December 2004
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They gave up everything
why Mike and Linda spent a year in
Africa
By Nancy Schertzing | Photography
by James Luning
 Mike
and Linda Brown lived quiet middle-class American lives in Flint.
Mike was CEO of the Genesee County United Way, and Linda was Director
of Religious Education at St. Michael Parish. When they were young,
they’d had dreams of serving in the Peace Corps. With five
kids to feed, clothe and put through college, however, that dream
had been buried.
In 2001, as their youngest child prepared to graduate from high
school, Mike and Linda’s old dream stirred again. Their baby
was heading off to a year of international travel in the fall. Their
other children had already embarked on school or professional careers.
Their only surviving parent, Linda’s 81-year-old mother, enjoyed
good health. They were both ready to make career changes. Perhaps
most importantly, laughs Linda, “We both still liked each
other and enjoyed working together.” They renewed their dream
of international service.
After much prayer and discussion, Mike and Linda visited their diocesan
offices and found a book called Response 2001, a Directory of Full-time
Faith-based Volunteer Opportunities. Over 100 pages of
volunteer programs with descriptions, requirements and contact information,
Response gave Mike and Linda a framework for their search. They
applied to five programs. They got four rejections.
The Salesian Missionaries alone
accepted their application. Though they had never worked
with a married couple before, their contact explained, the Salesians
needed people with Mike and Linda’s qualifications to further
their mission of serving poor youths through education, especially
in the West African nation of Sierra Leone. They invited Mike and
Linda to enter a process of education and discernment before committing
to the mission. The Browns accepted.
They began researching Sierra Leone, beginning with finding it on
a map and learning about the horrific warfare that had only recently
been quelled in its countryside. The Republic of Sierra Leone, half
the size of Illinois, sits atop an untold wealth of diamonds. But
wealth is not always a treasure.
The “blood diamonds” of Sierra Leone, as they
are known, have brought unimaginable horror and misery to the people
of this West African nation. Throughout its history, outside
powers have exploited Sierra Leone’s diamond resources and
hoarded their profits without regard for the host country. Building
on this history of exploitation, Sierra Leone recently endured a
civil war waged to terrorize its government into ceding control
and diamond rights to neighboring Liberia.
From 1991 to 2002, Revolutionary United Front rebels ravaged villages
and towns throughout the country, killing over 50,000 people and
maiming countless more. United Nations war crimes courts continue
to uncover the unspeakable crimes – rape, mutilation, torching,
massacre. Whole towns were hacked to death, beginning with the children
– while their parents, awaiting the same fate – were
forced to watch or listen from afar. Children, some as young as
five, were kidnaped and forced into the rebel army. Amputation by
machete became a rebel signature.
 The
campaign of terror lasted a decade, until the United Nations and
West African forces mounted a military response and crushed the
rebels. Sierra Leone is now trying to recover, but a legacy
of poverty remains. Ranked by the UN as the least-developed nation
in the world, Sierra Leone’s average annual income is $160
and its average life expectancy is just 42 years. Its infrastructure
was decimated in the war. Only 31 percent of the population can
read. Those who do receive an education often find no job market.
Though foreign aid flows into Sierra Leone, government employees
skim much of it off as they process it. If aid money does
reach its target audience, it arrives only in sporadic trickles,
often months behind schedule. Not surprisingly, the various charities
operating in Sierra Leone try to bypass the government and work
directly with the citizens.
One of those charities, the Salesian Missionaries, operates a system
of 14 schools, spread across 25 miles in rural areas. Following
the Salesian mission of helping poor and disadvantaged youth primarily
through education, Salesian priests and brothers operate the schools
and a Catholic parish on a shoestring budget. The schools have neither
books nor paper. Teachers get two pieces of chalk each day to write
all lessons on the blackboard. Classes often include up to 50 students.
Enter Mike and Linda Brown. Their qualifications made them ideally
suited for the task at hand, but there were enormous personal sacrifices
involved.
They would receive no income for their year of service, but their
personal financial responsibilities would remain. From
renting their house to establishing trusts for their children’s
college tuition and living expenses, Mike and Linda would have to
sacrifice time and money to keep their family’s lives running
smoothly if they decided to go.
After much soul-searching and the final Salesian discernment
session, the Browns committed to serve one school year in Sierra
Leone. They went home to make their final preparations.
On August 30, 2002, they touched down in Sierra Leone and headed
to the Salesian Mission.
