Journey: Summer 2002
Contents
• Audience Moved by 'Dead Man Walking' Opera
• Gala Brings Pleasure, Serves Congregation
• Chatawa Study Days a Fulfilling Experience
• Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
• The Gifts and Challenges of Pastoral Ministry
• Building a Culture of Vocations
• S. Thecla, SJA Alumnae Honored
• Crookston Sisters Celebrate
• S. Thecla Kramer, CSJ
Audience Moved by 'Dead Man Walking' Opera
Editor's note: In July the opera Dead
Man Walking, based on S. Helen's book of the same title,
was performed in Cincinnati. Two reactions to the production
are printed here. In the next Journey, you'll find coverage
of the reception honoring S. Helen.>
S. Ruth Kettman, director of the Peace and Justice Office
for the Diocese of Covington, KY, called the opera "a journey
of redemption." She writes:
The story was significant and the music magnificent! A story
of redemption is often told best through the arts. Such
has been the experience of Dead Man Walking--the book, the
film, and now the opera. On July 11, 13, and 19 at Cincinnati's
historic Music Hall, the opera was performed to full houses.
People were riveted to the stage as the journey began.
As the story unfolded, I found myself on the journey with
the main characters. What were the thoughts and feelings
of Joe De Rocher, his mother, and his brothers? The parents
of the murdered teenagers? Helen Prejean? What was the journey
like in their shoes? This question stayed with me throughout
the performance. At times I felt I was indeed walking in
their shoes--it was so real.
As Helen grew in her attentiveness, empathy, and compassion
for each of the suffering families, she journeyed where
most of us will never go. She was a spiritual advisor to
a convicted murderer on death row, accompanying him to his
execution.
In addition to the journey of the victims' families and
the condemned man, we have the incredible experiences of
Helen and Joe De Rocher. Helen is faced with challenges
to her faith, to the call to forgiveness and love as she
challenges Joe to face his own guilt and to seek forgiveness
and redemption.
Joe faces his own mortality daily. He also experiences and
begins to accept Helen's concern and love for him. He begins
to admit the truth. Both Helen and Joe discover the redemptive
power of love through very different journeys.
Recurrent throughout the opera is a theme that is the musical
heart of the work: "He will gather us around." It begins
in the darkness of the crime and returns in the world of
prison life, and then in the affirmation of life at the
end of the opera.
Just before Joe is led to the death chamber, Helen tells
him "Look at me. I want the last thing you see in this world
to be a face of love. I will be the face of Christ for you.
I will be the face of love."
Karen Feinberg of Cincinnati offers another view:
As editor of Journey I've tracked the progress of Dead Man
Walking from the beginning, when the book was published,
through its appearance on film and now on the opera stage.
For me, the tale has been more than a subject for the newsletter.
I'm deeply impressed by S. Helen's courage in working for
acknowledgment and respect of the needs and feelings of
everyone involved: De Rocher, his family, and his victims'
families. I was eager to see how this process would play
out in opera form.
Even though I have no experience with opera, I found Dead
Man Walking easy to follow. In the words of my friend Charlotte
Badger, a veteran operagoer, "Those who find opera inaccessible
could relate to this one." Charlotte considers Dead Man
Walking more as theater with music than as pure opera, calling
it "a naturalistic play with music." She praised the directing
and commented that Dead Man Walking follows today's trend
toward more naturalism in opera: "The characters no longer
simply stand and sing. Audiences expect acting because they're
used to TV and film, so opera directors try to make their
productions good theater."
As in a play that works, the acting and the action prevail
in Dead Man Walking. The story involves various truths and
realities, both spiritual and ethical. On the previous page,
S. Ruth Kettman has written eloquently about the spiritual
aspects. I was struck especially by the ethical side, as
expressed in S. Helen's words "The truth will set you free."
During the course of the drama, truth emerged in compelling
fashion.
The high point came when De Rocher took responsibility for
his crimes--"owning up" in the deepest sense. The crimes
were no less horrible, but now everything was clear and
out in the open. At the moment of confession, De Rocher
became a real person--still flawed, but at last true to
himself and to everyone concerned: not only the victims'
parents and his own family, but also S. Helen, who had diligently
led and urged him toward the truth.
