Poor St. Ignatius... in the snow resembling a Venitian Doge.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
bonus melior optimus
"These paychecks are highly rational from the shareholders' perspective. The basic pay structure is the same at all of these banks. The bankers make relatively modest base salaries and receive most of their compensation in the form of bonuses. The average bonuses will be around $500,000-$595,000 at Goldman Sachs and $463,000 at JP Morgan Chase, but some will make far more (as much as eight figures). These bonuses are big and they are unremittingly linked to performance. Together a mere five banks -- Citigroup, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, all of which got billions of bailout dollars -- have allocated about $90 billion for overall compensation, with bonuses comprising more than half."
Jonathan Macey
My simple mind tells me that giving large bonuses (Latin: to the good) to people who work for companies that wouldn't exist if not for billions in a government bailout (read taxpayer money) is ludicrous. Through their own greed and stupidity they almost brought down our financial system, but unlike a small business that would just be left to go out of business -- they were "too big" to let what should have happened -- happen. In true laissez-faire capitalism (those who do not want the government to interfere in business matters, or if governments do involve themselves in business matters, to keep government influence to a minimum) they would be unemployed now, not receiving billions in undeserved bonuses. We should have expected this from the Wall Street types who give hundreds of millions in golden parachutes to CEOs who run companies into the ground.
They are no different then degenerate gamblers who loses all their money and then file bankruptcy to avoid paying what they should... but when they win keep it all. Fr. Jim Martin, SJ, a Wharton graduate and former GE Capital executive prior to joining the Society, has an alternative...
Jonathan Macey
My simple mind tells me that giving large bonuses (Latin: to the good) to people who work for companies that wouldn't exist if not for billions in a government bailout (read taxpayer money) is ludicrous. Through their own greed and stupidity they almost brought down our financial system, but unlike a small business that would just be left to go out of business -- they were "too big" to let what should have happened -- happen. In true laissez-faire capitalism (those who do not want the government to interfere in business matters, or if governments do involve themselves in business matters, to keep government influence to a minimum) they would be unemployed now, not receiving billions in undeserved bonuses. We should have expected this from the Wall Street types who give hundreds of millions in golden parachutes to CEOs who run companies into the ground.
They are no different then degenerate gamblers who loses all their money and then file bankruptcy to avoid paying what they should... but when they win keep it all. Fr. Jim Martin, SJ, a Wharton graduate and former GE Capital executive prior to joining the Society, has an alternative...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Mass Class
Mass Class
Mass is a very ancient tradition that goes all the way back to Jesus’ Last Supper with his apostles–the meal he ate with his most trusted friends before his sacrificial death. At that solemn time, Jesus spoke with his apostles and shared with them his own body and blood in the form of bread and wine. These twin themes have been essential to the Catholic Mass–and the entire Catholic experience–ever since: the development of community and sharing of God’s word coupled with the sacrifice of Christ, giving his body and blood (in the form of bread and wine) for us to consume and so be one with his body.
Mass as our High Point
The Mass is a big deal for Catholics. According to the General Instruction on the Roman Missal, which is sort of the official user’s guide to the Mass, it is central both to the communal life of the Catholic Church and also to the individual experience of each Catholic. It’s the “high point” of our ability to worship God and God’s ability to “sanctify,” or make holy the world in which we live. In fact, all the other “sacred actions and all the activities of the Christian life are bound up with it, flow from it, and are ordered to it” (16). Of course, we think it’s a good time too. For more information on the Mass, just click any of the links below.
Why Call It the Mass?
The name Mass comes from the Latin phrase that was said when people left the Sunday celebration: "Ite, missa est."» read more
Five Ways to Think About the Mass
Mass is not often thought of as a celebration, particularly by the small children who are forced to go. However, the Last Supper, which was the original Eucharistic celebration, was in many ways the first Mass.» read more
Why Does the Mass Matter Anyway?
There are all sorts of things we could tell you about why the Mass matters. There is theology about why you need to go to Church. There is a deep spiritual tradition about what the Mass can provide.» read more
Cast and Crew
Elsewhere in Mass Class, we've talked about the Mass as a celebration. Now, for small celebrations-especially religious ones-all you need is some pizza and a few fine, religious movies, like "Office Space" or "The Bourne Identity."» read more
Mass is a very ancient tradition that goes all the way back to Jesus’ Last Supper with his apostles–the meal he ate with his most trusted friends before his sacrificial death. At that solemn time, Jesus spoke with his apostles and shared with them his own body and blood in the form of bread and wine. These twin themes have been essential to the Catholic Mass–and the entire Catholic experience–ever since: the development of community and sharing of God’s word coupled with the sacrifice of Christ, giving his body and blood (in the form of bread and wine) for us to consume and so be one with his body.