They settled quickly into their jobs, working seven days a week
with room, board and health care their only payment. Linda taught
English part-time and worked in the parish on projects from RCIA
to organizing altar servers. Mike worked at the youth center, organizing
and coaching a basketball team and coordinating special events.
He also wrote and administered some grants for the Salesian priests
and used his knowledge of the nonprofit community to connect with
other aid groups on behalf of local polio and war victims.
From the moment they arrived, it was clear they had entered
another world. Coming from a middle class background in
the world’s wealthiest nation, and going into the poorest
nation on earth, the Browns didn’t know what to expect. They
knew that nearly 70 percent of all Sierra Leoneans lived below the
poverty line. They knew about the “blood diamond” horrors
of the past decade. What they didn’t know is that Sierra Leone
possesses a magical beauty, both in its landscape and its people.
 “The
spirit of the people is just amazing,” Mike marvels.
“It was beautiful to see how grateful they were for anything
we could share – plastic bags, cardboard boxes, our interest
in their lives.” Linda agrees, “One thing we learned
is the value of the items we take for granted each day.” Plastic
tableware was rinsed and used repeatedly. Plastic bags were prized
for carrying anything gathered or purchased. Even plastic burlap
bags were made into rugs or disassembled and each thread used for
tie-dyeing.
“They work so hard, and they are so smart,”
Linda adds. “Most people are subsistence farmers
who do things like tie-dying or gathering wild fruit to survive
and earn a little extra money. Lots of the students who could afford
the $8.00 annual tuition for school walked miles each day to come
and learn.” Mike adds, “There were sometimes 50 students
per class, but they all wanted to be there. There was no disruption
or complaining. They were there to learn, and that attitude and
dedication always showed through.”
While they admired their neighbors’ thrift and strong work
ethic, Mike and Linda most appreciated the Sierra Leoneans’
warmth and openness. “We walked through their lives every
day,” says Linda. “Teeth brushing, showering –
they did it in the open. And as we walked by on our way to Mass
or work, they waved at us and went on with their business. The people
were completely unpretentious and so welcoming.”
“I felt as much at peace as I’ve ever felt,”
Mike recalls. “In our society, whatever you do, you
must do it at a fast pace. The things we worry about here –
so much can go wrong because we’re so complicated,”
he explains. “In that society the pace of life was so different.
There were fewer complications. I had time.”
Recalling their volunteer hours and the measures they took before
leaving home, Linda says, “We did give a lot. And, yes, we
did sacrifice some things, but we received so much more than we
gave.” Citing such intangible benefits as connecting to people
and viewing the world differently, Linda continues, “We went
over there with some young people who decided to stay beyond their
year. I know why they stayed.”
“After hearing about the atrocities and what these
people went through, you’d never believe they went through
it. They are so hopeful and forgiving. We went over there
expecting the worst,” Linda muses. “But we got the very
best.”
why I left one retail job for
this one
how Dave's choice to work for St. Vincent de
Paul
makes Jackson a better place
By Bob Horming | Photography by Christine Jones
 When
Alisha* died, she left her four young children without a home.
They were not eligible to live in their government-subsidized apartment
without a parent, and they needed “everything.” The
children’s two fathers decided to join forces, move in together
and raise their children together. There was only one problem –
they had no jobs and no money.
Enter David Kemler, the manager of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift
Store in Jackson.
When a social service agency sent the family over to St.
Vincent, they had a commitment from Grace Church to guarantee rent,
but the Family Independence Agency wouldn’t let the children
stay with their fathers unless certain requirements were met, like
a bed for each child. The Thrift Store set them up with
beds, appliances and the basic necessities of life. David says the
family’s gratitude and appreciation made his day – and
the day of everyone who works at the store. David has been the store
manager for three years, after spending 31 years in retail. He sees
this job as a chance to combine his experience in adult faith formation
at St. Catherine Laboure Parish, Concord, with his retailing background.
David says this is a ministry, and he’s grateful to be doing
what he loves for a living. He credits Connie, his wife of 26 years,
for bringing home an income that allows him to work for a nonprofit
organization.
David says people know that Saint Vincent de Paul is a place
where they can go for help. “We deal with people
with problems, who have been beaten down by life, who have no money.
In retail, clients can be viewed in terms of potential dollars and
cents for the store. If you have no money, you get no product. Here,
if someone has real needs, we will stand on our heads to meet them.
Our goal is to see Christ in everyone who comes in, and serve them
accordingly, even if they don’t smell good or are acting unpleasantly.