The journey toward truth was agonizing for S. Helen and
even more so for De Rocher. The act of acknowledgment clearly
ran counter to all his habits and instincts, but that climactic
moment brought resolution to his inner and outer struggles.
If not for his trust in S. Helen, such an outcome would
have been impossible.
Gala Brings Pleasure, Serves Congregation
About 400 friends of the Congregation enjoyed an evening
of dining, dancing, auctions, and raffles at the eighth
annual Gala, held on April 20 at the Bank One Center in
New Orleans. The event brought in over $81,000, which will
be used to benefit retired and infirm sisters.
The highlight of the live auction was an oversized five-decade
rosary worn by the Sisters of St. Joseph as part of their
religious habit until the mid-1960s. The rosary, framed
in a shadow box for display, had been worn by S. Mary Smith
(S. Timothy), who had taught at elementary schools in Baton
Rouge and New Orleans. The highest bidder was Phillip G.
Alley Sr. of Baton Rouge, whose children had been taught
by S. Mary.
Support by corporations and businesses helped to make the
2002 Gala a success. The Congregation expresses its appreciation
to the American Tile & Terrazzo Company; B&G Crane
Service, LLC; the Boh Foundation; the Commercial Printing
Company; Cory, Tucker & Larrowe, Inc.; DonahueFavret
Contractors, Inc.; Fischer-Gambino, Inc.; the Jones Walker
Law Firm; LeGlue & Company, CPA-Vincent Giardina; Lexus
of New Orleans; the Magnolia Marketing Company; Rodney Quatroy
Roofing & Sheet Metal; and the Clifford F. Spanier Foundation.
Special thanks go to Action Press, Inc.; Bank One Center;
Franklin Press, Inc.; J. Harry Henderson; Ed Lancaster;
Nell Nolan; and Pel Hughes Printing, Inc.
Chatawa Study Days a Fulfilling Experience
by Maria Hill, CSJ
At the end of May, the new members in our community gathered
for five days at the Chatawa Retreat Center in Mississippi
to get to know one another better and to receive some common
input on the subject of birth order in the family of origin.
The study days fulfilled that purpose and more, far beyond
my expectations. We learned how our place in the family
affects our personalities and behaviors, although that knowledge
is not easy to obtain because of the many variables involved,
such as spacing, gender, relationship of parents, blended
families, and deaths.
Beside gaining self-knowledge, we had many opportunities
to interact and support one another in conversation, prayer,
ritual, and fun times. It was refreshing to begin each day
with tai chi, gathering the powerful energy of the universe
and returning it, blessed.
Many memorable concepts and activities from those days have
propelled me into ongoing learning and growth. Most memorable
for me was the saying "There are no difficult people,
only wounded people." When I feel impatient or critical,
those words stimulate a compassionate response, coming from
a place of respect for each person.
Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
The following is a statement prepared in June 2002 from
the past general council.
The current crisis in the Catholic Church cannot be ignored.
It smacks us in the face every day from the pages of our
local papers, from the images on our TV screens, and from
the voices emanating from our radios. A person cannot avoid
conversations about "fallen" priests, arrogant
bishops, and a wounded church--at home, in the workplace,
and in restaurants and bars across our nation and beyond.
For a Sister of St. Joseph this is a daily call to find
ways to live our charism of unity and reconciliation. We
deplore the harm done to innocent children and vulnerable
adults. We pray for healing for the victims. We mourn the
lack of leadership on the part of some of our church leaders.
We urge the conversion from arrogance and indifference within
the hierarchical ranks. We pray for our own conversion from
self-righteousness or impatience, whatever the tendency.
Recently we reviewed our Member Misconduct Policy, which
begins: "The Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille are
impelled by their charism of love and unity to live out
the values of reconciliation, right relationships and the
promotion of human dignity. Our Constitution states, 'Our
mission flows from the purpose for which our Congregation
exists: to live and work that we and all people may be united
with God and with one another in and through Jesus Christ.'
(#7) Therefore, the Congregation will take seriously and
respond immediately in a responsible, pastoral and compassionate
manner in all instances in which a member of the Congregation
is reported to have engaged in behavior that has resulted
in an allegation or suspicion of child abuse or sexual misconduct."
The policy continues with guidelines for application. It
is our fervent hope that it will never be necessary to implement
this policy.