Mass as our High Point
The Mass is a big deal for Catholics. According to the General Instruction on the Roman Missal, which is sort of the official user’s guide to the Mass, it is central both to the communal life of the Catholic Church and also to the individual experience of each Catholic. It’s the “high point” of our ability to worship God and God’s ability to “sanctify,” or make holy the world in which we live. In fact, all the other “sacred actions and all the activities of the Christian life are bound up with it, flow from it, and are ordered to it” (16). Of course, we think it’s a good time too. For more information on the Mass, just click any of the links below.
Why Call It the Mass?
The name Mass comes from the Latin phrase that was said when people left the Sunday celebration: "Ite, missa est."» read more
Five Ways to Think About the Mass
Mass is not often thought of as a celebration, particularly by the small children who are forced to go. However, the Last Supper, which was the original Eucharistic celebration, was in many ways the first Mass.» read more
Why Does the Mass Matter Anyway?There are all sorts of things we could tell you about why the Mass matters. There is theology about why you need to go to Church. There is a deep spiritual tradition about what the Mass can provide.» read more
Cast and Crew
Elsewhere in Mass Class, we've talked about the Mass as a celebration. Now, for small celebrations-especially religious ones-all you need is some pizza and a few fine, religious movies, like "Office Space" or "The Bourne Identity."» read more
What to do at Mass?
It's helpful to think of Mass as a dinner party. Here are five tips that will make it go well.» read more
It's helpful to think of Mass as a dinner party. Here are five tips that will make it go well.» read more
What’s Happening in the Mass?
The gathering rite gives a formal beginning to our mass and sets the mood. It is helpful to have this start, so that we all know that this is the time to open ourselves more fully to the presence of God and to leave our preoccupation with schedules, plans, and other daily concerns behind.» read more
Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation is the term used to explain the change that actually happens to the bread and wine offered at Mass into the Body and blood of Christ.» read more
From steaing bases to saving souls...
Call-up of different kind for OF Desme :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
BY DAVE HOEKSTRA Sun-Times Columnist
Grant Desme knew there was a higher ground even when he was playing for the low-Class A Kane County Cougars.
The 23-year-old outfielder announced his retirement from professional baseball Friday.
He is joining the priesthood.
The outfielder was on the Cougars' 2009 Opening Day roster and played 69 of 70 games before being promoted to Class A Stockton. Desme was the only player with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in the minors last season.
The Cougars are an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Desme informed A's general manager Billy Beane of his decision Thursday. ''Coming at him with this out of the blue was a shock,'' Desme said Friday. ''It knocked him off his horse a bit. But he was very supportive and understanding, which I appreciate.''
Desme led the Arizona Fall League with 11 home runs and was named the MVP. He decided to enroll in the Catholic seminary St. Michael's Abbey in Orange County, Calif., after the fall league concluded. His final game was in the league championship Nov. 21.
''I knew it was a good chance of being the last baseball game I would play,'' Desme said, ''which was ironic considering I hit a home run and proceeded to strike out twice. That defined my career. There was no sad feeling.'' Desme visited the abbey and checked out the way of life.
''I let it sink in for a week or two,'' said Desme, who was born Catholic in Bakersfield, Calif. ''I talked to quite a few different priests and my family about the desire I was having. I kept this to myself in the baseball community. I decided I was going to apply. They sped up the process to accept me. Its about a 10-year process of studying and formation. In comparison, I'm re-entering the minor leagues.''
He will enter the abbey in August. When Desme played for the Cougars, he relied on spiritual material to pass time on the tedious Midwest League bus trips.
''I'd read books and bring my Bible,'' he said. ''I'd study or look on the Internet. I wasn't as good about it as I should have been.''
Baseball America ranked Desme eighth among prospects in the Athletics' organization. He never considered becoming a priest while also playing baseball.
''I wanted to give my life completely to God,'' he said. ''Something like this is very little compared to what he has done for me.''
AMDG Partners
That 'Always Sunny' bar is moving forward Philadelphia Inquirer
The Fx comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is built around life at a Philly bar, and now a real bar to be part-owned by the show's creator/star is inching closer to opening.
Mac's Tavern -- at 226 Market St. in Old City, where Skinner's is now -- may even debut in time for St. Patrick's Day. (Note the new name; it was "Mac's Olde Towne Tavern" early on.)
This week, the Old City Civic Association told the state Liquor Control Board that it would not oppose the liquor-license application, the association's Richard Thom confirmed.