 “There
is no more invisible person than the one living in poverty.
Those with so much sometimes have no idea what is happening just
three blocks from them. They wouldn’t understand if they saw
a mother in here telling her child she can’t afford to buy
him a twenty cent toy.”
Of course, some days are harder than others. David remembers a woman
who had been stranded in Jackson when her companion was arrested
for possession of drugs. She had been to an agency and felt she
hadn’t gotten the help she needed. At that point, she was
angry, scared and convinced that “everyone in Jackson was
mean.” A St. Vincent volunteer, who lived across the street
from the agency, saw the young woman walking down the street in
tears and stopped her to see what was wrong. She brought her to
the thrift store “... because I knew you could help.”
And David did. He called Ellie White at Queen of the Miraculous
Medal Parish, and she came over with a bus ticket for the young
woman. They gave her a backpack filled with basics and got her on
the bus home. David hopes she left with a better feeling about Jackson
and the people in it.
Because he never knows when things will be donated to the
store, or how much, Kemler says that prayer is constant and essential
in his ministry. “I have learned not to slot God
in one hour on Sunday or for a few minutes in the morning or evening.
I pray when I’m on the phone, in the store, in my car. And
the Lord provides.”
For the needy in Jackson, one way the Lord provides is through David
Kemler and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
* not her real name
---
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a result of a challenge by
a French university student claiming that the Catholic Church once
did good works, but no longer. In response, Blessed Frederic
Ozanam started the society in 1833.
In 2003, the Jackson council alone distributed $39,000 worth of
food and $66,000 in financial aid, clothes, other goods and services,
among 4,832 needy people.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a powerful presence around
the Diocese of Lansing:
St. Thomas Conference
517 Elizabeth St. Ann Arbor, 48104
Particular Council of Flint
1912 North Franklin Flint, 48506
Jackson Council
1812 Spring Arbor Rd. Jackson, 49203
Jackson Store
1509 E. Michigan Ave., Jackson, 49202
(517) 784-0609
Lansing Council
1020 S. Washington Lansing, 48910
(517) 484-5395
---
A Moment in the Life of a Volunteer
It
is usually food that Debbie, a single mother, receives from the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Recently though, during a food delivery, Mary Jo Kelley, president
of the St. Mary conference of the Society, was able to give her
a Bible and a crucifix as well. “Debbie was so excited,”
Mary Jo said. “She kept telling me that when I come into her
house, I will see the crucifix hanging on her wall.”
For Mary Jo, that makes her twenty-five weekly volunteer hours worth
it. “I feel like I am supposed to be doing this,” she
says.
When Mary Jo began volunteering three years ago, she thought she
would just be helping with the books. Somehow she was elected president
– “just temporarily, though, until we find a permanent
replacement.” That has been over a year. “But ... I
like being busy, and it is a way to repay the Lord for how he has
taken care of me and my children in the thirty-one years since my
husband died.”
being green for Jesus
how this MSU professor’s spiritual journey
led him to fight for the environment
By Cate Preston | Photography by Tom Gennara
 As
Catholics, we are called to guard creation, whether by protecting
the life of an unborn child, attending to the needs of an elderly
parent or caring for our planet.
Joel Nigg, a psychology professor at Michigan State University,
founded a group called Catholics for a Just and Sustainable World
at St. John Student Parish in East Lansing. The group focuses on
the depletion of the earth’s resources and a just, sustainable
future for the global community.
In compatibility with the Tenth Commandment, sustainability means
having enough, but not taking more than we need. “It’s
sustainable if it can be replenished,” explains Joel, “...
it means meeting the needs of the first generation in ways that
do not interfere with future generations. It’s a practical
principle, because if all countries don’t do that, what will
happen to our grandchildren?”
“We’re using up resources faster than they are
being replenished – things like oil, wood, even water. For
centuries we could burn wood for fuel, but it’s really not
sustainable. Now we’re seeing massive depletions, although
we’ll be the last to feel it here [in the US],” Joel
says. “If our economy relies on people being poor, it’s
not just. I shouldn’t take more than what I need, if you don’t
have enough. Other countries lack our plenty. It’s a moral
issue. It’s not fair for us to use resources up so that we
can live in luxury, while others don’t have anything because
there’s not enough to go around. By definition, if it’s
sustainable, everyone has enough. Sustainability ties it all together.
It puts you in harmony with the earth.”
