|
Irene O'Neill, CSJ 12/29/06
12-29-2006 01:08 PM |
December 29, 2006 - Leaders Can See the Sky |
Click "Post a Reply to this Thread" above to leave your thoughts and comments. |
|
MAZmzimmer
12-29-2006 03:01 PM |
RE: December 29, 2006 - Leaders Can See the Sky |
St jwp does so much good! They renew my faith in the young. A wonderful group of leaders. Happy New Year to all. |
|
Deb Forstner
12-30-2006 07:44 AM |
RE: December 29, 2006 - Leaders Can See the Sky |
I would love to read a first-hand account from a St. Joseph Worker or two about her/their experiences. Could you encourage some responses from them to your reflections about them? |
|
Megan Kuhl, posted by Irene O'Neill
01-5-2007 10:01 AM |
Report from Megan Kuhl - St. Joseph Worker |
Report from the Heart of Camden, New Jersey
Megan Kuhl, St. Joseph Worker, Campus Ministry
The middle of October allows us to enjoy the beautiful fall colors, the wonderful Minnesota harvest and the infamous MEA weekend. October 18-22 offered a new gift for me and the 11 others that traveled to the Archbishop Oscar Romero Center in Camden, New Jersey. It was an amazing experience to not only live out our Gospel values for the Preferential Option for the Poor, but also to get to know the 10 senior students and fellow faculty member. Not only were we able to discuss the issues surrounding poverty, racism, privilege, and our call to help the poor, but also to dignify their lives. Our service included serving meals, but also eating with the people of Camden and Philadelphia; dancing, laughing, talking, and building community with the people of these communities.
Our faith teaches us about the two feet of social justice. We are called not only to serve those who are less fortunate and have direct contact with poor, but also to be in solidarity and ask why anyone is poor. The Romero Center did an amazing job showing how to live a balanced, Christian life by looking at direct service as well as the harsh reality people face as being part of a system that keeps people in poverty. The students responded fabulously to the balance of roles we must play. One night, while hearing a homeless man from Boston speak, the students were asked questions of why the Church allows its doors to be locked when there are people sleeping on their steps. As we examined the numbers for what constitutes “poverty,” they asked why people have to live on $12 for a family of 4 per day under the welfare system. And as we heard personal stories, they questioned why people who have jobs need to visit drop in shelters to get food, clothes and community?
I am very proud to be part of such an amazing Cretin-Derham Hall community that encourages students not only to give dignity to people by serving them, but also to question the system itself. As Catholics we are called to follow Jesus: to love tenderly, to act justly and to walk humbly with God. For whatever we do for the least of God’s people, we do for God. Thanks to those students (and faculty) that went on the trip for their outstanding participation and energy: Andra Belland, Andrea Caruso, Sarah Caruso, Gus Lopez, Charlie Randall, Marie Frias, Michelle Casemore, Katie Weber, Liz Hamburger, Maureen Baker, and Ms. Martha Boerschlein Tracy.
|
|
Becky Chabot - Posted by Irene O'Neill
01-5-2007 10:02 AM |
Report from Becky Chabot - St. Joseph Worker |
No Excuse 2015. I am part of the first generation that can eliminate poverty and No Excuse 2015 is the theme of the Millennium Campaign. Now, you might be wondering what this has to do with working at a Catholic high school. And that’s a valid question. I am the St. Joseph Worker at Cretin-Derham Hall High School this year and while I do a lot of different things in Campus Ministry, justice education is my passion. My goal this year is to introduce the Millennium Development Goals to the students and encourage them to get involved in making this world a better place. Together, we can eliminate poverty by 2015.
One of the projects I am working on is teaching the students about alternative ways to spend their money around Christmas time. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars at the mall on products that actually encourage the cycles of poverty and violence that hold much of the world hostage, my job is to teach them about Fair Trade products and encourage them to really think about what it means to be a citizen of the world. One of the positive aspects of consumer culture is that we have the ability to put our money where our mouths are; we have the right to support only those companies whose business practices we agree with. It’s pretty heady stuff for high school students to wrap their minds around, and so my challenge is to make it accessible for them.
I was in El Salvador a few years ago and had the opportunity to live with a Salvadoran coffee family. In those six short days, I learned about the extreme importance of Fair Trade and how much of a difference it makes in the lives of the families who receive fair wages. Last year, my Salvadoran family’s home had collapsed and because they were paid a fair wage, they were able to rebuild their home. I believe that it’s the personal that will teach these students how to be better global citizens and I am excited to continue to walk with them as they uncover a world of poverty, violence, grace, and hope.
By Becky Chabot
|
|
Berit Nelson - posted by Irene O'Neill
01-5-2007 10:12 AM |
Report from Berit Nelson, St. Joseph Worker |
Greetings from INSTEP! We have experienced some rather big changes in the new year, But to say that INSTEP has changed might be considered a little presumptuous, because INSTEP is always changing. Our children are constantly growing, learning, and therefore changing. Some are learning how to walk (in fact, one took her first steps a few weeks ago!), some are learning how to babble, and some are learning how to count and recognize certain letters of the alphabet. Perhaps the best part about being a St. Joseph Worker at INSTEP is that no two days will ever be the same. I am continually surprised by the ways in which children are so capable at, specifically, modeling positive behavior as shown by their families, teachers, and perhaps most of all, each other. Little stories every day remind me of this, two of which I will tell.