The new ownership group -- which includes Rob McElhenney, a few St. Joseph's Prep alumni, and his wife/co-star, Kaitlin ("Sweet Dee") Olson-- has assured neighbors that there will be no amplified music or dance floor, Thom said.
Nothing about random stagings of The Nightman Cometh, however.
There are plans to showcase smaller acoustic musical talent, said Eric Vesotsky, one of the partners. "We need to remain at a reasonable decibel level and can run sound through our house jukebox/TV speakers for such performances, however, we will never amplify such music."
Still unclear is whether the new owners will simply keep the bar open during the transition, or if they will close briefly to clean it up, said Bill Morrin, the attorney representing AMDG Partners. (Gotta love the choice of initials, which stand for "Ad maiorem Dei gloriam," as in "For the greater glory of God," the Jesuit motto.)It's also not clear just how often the stars will actually be at Mac's, or, for that matter, if it will be used in the series in any way. Always Sunny makes annual pilgrimages to its namesake city to shoot exteriors.
Vesotsky will operate the bar with another of McElhenney's schoolmates, Ben Haney, who actually taught at the Prep. Recently, the names of two additional investors showed up in LCB paperwork: Todd Biermann, another Prep grad, and his fiancee, actress Andrea Roth of the Fx series Rescue Me.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Accu Weather says it's going to....
SNOW!
Buried again... so far in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area we're looking at 20 inches, and it hasn't stopped yet. Another 8 inches could be coming on Tuesday ;-(, according to Philadelphia News - 6abc.com.
I'm off today but we still have six show at the Walnut Street Theatre today. 35 people, out of a sold out show of 1,100, showed up. We NEVER close... although the USPS called it a day today.
The R2 from Wilmington was cancelled today -- stranding my buddy who finally got a ride in to Center City. Hopefully the PATCO is running tomorrow or I'll be walking across the Ben Franklin Bridge.
At least Snickers is having some fun.
Downtown Philly is empty....
and they're digging out in Northeast Philly.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Jesuit Refugee Service: Kino Border / Haiti
picture courtesy of...
Jesuit Refugee Service-USA: Kino Border Initiative
Kino Border Initiative
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With the Kino Border Initiative, JRS/USA has expanded the pastoral care that we have provided undocumented non-citizens over the last nine years in our chaplaincy program at U.S. detention centers. We are now reaching out to men, women and children – most of whom are Mexican citizens – who were detained by the U.S. government and then deported.
Sr. Engracia Robles, center, and volunteers serve hot meals to more than 200
people every day at the Kino Border Initiative's facility in Nogales, Mexico.
(Robert Dolan, S.J. for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA)
Some of the most forgotten and the most vulnerable people in the United States are those migrants held in federal immigration detention centers pending deportation. The vulnerability of these people does not end with deportation, however; many of the migrants we encounter at the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, Mexico, find themselves stranded in the border town far away from their homes and families, with few options or resources to plan for a future life in Mexico or Central America.
To help these forgotten people, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and five partner organizations officially launched the Kino Border Initiative in the twin cities of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico and Nogales, Arizona, U.S.A., in January of 2009.
(Robert Dolan, S.J. for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA)
Some of the most forgotten and the most vulnerable people in the United States are those migrants held in federal immigration detention centers pending deportation. The vulnerability of these people does not end with deportation, however; many of the migrants we encounter at the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, Mexico, find themselves stranded in the border town far away from their homes and families, with few options or resources to plan for a future life in Mexico or Central America.
To help these forgotten people, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and five partner organizations officially launched the Kino Border Initiative in the twin cities of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico and Nogales, Arizona, U.S.A., in January of 2009.
Kino Border Initiative press conference, part 1 from Jesuit Refugee Service/USA on Vimeo.
The bi-national ministry is a collaborative effort among Jesuit Refugee Service/USA, the California Province of the Society of Jesus, the Mexico Province of the Society of Jesus, the Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist, the Archdiocese of Hermosillo and the Diocese of Tucson.
“One of the most gratifying things about this effort is that it is a partnership amongst so many … committed groups,” said Rev. John McGarry, S.J., Provincial of the California Province of the Society of Jesus as the project was inaugurated last year.
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Jesuit Refugee Service: Praying with Refugees in Haiti
February 2010
Brother Jim Boynton, S.J. is a U.S. Jesuit who began working with Jesuit Refugee Service in Haiti in November, 2009. His first assignment was to serve as the director of a Fe y Alegría school for poor children in Wanament area of northeastern Haiti along the border with the Dominican Republic.