Sustainability is not a choice between a healthy economy or a healthy
environment, but a call to support both, Joel explains. “It
made me realize we can solve both at the same time. You can’t
have economic development without the environment, can’t have
a healthy economy without topsoil, fish, water. [Ask yourself],
‘What is my personal sacrifice that I am called to make?’
The cross for us may be to give up material energy use.”
Joel says an immediate shift is needed. “[We]
use up resources and call it ‘economic gain.’ The goal
is to reuse indefinitely. The solutions exist.” He suggests
organic farming and drip irrigation. In addition to buying locally-grown,
organic produce, Joel mentions the option of green power, available
through the utility companies, to lessen carbon emissions. “You
can opt for 100 percent, or 50 percent or 25 percent of green power.”
Joel describes the need to read the signs the Holy Spirit sends,
“One of my beliefs as a Christian is that God is in history,
giving us signs. ... What are the signs saying now?
We have signs that say what we’re doing isn’t working,
with global climate change, resource depletion, rising gas prices
and species extinction.”
Joel’s personal spiritual journey was guided by reading the
signs, literally. “I went through a spiritual crisis
in 2001. I was questioning my purpose, my value and my faith. I
was led, [in a conversation with my aunt] to three books, which
brought me back to a deeper faith.” These books were The
Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen, The Journal
of John Woolman by John Woolman, and Natural Capitalism
by Paul Hawken.
Joel describes the impact of Nouwen’s book – “He
talks about the love of God, and what the prodigal son really means.
What is liberating for me is how can I relate to the younger son.
I tried to please others, to prove my self-worth, no longer simply
living in God’s love but trying to earn it. My life was spent
being driven to succeed, to impress. [I learned] God’s love
is just there. Nothing you’ll do will change that. You don’t
need to do anything.”
For Joel, there is a sense of freedom that helps him feel content
with his limitations as one man in the battle for sustainability.
“You’re never sure what God is doing, where he’ll
ask you to go next. ... I’m trying to gain freedom by doing
what God wants me to do and what makes me feel complete. I no longer
have patience for people who say ‘I cannot do that.’”
 Joel’s
interest in the environment, and the faith aspect to sustainability,
is what spurred him to get involved in his parish. “I
love the environment but people are more important than the environment.
When I started this journey I asked myself, ‘I’m just
one guy, whatever can I do?’ I had a conversation with my
sister; she and I shared in the journey of returning to our faith.
She asked me if I had introduced myself to my priest. At the same
time, I was praying about how to implement sustainability in my
parish. I was praying for my next step, and my sister was telling
me to introduce myself to my priest.” Joel laughs, at the
concept that again his prayers were answered through a conversation.
“So I met with Fr. Mark, and talked with him about my mission.
We had our first meeting in November of 2002. It’s not just
an environmental group. It’s really about the world community
and how we fit in. It’s about social justice.”
Joel compares his mission to that of John Woolman, a Quaker abolitionist
who lived in the 1700s and sought to convert hearts. “Woolman’s
message struck me. I don’t need to worry about others, but
just do what I can do. We tend to latch on to what we’re passionate
about. When it comes to the environment, what I try to do is talk
about my personal sacrifice. I have moved so that I’m able
to walk to work. Now, I buy gas about once a month, instead of once
a week. I buy locally-grown produce and eat organic food. There
is sacrifice in the cost; I pay about 75 percent more. My house
was built in a sustainable way, on a shaded lot, so I don’t
need air conditioning. I use compact fluorescent lights (CFL). I
have the luxury to do these things, so I felt called to do it.”
St. John Student Parish has since implemented earth friendly practices,
including a special Earth Day liturgy, the use of CFL bulbs and
free-trade coffee after Sunday Masses.
Joel concludes, “The goal is to evangelize the parish ...
the Holy Sprit is telling us, me, to make some changes. We have
a moral obligation to use prudence, and common sense. ... People
are in poverty, are homeless or starving to death. We have a moral
obligation to stop this. Every day, we hear bishops’ statements
about stopping abortion but never hear about global warming. It,
too, is a life issue.”
---
 Visit
the parish Web site at www.msu.edu/~stjohnsp/, and select the Christian
Service link for information on how to start a group at your home
parish, information on Michigan Interfaith Power and Light or to
attend a Catholics for a Just and Sustainable World meeting. The
group offers speakers, email newsletters and service opportunities.
---
This greenhouse was built for
religious sisters – not plants
The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known to
most as the IHMs, spent two and a half years renovating their motherhouse
in Monroe, Mich., focusing on care for the earth as well as care
for their elderly sisters. The $56 million renovation included:
• Geothermal well for heating and cooling.