Although the daily media attention given to the scandalous
situation in the Catholic Church brings a certain sadness
or malaise, we can be grateful that the secret of sexual
abuse by some of our clergy has been exposed. Only then
can healing begin to take place. We can be grateful that
the practice of some bishops, who have reassigned priests
who cannot act maturely, has been revealed. It is only then
that past ignorance can be turned into wisdom, and cover-up
on the part of some church leaders can be turned into a
commitment to openness.
The vast majority of priests are good men, living their
promises of celibacy faithfully, taking seriously their
call to serve God's people. It is demoralizing when people
lay the sins of a few on the many who wear the collar. It
is devastating when some men who are accused of sexual abuse
are the victims of fabricated stories or half-truths. It
is clear, however, that this current church scandal is pointing
to some underlying patterns of behavior in the church that
need to be examined, and that the basic Christian values
of love and compassion, of truth and justice, of forgiveness
and reconciliation need to be applied. Secrecy and cover-up
have never brought a community together or inspired trust.
We desire that the church which we love would support in
loving ways all who have been abused by another, whether
the perpetrator was a family member, a neighbor, a stranger,
or a person holding a position of respect in the church
or society. We pray that those who abuse and oppress others
will be appropriately punished, see the error of their ways,
and seek help to become whole or manage their dysfunctional
behavior. We pray, in addition, that they will humbly ask
forgiveness and be forgiven by those whom they have wronged
and by the people who have witnessed their scandalous behavior.
We ache for a church where all, though human, are one, where
women and men are equal, where power is participative, where
secrets that destroy trust are exposed, where structures
support accountability.
We long to make it clear that celibacy is not the cause
of pedophilia. Psychological problems that give rise to
the sexual abuse of children exist, sadly, across all strata
of society, regardless of whether or not the individuals
are married. However, when it occurs in persons whose lives
are dedicated to making Jesus' values visible in service
to others, it seems doubly offensive.
We commend the bishops who met in Dallas on June 13-15 for
the purpose of adopting a policy that forbids sexually abusive
clergy from face-to-face contact with parishioners. We applaud
the fact that they invited a number of victims to tell their
stories at the meeting. We are happy to quote Bishop Wilton
Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,
who stated in his address to those present, "The resolve
that we Bishops bring to the work before us is nourished
by a firm purpose of amendment. The failures of the past
must not be repeated. Having faced and acknowledged our
mistakes and expressed heartfelt sorrow for those failures,
we Bishops need to complete, once and for all, the work
we began together almost twenty years ago to make our Church
as safe an environment as is humanly possible for our children
and young people....We are called to put into place policies
that will insure the full protection of our children and
young people and to bring an end to sexual abuse in the
Church. This we will do....Our actions will have to be matched
by an uncommon and persistent vigilance."
These words are a positive step forward. Let us make efforts
to act as one church in pursuing this goal. As the people
of God, to what will we commit ourselves in this stressful
time so that the faith of the people is strengthened, the
church is credible, and the Gospel is preached?>
The Gifts and Challenges of Pastoral Ministry
by Janice Miller, CSJ
Reflecting back on more than 50 years as a vowed Sister
of St. Joseph, I cannot say which years have been the best.
Each place and all the people have held special grace, for
which I am grateful. My present ministry as pastoral administrator
of St. Joseph's Faith Community in Bagley, Minnesota is
most grace-filled for me at this moment. What I love most
about parish work is that it is grassroots church. The family
is the primary church, and the parish is made up of families
attempting to be church in all its daily ramifications.
I am one with them in trying to be aware of the face of
Christ revealed in the ordinary things of life. This is
both challenging and gratifying.
According to my letter of assignment from the bishop, the
pastoral administrator is commissioned to "care for
all the needs of the parish except those which an ordained
cleric alone is capable of doing." So my ministry covers
everything, administrative and pastoral, that is needed
to empower the people to be church. A list of responsibilities,
not in order of priority, would include the following: leading
Sunday services in the absence of a priest, as well as other
prayer services; facilitating Scripture studies; coordinating
religious education programs; visiting and consoling the
sick, the suffering, the grieving, and the elderly; preparing
couples for marriage as well as working through annulment
processes; leading wake services and planning (and sometimes
leading) funeral services; being on call for hospital, nursing
home, and county jail services, counseling, and presence;
convening parish councils and committees; preparing parents
for their children's reception of the sacraments (baptism,
eucharist, reconciliation, confirmation); and enabling laity
to do the ministries that are theirs to do. The list goes
on. There is not enough time to meet all the needs, so keeping
a healthy balance with my CSJ community involvement and
maintaining connections with my family are part of the ongoing
allocation of time and energy.
