May 2006
We have a limited number of back issues available in print.
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or call 517-342-2595. You will be charged the regular cover price
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how Sister Marilyn helps others touch god
Sr. Marilyn's vocation calls others
to become lay leaders for the church
By Nancy Schertzing | Photography
by Jim Luning
 “None
of us has the whole truth. We all have little pieces of it. Together,
with prayer and study, we come to a deeper understanding of the
truth.
“We live our lives as individuals, usually interacting only
at a surface level. I believe God asks us to go beyond the surface.
When we do, the depth we sometimes find can surprise us. In my work,
I meet with people and come away from my conversations feeling connected
and hopeful. I come away changed. And when we can come away changed
for the good, we have touched God.”
Sr. Marilyn Barnett, OP speaks from her heart and from decades
of teaching within the Catholic Church. As coordinator
of the Program in Theological Studies at Siena Heights University,
she relishes the transformation she sees in those studying to become
lay ecclesial ministers.
One woman changed her whole career path because of another student
– someone 20 years her junior. The younger woman had received
a degree in social work and then enrolled in the pastoral studies
program. She believes this combination “nurtured my love of
ministry and taught me so much about combining academic study with
a pastoral approach.” Because of this young woman’s
enthusiasm, the older student decided to pursue the same dual course
of study – she too will be a social worker with a strong foundation
in pastoral ministry.
We get comments from people all the time saying the program
has changed their lives. Its combination of theological
study with spiritual formation and discernment gives students a
deeper understanding of who they are alone and before God. It helps
them articulate their piece of the truth, and explore others’
truths through dialogue within the church framework. They get a
chance to access the synergy that comes from exploring their truth
with others in order to touch God.”
Sister Marilyn’s wisdom flows from
nearly 50 years in religious life, teaching and preaching God’s
truth. “In 1956, when I graduated from high school,
options were limited for women in our society. Professionally, you
could become a secretary, nurse, teacher or nun. I grew up with
nuns teaching me from grammar through high school. They seemed to
be happy, peace-filled women doing the work of education for God.
That was good work. Though I liked boys, I felt I’d have more
freedom to do good if I wasn’t committed to one person.”
She graduated from high school and entered the convent of the Sisters
of St. Joseph of Boston. Her community lived out their charism of
reconciliation by teaching in schools throughout the Boston Archdiocese.
Sister Marilyn enjoyed teaching, but after several years she found
herself increasingly drawn to liturgy and music ministry. She searched
for positions in her native Boston where she could honor God’s
call, but found those positions closed to women.
In 1977, she left Boston to accept a position as liturgy and music
director at St. John the Baptist Parish in Ypsilanti. With her order’s
blessing, she worked at St. John’s and advanced her education,
earning her master’s degree in theology from Notre Dame in
1982.
With her order’s continued blessing, Sister Marilyn headed
to the Diocese of Pueblo, Colo. She and another sister worked there
as diocesan pastoral associates for lay leadership formation. “I
went to Colorado to identify and train lay leaders in and for the
parish faith community. These parishes were 100 percent Hispanic,
and different from any place I had ever worked.
“There among them, I learned that when I handed a project
over to another person, he or she might do it differently from how
I had envisioned it. Most importantly, I learned that was OK. I
loved the mix of my pieces of the truth and theirs.”
Over the next six years spent identifying, training and establishing
leaders from the Pueblo faith community, Sister Marilyn worked herself
out of a job. She left local parishioners in place to fill leadership
positions from adult formation to liturgy and youth ministry.
In 1988, she returned to the Diocese of Lansing as director of the
diocesan Office of Worship. In her work there, she continued
the formation of liturgical lay leaders through parish workshops,
ministry training and classes in liturgical issues. She continued
the same work for the Archdiocese of Chicago as associate director
of the Office of Divine Worship.
“I went into parishes and people often said to me, ‘You
know, you have a passion for what you’re talking about.’
I began to realize what I was doing was teaching and preaching.
And I loved it! God was calling me in this new direction, and I
began to consider the charism of preaching.
“The last thing I wanted was a major change in my life, but
it became increasingly clear that was God’s invitation.
I began seriously exploring this call. In the Adrian Dominican Congregation,
I found a charism and structure that felt right to me. In August
1999, I entered into the transfer process to the Adrian Dominicans
with the blessing and good wishes of my former congregation, the
Sisters of St. Joseph.
“God is so good and full of surprises! While going through
the three-year transfer process, I was offered my present position
as coordinator of the program in theological studies at Siena Heights
University. This position allows me to work with people and provide
the necessary educational foundation for them to minister in the
church. It allows me the time I need to pray, read, study, contemplate
and take time with people.
“I can listen to their stories. Together we can share the
truth. This sustains me as a nun and a person. If I ever stopped
growing and learning, I would die!
“I never questioned my vocation in religious life, and I’m
proud to say that, in 2002, I reaffirmed my vows as a Dominican.
But I won’t say there weren’t hard times. There were.
In the 1960s and ’70s, I sometimes wondered if I were going
to be the only one remaining in the convent. So many women were
leaving! The Second Vatican Council gave us much more a sense of
personal decision-making than before. Many nuns – my sister
included – made the choice to leave the convent and pursue
other lifestyles.
“When I was growing up, it used to be relatively easy to live
the Catholic faith. There was a set of rules and, if you followed
them, you were promised heaven. With the Second Vatican Council,
the responsibility for how you lived your life as a Catholic Christian
fell more directly on each person. The documents and statements
of the Vatican Council didn’t change what we believed, but
they did ask us to study and live our faith and the message of the
Gospels as Christians in the modern world.