When the earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, Jim’s life took an unexpectedly different course. He joined the Jesuit emergency relief response to the quake’s untold number of victims in Port-au-Prince. During the past weeks he has helped to facilitate and support the work of U.S. doctors, nurses and paramedics as they care for the thousands of seriously wounded Haitian people. They have saved many lives by courageous medical efforts, often performing surgeries in the most trying of situations.
Working at a makeshift clinic in Port-au-Prince, Br. Jim Boynton, S.J. holds an IV for a person injured in the earthquake.
What follows are a few selections from Brother Jim Boynton’s diary during the days following the disastrous earthquake.
January 18, 2010
I am new to Haiti, and only arrived on November 1 to work in a school. To be honest I was nervous about that, but a school in Haiti now seems no more daunting than a classroom at University of Detroit Jesuit High School, or St. Ignatius Cleveland, where I taught history for years. What is daunting now is Haiti itself. “Haiti cherie,” or “dear Haiti,” as this country is called by those who love her, is suffering. The news may report that help is being sent from all over the world, but today we are six days past the quake, yet at our location we were the first foreign aid to arrive. Most is bottlenecked in the airport.
January 19, 2010
At Christmas I told my friend, Father Jim Williams, that someday I hoped to have a love for the Haitian people that was not based on pity. This island seemed like a latrine, and the people only to be pitied. Pity is not bad, but it makes you the superior; it sets up an inequality and puts me at the top. After what I have seen these last few days, now when it would make most sense to pity these poor people I have none. My pity has grown to respect and admiration. Overnight I have come to love these people in a way that makes them a model for me, and clearly puts them on a higher plane than I will ever be.
January 22, 2010
The role of faith then is the role of action, and nothing is needed now more than action.
January 23, 2010
Twice today in the tap-tap [bus] I broke down and cried. I’m not embarrassed anymore to do that. Everyone on our team understands that reaction. My guess is most have done that as well. I ask myself how much of this can I take? Why can’t August be here already when I can go home and swim with my niece and nephews in a Michigan lake? Why can’t I see children other than those who want only a drink of water, or parents who are not grieving their dead children, buildings that are not a pile of rubble, or elderly who have the comfort my parents have and deserve? But then I stop and reflect . . . . I have hope, faith, and love, and therefore can take much, much more. My prayer is that, as noble as these people are, they do not lose their hope, faith, and love.
January 25, 2010
Our team neurosurgeon told us today that three of the worst wounded people in town were at a clinic and needed to get to surgery. We had no way to transport them and did not know what to do. At that moment someone noticed a large flatbed truck with the front window broken out. When I asked who owned the truck I had to laugh . . . it belongs to Fe y Alegría, the school I work for. In essence, it was my truck! We drove to the clinic, found the patients and transported them. They will never walk again, but they will live.
Thanks to Rich Brennan, SJU '81, for the heads up on Br. Jim Boyton, SJ
About time: PUTTING THE SAINT BACK IN VALENTINE’S DAY
It's about time -- something that has always ticked me off. I wonder when the secularists will proclaim just "Patrick's Day." For more on the saint click St. Valentine.
For immediate release: Thursday February 4, 2010
Putting the SAINT back in Valentine’s Day - CathNewsUSA
The Catholic Church has moved to reclaim St Valentine’s Day in a bold campaign focusing on the true meaning of the saint’s feast day and the importance of romance in marriage.
The national initiative, featured in an article in the February issue of The Southern Cross, provides parishes and Catholic school families with practical suggestions for celebrating St Valentine’s Day and encouraging married couples to spend more time together.
St Valentine was executed on February 14, 269AD for going against a decree by Roman ruler Claudius that weddings be suspended because he needed unattached men to serve in his armies.
Archbishop Philip Wilson said the campaign was an opportunity to advocate the sacred bond of marriage. He said one of the great tragedies in society today was the breakdown of marriage and home.
Brochures and other resources such as prepared homilies, items for newsletters and discussion points for community groups have been sent out to parishes and schools.The St Valentine’s Day campaign is also being publicised through the Catholic Church’s monthly newspaper The Southern Cross, which for the first time is available online in a new publishing arrangement with Solstice Media.
The first digital edition of the 143-year-old Southern Cross comes 10 years after the publication was revamped as a free newspaper distributed to all Catholic school families as well as to parishes throughout the State.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
pics from the Memorial Mass
The Memorial Mass for
Fr. John Deeney, SJ
The Chapel of Saint Joseph / Michael J. Smith , SJ Memorial
concelebrated by George Bur, SJ, Vincent Genovesi, SJ, Joseph Lacey, SJ, Terrance Toland, SJ, and James Moore, SJ.