• Gray-water system that pumps sink and shower water out to
a constructed wetland where it is cleaned and returned to the system
for use in the toilets.
• Improved use of natural light, and paints low in volatile
organic compounds.
The project received a Clean Air Excellence Award from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, an Honorary Affiliate Member Award
from the American Institute of Architects and a $6,000 community
energy project grant from the Michigan Department of Consumer and
Industry Services.
According to Sr. Janet Ryan, “Our founders’ call was
to respond to the needs of the world. In this century, we’ve
come to understand the Earth is abandoned in many ways. People don’t
realize it’s a living organism and must be treated with care.
We consider sustainability a moral mandate for the 21st century.”
Fittingly, the motherhouse reopened on Earth Day, 2003. For more
information, visit www.ihmsisters.org.
Shoes for St. Nick
this children's craft reminds us of the saint
behind Santa Claus
 It’s
easy amid the commercialization of the Christmas season to forget
that Santa Claus has his origins in a third-century bishop of our
faith named St. Nicholas.
According to a Web site devoted to this venerated man (www.stnicholascenter.org),
St. Nicholas was born in 271 A.D. in Patara, a village in Turkey.
His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died
in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’
words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,”
Nicholas used his entire inheritance to assist the needy, the sick
and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God when he
entered a monastery and later became its abbot. In recognition of
his devout nature, he was made Bishop of Myra while still a very
young man.
Under the Roman emperor Diocletian, Bishop Nicholas suffered for
his faith and was exiled and imprisoned. After his release, he participated
in the Council of Nicaea in 325. He is thought to have died around
December 6, 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church,
where a unique relic of sorts – called manna – formed
in his grave. This liquid substance was said to have healing powers
and helped foster the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary
of his death later became a day of celebration – St. Nicholas
Day.
Over the years, many legends have risen up around St. Nicholas.
One of these involves a poor father who had no money to apply to
dowries for his three daughters, who were then in danger of being
sold into slavery. Hearing of the family’s plight, St. Nicholas
was said to have anonymously tossed a bag of gold through an open
window in their home. The bag landed in stockings or shoes left
to dry by a fire. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings
or putting out shoes in anticipation of gifts from St. Nicholas.
This is a particularly strong tradition in the Netherlands, where
children leave wooden shoes filled with carrots and hay outside
their door on St. Nicholas’ eve. The unusual stuffing is meant
to feed St. Nicholas’ steed, a white horse. If the child who
owns the shoes has been good, he or she is rewarded with candies
such as chocolate coins, which harken back to the legend of the
three daughters. Cookies in the shape of alphabet letters, fruits
and small gifts may also be left inside the shoes.
To celebrate St. Nicholas’ feast
in the traditional way, why not encourage your children to switch
from a Christmas stocking to a shoe this year? For young children,
creating a “wooden” shoe out of felt or foam can be
an easy-to-assemble craft project.
To start, draw and cut out for them a three-part outline of a wooden
shoe – two mirror-image sides and a base. A length of seven
or eight inches is a good size.
Tack the pieces together with thread or yarn; joined together, they
should form an upright shoe that bulges a bit in the middle.
 Have
your kids decorate the shoe with paints, glitter, foam pieces, bells,
ribbons, beads, etc. And advise them to set it out on December 5
in anticipation of St. Nicholas’ arrival.
Your final job is to fill it with chocolate coins, cookies, fruit,
nuts or small toys.
When they come out of their bedrooms on the morning of St. Nicholas’
day, you can read them The Story of Saint Nicholas, written by Victor
Hoagland, C.P. and reproduced online at http://www.cprtyon.org/prayer/child/nick.html.
Enduring Dutch
Christmas customs
Other Dutch traditions that have influenced
our celebration of Christmas may be found in Santa’s outfit
(a red garment), his appearance (a long white beard), and the concept
of a Santa helper. In the Netherlands, Sinterklass is accompanied
by a fellow named Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) who assists him in his
rounds and sometimes disciplines those children who are found a
little wanting.
The many churches
of St. Nicholas
As the St. Nicholas Center Web site notes,
its namesake is so widely revered that 2,000 churches have been
named after him worldwide. In Michigan, those structures include
St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church (Grand Rapids), St. Nicholas
Byzantine Catholic Church (Detroit), St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox
Churches (Ann Arbor and Troy), St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Burton),
and St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church (Cross Village).
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