One afternoon in September, two toddlers got up from their nap. As usual, they walked over to the closet to get their shoes. Instead of going over to the two boys to help put their shoes on, I watched as they sat down together. One of the boys was 3 years old at the time, the other 2. As the 2 year old struggled to get one of his shoes on, the 3-year old looked over and said, "No. Let me help." I smiled, amazed, while I watched the 3-year old help put the 2-year old's shoes on. From that day forward, I realized the extent to which children at INSTEP learn how to take care of each other. They learn the value (whether they realize it or not!) of interdependence.
Then again, in November, I saw it again. One of the infants began to cry, and while I picked her up, one of the other children (at only 2 years old!) went to retrieve her bottle from the other side of the room (this is also to say that he knew this partcular infant's bottle from all the rest). He walked back to me and offered me the bottle, saying, "I think she's hungry". Stunned, I thanked the toddler for his wisdom (he was correct, of course). While developmental psychologists use the term "centration" to refer to the ways in which especially toddlers by and large behave in mostly self-centered ways, I have to wonder...How did our children learn how to care about each other so well?
INSTEP is a place of great hope. The changes we have experienced recently clearly aren't the first, and certainly won't be the last. Because our children will continue to grow, reminding us all that we need each other to thrive.
|
|
Johanna Hatch - posted by Irene O'Neill
01-5-2007 10:14 AM |
Report from Johanna Hatch, St. Joseph Worker |
“What difference does Sarah's make?”
by Johanna Hatch, St Joseph Worker
As part of our ongoing training as St Joseph Workers, the five of us who are participating in this program for the year took a tour of local homeless shelters in Minneapolis. One of the shelters that we visited was a metro area women's shelter, which provides shelter for 20-30 area women every night. The shelter is housed in the basement of a church in the Phillips neighborhood and provides a foam mat to sleep on, linens, a hot dinner, showers, and a washer and dryer for the women to use. Admittedly, this is much better than having to sleep on the streets, but at 7:00 A.M. every morning, the women who use this shelter must pack up all their belongings and go back to the streets until the shelters are allowed to reopen by law, at 7:00 P.M., regardless of the weather. There is no permanence, no security, and the shelter is never really a replacement for home.
Homelessness continues to be a growing problem for women in Minnesota. According to the Wilder Research Center's 2003 statewide survey of homeless individuals, women have made up around thirty percent of individuals in shelters since 1991 (the first year the survey was administered). However, the problem is growing in raw numbers. In 1991, 780 women were homeless statewide. In 2003, that number had risen to 2032. Of the adults surveyed, including those who had no shelter, thirty one percent were women who were homeless due to domestic violence. African American individuals are disproportionately represented in the homeless population, making up forty percent of the homeless population while making up on three percent of the total population of Minnesota.
When we look at this vulnerable population, we see a lack of value for basic human needs in our state and federal budgets. Wilder Research Center reports that at the time of the 2003 survey, fifty-nine percent of shelter providers reported that their services were affected by state, federal, and local budget cuts. Additionally, forty percent of homeless individuals surveyed were on a waiting list for housing assistance, with an average wait time of ten months.
Sarah’s, however, is a small yet powerful antidote to this problem. More than shelter, Sarah's provides home, safety, and community. Each woman is given her own room, telephone line, and key to the front door.
To ask, “What difference does Sarah's make?” is like asking, “What difference does any home make?” Home is a complex concept, conjuring up many different ideas for each of us. When I think of home, I think of a place where I was nurtured, encouraged to be the best I could be, to follow my dreams. It is a place where I was constantly reminded that I was good enough and smart enough. It is a place where I was taught the skills I needed to be self-sufficient: cooking, cleaning, opening a checking account, making my bed and doing my own laundry. A home like this can make a huge difference in an individual's life. A home can give you the solace and security you need to imagine that your life can be different.
For the women of Sarah's, this place is a home like that. A home like that makes a difference for everyone who has ever had one. As Sarah's makes a difference in the life of one woman at a time, our impact on our community and our world grows. Women who have come to Sarah's and use their time here to rest, get healthy, go to school, and find permanent employment and homes for themselves.
Sarah’s not only makes a difference to the women who have lived here, but it also makes a difference to those of us who have the unique opportunity to work here. Although I have been here only since August, these past months have been an eye opening experience. I have learned what I feel is a huge amount about issues such as immigration, housing, and health care, and I know I have still only seen the tip of the iceberg. Hearing laughter and singing throughout the house reminds me that in a supportive and safe environment, healing really is possible. And on those precious occasions when a woman learns a new skill and smiles at me and thanks me, I know that I can make a difference too.
One of my favorite quotes comes from the Talmud, and it is, “Whoever destroys a single life destroys the entire world; whoever saves a single life saves the world entire.” Sarah's is a world-saving place, judging by this criteria. And what greater difference can be made than saving the whole world?
|
|
Deb Forstner
01-6-2007 07:06 AM |
RE: December 29, 2006 - Leaders Can See the Sky |
Thank you for responding to my request. These are all beautifully written reflections. Deb |
|
DuchEstashMuh
05-28-2010 10:37 AM |
!!! FREE PORN PORN 169563147 PORN FREE !!! |
[url=http://www.google.com][img]http://www.foreskinuncut.com/thumbnails/gay-cum-shots.jpg[/img][/url]
[b]!!! FREE PORN PORN 169563147 PORN FREE !!![/b]
[b]!!! FREE PORN PORN 169563147 PORN FREE !!![/b]
[url=http://mbxcvkjhdgkjh369876dfkjhxcv.com]9876345iu7ydsfjygsgfjb124oiu[/url] |
|
| |