Music by Fr. Deeney's family: Tommy Curtis, Tommy Curtis, Mae Roney, Joan Marie Curtis, and Julie Caramanico.
Tommy Curtis and Mae Roney / Fr. Deeney's sister Nancy with daughters Nancy, and Mary Gill.
Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary / Terrance Tolan, SJ a Prep classmate of Fr. Deeney, with Theresa Roney and the sisters of John Guidera, SJ.
Niece Jen Angelucci with nephew John Roney / Recessional hymn
Brothers Gerry and Ed Deeney
Communion / two Missionaries of Charity from Chester, PA.
Nieces Nancy Caramanico and Theresa Roney
Gerry Deeney gives the eulogy / some great pics
Two John Gills with George Bur, SJ
Two former Jamshedpur men: homilist Joe Lacey, SJ now at St. Alphonsus in Woodstock, with Joe Currie, SJ, now head of campus ministry at Fordham.
The Guidera sisters / Beth McCarthy and daughters
From the blog of George Bur, SJ -- The Spirit blows where it will...
This procession of mourners is viewing the body of Rev. John J. Deeney, S.J., a Philadelphian and Prep grad ('45) who ministered in the state of Jharkhand, India for over 50 years. He was buried in mid January at a school and church in Chaibasa, part of the native area of the Ho tribal people. Fr. Deeney was the first to work on a Ho-English dictionary. Over 2000 people attended his funeral Mass celebrated with 120 priests.
The lad leaning over the casket may be anointing Father Deeney with oils as is the Ho custom at funerals.
I was able to be present at a Memorial Mass in Philadelphia that was celebrated on January 30 for about 100 family members and friends, most from the Philadelphia area.
We had no marigolds but we did have flowers and we did present a small bag of rice at the offertory procession as is the Ho custom.
See John's obit article in the Philadelphia Inquirer (with a photograph) http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/83009977.html
From the blog of Joe Kozera, SJ -- The City and the World...
On another note, I ask you to join me in praying for the repose of the soul of Jesuit Father John Deeney, a Philadelphia native who recently died in his sixtieth year as a missionary in India. Though I never met Father Deeney, I've had the opportunity in the last few months to get to know a bit about him from conversations with other Jesuits here at SJU. Having joined the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1939 at the age of 18, in January 1950 John Deeney was sent to India to join what was then known as the Jamshedpur Mission. Together with a number of other Maryland Province Jesuits, Father Deeney became a founding member of the Jamshedpur Province of the Society and devoted the rest of his life to serving the people of northeastern India. Much of Father Deeney's life in India was spent ministering to members of a tribal group known as the Ho. In the tradition of earlier Jesuit missionaries, Father Deeney helped his flock preserve their language and culture by composing a Ho-English dictionary and grammar, translating the scriptures and the liturgy into the local language, and producing a number of ethnographic works on the common life and traditions of the Ho people.
If you would like to learn more about Father John Deeney, I suggest that you read these reflections by his friend Tom Brzozowski, an Ignaciophile and dedicated Hawk who blogs under the moniker "44." Tom's blog also has a moving report on Father Deeney's funeral, including photos sent by an Indian Jesuit. Finally, Tom also posts an appeal for funds to support a cause close to Father Deeney's heart: the construction of a new school building at St. Paul Miki Church in the Ho tribal region. As I join many others in praying for the repose of the soul of Father John Deeney, I pray also that the example of his life may inspire others to give of themselves in generous service. AMDG.
Judge alumnus in Haiti
'I am humbled by these people' National Catholic Reporter
Haiti -- First Person
Editor’s note: Fr. Tom Hagan, 68, a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, is founder of a nonprofit organization, “Hands Together”(handstogether.org), which began its work in 1985 when Hagan, then a chaplain at colleges in southeastern Pennsylvania, started taking students on visits to Haiti. Out of those visits grew a network of supporters and a respected relief organization. Hagan moved to Port-au-Prince in 1997 where he oversaw a program he had begun in Cité Soleil, that city’s largest and most desperate slum. The program is widely recognized as one of the most effective educational and health organizations in that area.
Tom Roberts, NCR’s editor at large, contacted Hagan by e-mail and asked him about his experience during the quake and his assessment of the future of Haiti and the church in that country. His response arrived by e-mail Jan. 24. With minor editing, the e-mail follows.
Dear Tom:
Sorry my first response did not get through! My setup here is a laptop on the ground next to a very loud electric gas generator and with what seems to be a thousand young all wanting to use the computer. I will try again.
This past week has been terrifying. I have lived through all the violence in Cité Soleil over the past years: being shot at and having guns held to my head, seeing people close to me down here shot, but none can compare to the horror of the earthquake. Doug Campbell, who has been with me for over 20 years and serves as the executive director of Hands Together, had just arrived. We were to meet with the archbishop the next morning about the situation in Cité Soleil.