This small town in northern Minnesota is Norwegian Lutheran
territory, but there are 25 churches of different denominations
within the geographic boundaries of St. Joseph's. The ecumenical
efforts are gratifying. Not only do the pastors of the different
churches meet monthly; the parishioners come together one
evening a month to sing, listen to Scripture, pray, and
enjoy fellowship. These gatherings have produced such great
good spirit that neighboring cities are requesting our formula
for unity.
I delight in this noncompetitive effort to praise our God,
who calls us together as one. It seems to fit our CSJ charism.
One pastor explained the phenomenon as "the work of
God and that Catholic nun."
I am a CSJ woman of God ministering in the Church, attempting
in this situation to be about the unity and reconciliation
that was Jesus's mission.
I am happy with who I am becoming over these 50 years, and
look forward to our future in this Congregation of God's
great love!
S. Janice, who recently celebrated her fiftieth jubilee
as a CSJ, has served as the pastoral administrator in Bagley,
MN since 1998.
Building a Culture of Vocations
by Ileana Fernandez, CSJ
When I say "vocation" I am not referring only
to vocations to religious life or priesthood. I mean vocation
in terms of the life to which each person is called. Our
purpose in life is to collaborate with God in building a
better world. We must share the understanding that everything
we are about in life must promote peace, love, and justice.
Service to God and to one another can be accomplished in
many different ways. It is just as important to have priests,
brothers, and sisters dedicating their lives to God as to
have doctors, nurses, and lawyers working for mercy and
justice. A life of service, however, is contrary to American
culture. Therefore it is important that parents, educators,
and anyone else who comes into contact with young people
help build a culture of vocations.
Parents can do this by having family prayer time; ensuring
that the family attends mass together; exposing the children
to service to those in need, the elderly, the sick; allowing
them to experience the joy of helping others. They can let
love of God and love of neighbor be the center of the family,
and develop a sense of service to others. Once this foundation
has been set, a child will be more open to God's dream for
him or her: that each of us use our gifts and talents to
build a better world.
We need to look at life's decision making in light of the
question "What is Christ's desire for me?" Not
all people are called by God to be religious sisters or
priests. Yet a young person who has been immersed in the
spirit of service since early childhood and has been encouraged
to hear God's voice will be open to hear what God wants
from him or her.
There is a great desire for service among young people today.
In a culture where so many people feel pushed to a choice
of lifestyle based on money and prestige, those young people
who want to follow God's dream for them must receive encouragement
from parents and other adults.
I am often inspired by young people who give God their "prime
time" in service to others, who want to make a difference.
These young people are building a better world, and it is
in everyone's interest to ensure that future generations
feel the same desire for service. Young adults who have
been immersed in the spirit of loving service since early
childhood are better equipped to make the appropriate decisions
when it is time for them to choose what they will do with
their precious lives.
That is what creating a culture of vocations is all about.
S. Ily, the vocation director for the
Sisters of St. Joseph, is frequently asked to speak to groups
of young people and adults. In April she made the above
remarks during a workshop at the North American Continental
Congress for Vocations, held in Montreal.
S. Thecla, SJA Alumnae Honored
Editor's note: While this issue of Journey was in
production, we received word of S. Thecla's passing.
S. Thecla Kramer, a longtime teacher and staff member
at St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge, received the school's
first Spirit of SJA Award at a luncheon and ceremony held
in Baton Rouge on April 27.
Although not a graduate of the Baton Rouge SJA, S. Thecla
worked for the Academy in many positions from 1936 to 1972.
At various times she served as a kindergarten teacher, a
Latin instructor, moderator of the Academy's publication
Student Prints, and cafeteria manager. At the awards ceremony,
three SJA graduates were named Outstanding Alumnae for 2002.
Jo Danna Sevin, class of 1947, provided a grant (with her
husband, L.J. Sevin) to establish and maintain the technology
program at the Academy. Jeanne Blanchard McManus, class
of 1952, is a former CSJ who served as a missionary in Panama
in the 1960s and remains a close friend of the Congregation.
