

I think about those early days at the beginning of the nations, where the dreamcatcher originated in the Ojibwa Nation. During the pan-Indian movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s they were adopted by many different nations, some say to show the unity among the nations. In that incarnation, only good dreams are allowed to filter through. Bad dreams would stay in the net, disappearing in the light of day. Other tradition says that bad dreams pass out through the large hole in the center of the hoop. Now, in our community, a Dreamcatcher is given new meaning as a symbol of the vision and dreams that are being woven into the new fabric of St. Joan for the next decade and beyond.

As I always do when I seek discernment and enlightenment, I called my mentor who told me he sees the St. Joan dreamcatcher as a symbol for the dreams of the community. “It is a lot about the circles of life: dreaming, letting go and the light of day melting the darkness or bad dreams.” This year we have looked to our native American culture to take up the theme of what happens in life. The Dreamcatcher was a way the American Indian had of dealing with the good and the bad. Long before the world started to use the psychologist to help us sort what we should hang on to and what we should discard, a vibrant culture used a beautiful symbol to express it all. We once sang about light and darkness, now we are talking about what to hold on to and what to let pass. So many people have been allowed to build their dreams into ministries at St. Joans.

Then I learned where the St. Joan Dreamcatcher Project started. My webmaster, Jeff Rholl, said Anna Vagle had requested a story about the Dreamcatcher and told me to “Call Steve Walsh and Father DeBruycker."

Here is the heart of this story: This is what Steve Walsh told me.

“As I started this project I was wondering where SJA was going; if it had a vision. It now appears to me that the vision (dream) is held by all of us. As the song says, ‘We are the body of Christ, YES!’ We each fulfill our part by pursuing what we feel the spirit is leading us to do and supporting others in their calling.”

“I particularly like the version of the dream catcher myth we picked. To me it implies a spirituality based on mutual participation in creation, happening here and now, instead of one based on our following a bunch of rules to achieve heaven, something in the future.”

“Use the web to help yourself and your people to reach your goals and make good use of your people’s ideas, dreams and visions."

“If you believe in the great spirit, the web will catch your good ideas – and the bad ones will go through the hole. Of the dreams submitted, by far the largest category was 'Inclusive' with almost one sixth of the responses."

“One of the wonderful things about symbols is that they are openings for the spirit to move. It is possible that each person who participates in the dream catcher project will have a totally different experience with it.”

"I had a very specific idea in mind when I brought this idea to the staff. Once I presented this project, it became an interesting journey for me. From seeing how people participate in the process, to my trying to balance what to hold onto and what to let the spirit handle (let go of.)"

"I am a person of vision, on a journey. I belong to St. Joan of Arc because I find people here who, individually and collectively, have a vision and journey that is in harmony with mine.”

Now I began to understand. I thought of how the dreamcatcher is changing as people attach ribbons and bits of fabric to it – reflecting how the people come forward in faith. Evolving from a static symbol, it is becoming a living thing.

Ronnie Angelus says: "There are three things that make my life work: Talking to my daughter who opens vistas to me and makes me laugh; being in the circle of the Divas, my writing group, who shout "go girl" and give me standing ovations with their smiles and tears; sitting next to Mary and Claude Paradis during Sunday Mass at St. Joan of Arc, which is as close to pure goodness as I will know in this lifetime."

Then I remembered Father Jim DeBruyker asking the questions –“Will the dreamcatcher capture the ‘badness’ or the ‘goodness’? What will be released and what will be reflected back?” And I remember him standing in front of the dreamcatcher at the altar and saying, firmly, “We know who we are!” “ I asked Father DeBruyker about the dreamcatcher – he smiled , waved his hands and said – “it’s holding all the good dreams.” Then he said it again and his smile grew even broader.

We’re on yet another journey. ”Some of the dreams may take time, some may never become real, and some will blossom into reality.”

Today is the day. Let the new dreams begin.

Lakota Dream Catcher Legend Long ago when the word was sound, an old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and searcher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers, horsehair, beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life, how we begin our lives as infants, move on through childhood and on to adulthood. Finally we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle. But, Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web, in each time of life there are many forces, some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they'll steer you in the wrong direction and may hurt you. So these forces can help, or can interfere with the harmony of Nature. While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web. When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said, The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the great spirit, the web will catch your good ideas and the bad ones will go through the hole. The elder passed on his vision onto the people and now many Indian people have a dream catcher above their bed to sift their dreams and visions. The good is captured in the web of life and carried with the people, but the evil in their dreams drops through the hole in the web and are no longer a part of their lives. It is said the dream catcher holds the destiny of the future.