Doug and I were sitting down talking when the quake began. I tried to get under a table that was only a few feet away but the floor was moving in the opposite direction. I felt totally disoriented and fortunately one of the young Haitians ran back into the house and grabbed me and Doug. There was almost total darkness and I could hear screaming but also singing, which seemed weird to me, but I was told that the people were praying.
I looked up at the rubble that was our house for volunteers, seminarians and street kids. I was bleeding from the head and there was a terrific pain in my back. Doug ran back into the rubble to try and begin to pull people out, but then we heard cries that the gas was leaking and that there would be an explosion. One of the street kids, Makenson, who was shot and is now blind and whom I found two years ago literally in the street, was crying out to me beneath all the rocks and debris but we could not get to him. [Makenson was eventually rescued.]
It was then that two ex-gang members from Cité Soleil ran up to me and carried me to Mother Teresa’s nuns. When I entered their compound they were already treating the wounded and they bandaged me up and I hobbled back to my place.
Throughout the night we held vigil, and slowly we were able to get everyone out except two of the 21 seminarians who were living with me in the house. I remember vividly that night seeing people who were burned badly by the electric wires that had fallen everywhere. The next night we were all huddled outside when we would experience a very large aftershock.
It was very frightening. On the same night at about midnight we began to hear screaming and people were screaming that there was a tidal wave coming. We all started running, and for the next hour I, along with thousands of people, were moving to higher ground. We did not know what to believe.
I am ashamed to say that I am still frightened, but now I am also experiencing a feeling of being overwhelmed. When I go through Cité Soleil now I see the eight schools that we built (schools that were totally free and the only free schools like that in the country with more than 9,000 kids). I walk past what was once our clinic that took care of 20,000 -- again the only totally free clinic in the area. I see what once were the houses that we built for 150 people and the elderly projects for over 800. I look at the large kitchen area where people prepared hot meals each day for over 10,000 -- and all of it is gone.
There is also the problem of the destroyed prison, from which over 4,500 men were freed. They all escaped, and there is a side of me that is happy that they did. Many of them should never have been there. I would visit the prison every week and there were as many as 600 in one holding cell and many of them had never even been in front of a judge.
Unfortunately, some are psychopaths, and all of them are now back in Cité Soleil.
I just came from offering four Masses. Each time I would finish, another crowd would come up and ask for Mass. This is a real comfort to me and more than ever I realize that I, we, can’t survive if we do not simply put everything into God’s hands. I’ve got to work hard to practice this.
Tom, you ask about the church. Well, the people here lost a very holy man [Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot] and a very good bishop, especially one who was supportive of me in Cité Soleil. He was a good friend, and I will miss him greatly. But the church will survive.
It is during a time like this that I find myself very proud of my church. Everywhere you go, you will see the church reaching out now and helping the people. The Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s nuns) are just amazing. The people here have a great faith. When I go to Cité Soleil now, as I do every day, I see few tears. The people have an amazing resiliency. Maybe it is because they have few material possessions and apparently their happiness does not depend upon possessions. The sight of a sunset means more to them that their possessions. What makes me most proud of my church is that the message we give the people is that they have enormous worth in the eyes of God and that they are infinitely loved and that this terrible disaster is in no way a punishment from God.
I recently said this in a sermon and the people all stood up and began clapping and cheering. I had to ask the altar server why they were clapping (I thought that I had said some thing wrong because my Creole is not good) and he said, “Father, no one ever tells them that they have worth.”
The Catholic church will survive, and I am sure of it.
But the longer I am here, the less I know. I really could not speak with much authority about what will happen with the government or even what would be the best way to help the people. I also struggle a great deal even being here. I feel strongly that we can do a great deal of harm with the best intentions when we begin to be the benefactor.
Even with all this aid coming in, we must go slowly, and every step of the way we must include the Haitians in the decision-making.
During these very difficult days, I find myself really loving these people. These are the same people who endured the slave ships, a horrible system of slavery, and who would be the ones who would eventually defeat Napoleon. They would continue to suffer greatly but they have a strength that is remarkable. I am humbled by them and privileged to be with them.
Pray for me. Take care!
Tom Hagan, OSFS
Haiti -- First Person
Editor’s note: Fr. Tom Hagan, 68, a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, is founder of a nonprofit organization, “Hands Together”(handstogether.org), which began its work in 1985 when Hagan, then a chaplain at colleges in southeastern Pennsylvania, started taking students on visits to Haiti. Out of those visits grew a network of supporters and a respected relief organization. Hagan moved to Port-au-Prince in 1997 where he oversaw a program he had begun in Cité Soleil, that city’s largest and most desperate slum. The program is widely recognized as one of the most effective educational and health organizations in that area.