She and her husband, John Joseph McManus, helped to establish
a nonprofit organization to support the Batahola Norte Center
for Heroes and Martyrs in Nicaragua. Nancy Bernard, class
of 1970, was trained as a veterinarian but now serves as
director for all Peace Corps activities in Senegal
Crookston Sisters Celebrate 60 Years as CSJs
Ss. Margaret Smith and Germaine Perrault, who made their
first vows together in Crookston in 1942, observed their
sixtieth jubilee at a liturgy and reception held on April
13 at Marywood.
As young members of the Congregation, both sisters entered
the field of health care and remained in that ministry.
S. Germaine, a native of Terrebonne (MN), qualified as a
registered nurse in 1945 and received a degree in anesthesiology
two years later. She served at Trinity Hospital in Baudette
(MN), St. Joseph's Hospital in Park Rapids (MN), and St.
Joseph's Hospital in Superior (WI). Later S. Germaine became
a home health nurse for Polk County (MN). After qualifying
as a massage therapist in 1988, she worked in that capacity
in Stillwater (MN) for 10 years. In 1997 she retired to
Marywood.
S. Margaret, a native of Superior, was trained in radiology.
She was one of seven CSJs who arrived in Park Rapids in
1946 to open St. Joseph's Hospital, and has ministered there
ever since. S. Margaret began as an X-ray technician, but
eventually worked in almost every department and served
five years as the hospital administrator. Although now semiretired,
she still goes to the hospital's radiology department every
day to schedule appointments, keep the statistics up to
date, and organize information.
In 2001 S. Margaret was named Minnesota's Outstanding Older
Worker. The recognition ceremony, which was to be held in
Washington, DC on September 11, was canceled, but S. Margaret
was honored in April in a ceremony held in St. Paul.
Information for this article came from the April 25 issue
of Our Northland Diocese, the newspaper for the Diocese
of Crookston.
S. Thecla Kramer, CSJ
January 29, 1910 - June 21, 2002
S. Thecla Kramer, a member of the Congregation since 1928,
died on June 21 at Our Lady of Wisdom Health Care Center
in New Orleans.
A native of Dayton, OH, S. Thecla attended St. Joseph Academy
in Cincinnati and entered the Congregation upon graduating.
She was a longtime resident of Baton Rouge and later moved
to New Orleans, where she lived for 30 years. S. Thecla
received a bachelor's degree in education from the Athenaeum
of Ohio; later she earned master's degrees in social work
from Louisiana State University and in business administration
from Notre Dame.
S. Thecla served in various ministries, which were proof
of her versatility and energy. She began as a teacher at
St. Joseph Academy in Cincinnati, and later taught at Sacred
Heart School and St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge. At
St. Joseph's, where she worked from 1936 to 1972, S. Thecla
served as kindergarten teacher, Latin instructor, and cafeteria
manager. In addition, she was an administrator, a caseworker,
and a housemother at the St. Joseph's Children's Home in
Baton Rouge. In New Orleans she served in the provincial
and congregational finance offices, as investment manager
for the Congregation, and as finance assistant at the St.
Joseph Montessori School. She retired from full-time ministry
in 1998.
On April 27, S. Thecla received the Spirit of SJA Award
from St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge. (For an account
of the awards ceremony, see "S. Thecla, SJA Alumnae
Honored" elsewhere in this issue of Journey.)
In the eulogy delivered at the funeral mass, longtime friend
Gloria Troxler said "When I think of Thecla, I think
'celebration.' She celebrated life, all 92 years, until
the very end....She truly loved life and lived it to the
fullest. "I loved her zest for life...that she cared
how she looked...that she not only cooked a gourmet meal,
but...(that) it had to have the right colors...the way she
celebrated and decorated for all events and festivities...the
way she was a faithful friend...the way she loved her family...the
way she always remembered and appreciated those who supported
the Sisters of St. Joseph and her ministry, using her creativity,
talents, and caring energy....
"During these last weeks...she was in final preparation
for the greatest party of all, the Heavenly Banquet....
"Thecla,...your years of feeding people and bringing
them together in friendship and love have truly filled the
lives of so many of us--not only through your cooking but
through your life. It is time for you to sit at the table
and be served by the God you loved and who will return His
love to you a hundredfold."
Survivors include a nephew, William E. Kramer, of Dayton,
OH.