Tom Roberts, NCR’s editor at large, contacted Hagan by e-mail and asked him about his experience during the quake and his assessment of the future of Haiti and the church in that country. His response arrived by e-mail Jan. 24. With minor editing, the e-mail follows.
Dear Tom:
Sorry my first response did not get through! My setup here is a laptop on the ground next to a very loud electric gas generator and with what seems to be a thousand young all wanting to use the computer. I will try again.
This past week has been terrifying. I have lived through all the violence in Cité Soleil over the past years: being shot at and having guns held to my head, seeing people close to me down here shot, but none can compare to the horror of the earthquake. Doug Campbell, who has been with me for over 20 years and serves as the executive director of Hands Together, had just arrived. We were to meet with the archbishop the next morning about the situation in Cité Soleil.
Doug and I were sitting down talking when the quake began. I tried to get under a table that was only a few feet away but the floor was moving in the opposite direction. I felt totally disoriented and fortunately one of the young Haitians ran back into the house and grabbed me and Doug. There was almost total darkness and I could hear screaming but also singing, which seemed weird to me, but I was told that the people were praying.
I looked up at the rubble that was our house for volunteers, seminarians and street kids. I was bleeding from the head and there was a terrific pain in my back. Doug ran back into the rubble to try and begin to pull people out, but then we heard cries that the gas was leaking and that there would be an explosion. One of the street kids, Makenson, who was shot and is now blind and whom I found two years ago literally in the street, was crying out to me beneath all the rocks and debris but we could not get to him. [Makenson was eventually rescued.]
It was then that two ex-gang members from Cité Soleil ran up to me and carried me to Mother Teresa’s nuns. When I entered their compound they were already treating the wounded and they bandaged me up and I hobbled back to my place.Throughout the night we held vigil, and slowly we were able to get everyone out except two of the 21 seminarians who were living with me in the house. I remember vividly that night seeing people who were burned badly by the electric wires that had fallen everywhere. The next night we were all huddled outside when we would experience a very large aftershock.
It was very frightening. On the same night at about midnight we began to hear screaming and people were screaming that there was a tidal wave coming. We all started running, and for the next hour I, along with thousands of people, were moving to higher ground. We did not know what to believe.
I am ashamed to say that I am still frightened, but now I am also experiencing a feeling of being overwhelmed. When I go through Cité Soleil now I see the eight schools that we built (schools that were totally free and the only free schools like that in the country with more than 9,000 kids). I walk past what was once our clinic that took care of 20,000 -- again the only totally free clinic in the area. I see what once were the houses that we built for 150 people and the elderly projects for over 800. I look at the large kitchen area where people prepared hot meals each day for over 10,000 -- and all of it is gone.
There is also the problem of the destroyed prison, from which over 4,500 men were freed. They all escaped, and there is a side of me that is happy that they did. Many of them should never have been there. I would visit the prison every week and there were as many as 600 in one holding cell and many of them had never even been in front of a judge.
Unfortunately, some are psychopaths, and all of them are now back in Cité Soleil.
I just came from offering four Masses. Each time I would finish, another crowd would come up and ask for Mass. This is a real comfort to me and more than ever I realize that I, we, can’t survive if we do not simply put everything into God’s hands. I’ve got to work hard to practice this.
Tom, you ask about the church. Well, the people here lost a very holy man [Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot] and a very good bishop, especially one who was supportive of me in Cité Soleil. He was a good friend, and I will miss him greatly. But the church will survive.
It is during a time like this that I find myself very proud of my church. Everywhere you go, you will see the church reaching out now and helping the people. The Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s nuns) are just amazing. The people here have a great faith. When I go to Cité Soleil now, as I do every day, I see few tears. The people have an amazing resiliency. Maybe it is because they have few material possessions and apparently their happiness does not depend upon possessions. The sight of a sunset means more to them that their possessions. What makes me most proud of my church is that the message we give the people is that they have enormous worth in the eyes of God and that they are infinitely loved and that this terrible disaster is in no way a punishment from God.
I recently said this in a sermon and the people all stood up and began clapping and cheering. I had to ask the altar server why they were clapping (I thought that I had said some thing wrong because my Creole is not good) and he said, “Father, no one ever tells them that they have worth.”
The Catholic church will survive, and I am sure of it.
But the longer I am here, the less I know. I really could not speak with much authority about what will happen with the government or even what would be the best way to help the people. I also struggle a great deal even being here. I feel strongly that we can do a great deal of harm with the best intentions when we begin to be the benefactor.
Even with all this aid coming in, we must go slowly, and every step of the way we must include the Haitians in the decision-making.
During these very difficult days, I find myself really loving these people. These are the same people who endured the slave ships, a horrible system of slavery, and who would be the ones who would eventually defeat Napoleon. They would continue to suffer greatly but they have a strength that is remarkable. I am humbled by them and privileged to be with them.
Pray for me. Take care!
Tom Hagan, OSFS
AN URGENT REQUEST FROM FR. JOE:
I am asking all friends, alumni, and members of the Father Judge High School Community to join with me to help the people of Haiti and fellow Judge Alumnus, Fr. Tom Hagan, OSFS ’59. As reported last week, Fr. Hagan is alive however his Mission House was destroyed and two of his Oblate Seminarians were killed. Fr. Hagan’s Mission, “Hands Together,” which Fr. Tom founded 15 years ago has founded schools, developed water systems, and built feeding centers in Port au Prince. What’s more, he has brought hope to countless people living in dire poverty. Fr. Tom spoke with our Provincial, Fr. Jim Greenfield OSFS ‘79, expressing a great need of help and prayers for the people he ministers.
I am now calling on you to help our Brother Crusader and Oblate Priest help the people of Haiti during this time of disaster and destruction. I beg you to send whatever financial means you can to help.
Please make checks payable to “Hands Together” and send them to the President’s Office, Father Judge High School, 3301 Solly Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19136 and I will personally make sure your donation will get to Fr. Tom ASAP.
I am asking all friends, alumni, and members of the Father Judge High School Community to join with me to help the people of Haiti and fellow Judge Alumnus, Fr. Tom Hagan, OSFS ’59. As reported last week, Fr. Hagan is alive however his Mission House was destroyed and two of his Oblate Seminarians were killed. Fr. Hagan’s Mission, “Hands Together,” which Fr. Tom founded 15 years ago has founded schools, developed water systems, and built feeding centers in Port au Prince. What’s more, he has brought hope to countless people living in dire poverty. Fr. Tom spoke with our Provincial, Fr. Jim Greenfield OSFS ‘79, expressing a great need of help and prayers for the people he ministers.
I am now calling on you to help our Brother Crusader and Oblate Priest help the people of Haiti during this time of disaster and destruction. I beg you to send whatever financial means you can to help.
Please make checks payable to “Hands Together” and send them to the President’s Office, Father Judge High School, 3301 Solly Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19136 and I will personally make sure your donation will get to Fr. Tom ASAP.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
JVWIV
A nice story about Andrew Heesen's Uncle Jack, his cousin, and his son.
You know where this is going, right? Exactly. Jack Walsh IV wound up being the star. You can't make this up. Especially with this variable mixed in: The youngest Jack Walsh is the Vikings' sixth man and not exactly a vital component, at least for now.
But with Dad drawing the X's and O's, and Grandpop beaming from a wheelchair in the northeast corner of the gym, and winding up in tears as he and his wife, Ann, greeted postgame visitors, son enjoyed the outing of his varsity life. (click title for the entire article)
Wood's Walsh makes his family proud in win over Dougherty Philadelphia Daily News
By TED SILARY
silaryt@phillynews.com
JOHN VINCENT WALSH had a message for John Vincent Walsh about John Vincent Walsh.
That's III to IV in reference to Jr., if you're scoring at home.
Unfortunately, home is where Jack Walsh Jr. has spent most of the last 4 years after suffering a pair of devastating strokes. But his son, Jack III, finally persuaded him to come out last night and watch the basketball team he coaches, Archbishop Wood High.
By TED SILARY
silaryt@phillynews.com
JOHN VINCENT WALSH had a message for John Vincent Walsh about John Vincent Walsh.
That's III to IV in reference to Jr., if you're scoring at home.
Unfortunately, home is where Jack Walsh Jr. has spent most of the last 4 years after suffering a pair of devastating strokes. But his son, Jack III, finally persuaded him to come out last night and watch the basketball team he coaches, Archbishop Wood High.
You know where this is going, right? Exactly. Jack Walsh IV wound up being the star. You can't make this up. Especially with this variable mixed in: The youngest Jack Walsh is the Vikings' sixth man and not exactly a vital component, at least for now.
But with Dad drawing the X's and O's, and Grandpop beaming from a wheelchair in the northeast corner of the gym, and winding up in tears as he and his wife, Ann, greeted postgame visitors, son enjoyed the outing of his varsity life. (click title for the entire article)
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