 “Many
men and women who grew up right after Vatican II were disadvantaged
in learning about their faith. The famous Baltimore Catechism
had been the traditional teaching we received in Catholic school
education. Vatican II replaced it with a ‘Jesus loves you’
kind of message and the vision of the Council. Great emphasis was
placed on the Mass and preaching as ‘the source and summit’
of the faithful understanding.
“While that is the foundation, it isn’t everything needed.
Those who study and learn can expand their horizons and change their
lives. I encourage men and women of faith to make the choice to
learn. Take advantage of the opportunities available, from the program
in theological studies to Bible studies at your local parish.
“God is alive and well. Find the truth along with your brothers
and sisters in Christ. Come away changed for the better!
“Touch God!”
---
 The
Diocese of Lansing Ministry Formation Program
includes three components:
1 36 credits
in theological study
2 spiritual formation workshops and
retreats
3 opportunities to develop pastoral
skills.
In partnership with the diocese, Siena Heights University
offers theological study in the following areas: inquiry,
ethics, Christian and Hebrew Scriptures, sacramental theology, ministry,
church history, ecclesiology and Christology. There are three methodolgy
courses offered in: liturgical catechesis; ministry management and
leadership; and catechetical methodology.
Siena classes
are offered in: Lansing, Jackson, Flint and Ypsilanti.
The
diocese also partners with the Loyola University Extension Program
(LIMEX) to provide graduate-level formation in pastoral studies
and religious education. Students meet at various locations
throughout the diocese. Loyola faculty design the lesson plans and
learning material; they also monitor and grade students’ course
work. The LIMEX program is an intensive, “learner centered”
process. Graduates earn a master’s degree from a fully accredited
Catholic university.
Call 517.342.2512 for more information.
meet Doug Moore
Lansing Catholic Central High School’s “man
of action”
By Marybeth Hicks | Photography by Tom Gennara
 Every
year, Doug Moore leads groups of high school juniors into the tunnels
beneath Lansing Catholic Central High School. With candles
burning, he points out symbols on the cold, dark walls. His echoing
whispers hold the students in rapt attention as Doug recreates the
clandestine worship experience of the early Christian church.
“It’s really cool,” he says.
Doug’s creative approach to teaching church history is just
one way he works to bring the Catholic faith to life for his students.
“High school students are still in the process of
‘becoming’ who they will be,” he reflects.
“It’s a great time to make their faith more real to
them. Faith isn’t just what we believe, but how we live –
how we act on our beliefs.”
In a culture that teaches teens to seek out immediate gratification
and saturates their daily lives with thousands of media messages,
teaching theology in high school is sometimes a tough sell.
“Our culture is the biggest thing working against us,”
he says. In his more than 10 years in the classroom, this challenge
has only grown.
Doug’s ministry as a high-school theology teacher began in
1995. His Lansing Catholic Central High School job also
includes an administrative role as coordinator of high school retreats,
student activities and service. Prior to his present position, he
worked at Lansing’s St. Gerard Parish as youth minister. Doug
holds a master’s degree in pastoral ministry from Loyola University
(New Orleans), and happens to be a 1980 graduate of the school where
he now teaches.
 As
an alumnus, Doug’s high-school memories help him relate to
his students. “There’s a lot of drama growing up,”
he says. “When I was in high school, I coped by relying on
my faith. The church always was a big part of my life.”
He hopes to support his students on their faith journeys so that
they might see God shining through him. “It’s not so
much me,” Doug says. “It’s the things I do to
help the students experience God’s presence.”
“One of the most powerful experiences I’ve had the privilege
to create is to take groups of high-school students to Chicago where
we stay with the homeless. We really spend time with folks,
eating meals with women who work as prostitutes, for example. I
tell the kids, ‘That’s something Jesus did. He ate with
prostitutes.’ Those are the opportunities that really open
their eyes to what their faith is all about.” By doing this,
Doug’s goal is to shatter students’ expectations of
what life is like for people in these situations, and to see them
as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Doug believes that service gives him the chance to build awareness
of the two critical paths faith must take. “On the
one hand, there’s the need for justice – that’s
the part of our faith that calls us to action. But we also must
grow in our relationship with God – that’s the spirituality
that we try to develop.
“We try to make God real to them by offering them chances
to experience a life of faith, and we also try to convince them
of the need to live out their faith in the years to come.”
In the ongoing battle with the culture, Doug reminds teens that,
“They can’t ‘have it all.’ Kids are convinced
because of what they see and hear in the media that they’re
entitled to have and do just about anything they want ... Young
people need to learn they can’t and shouldn’t ‘have
it all’ – living a self-centered lifestyle – since
this pulls them away from God’s call of service.”
Setting an example is another tool Doug uses to inspire his students.
Each year, he participates in Habitat for Humanity building projects
as part of the school’s alternative spring break program,
using his vacation time to recharge his “Christian service”
batteries.
Doug also spent two weeks in India last year as part of the Frontiers
of Justice program offered by Catholic Relief Services and the National
Catholic Education Association. The program takes eight
Catholic educators each year to areas of the world where missionary
partnerships address the critical issues of hunger, poverty and
AIDS.
In New Delhi, Doug visited two homes for the needy: Michael’s
House, a residential hospice for men with AIDS and other terminal
illnesses; and Saraha House, a transitional home for women and children.
In addition to providing shelter and medical care, Saraha House
aims to end women’s reliance on the “street culture”
and sex trade. Instead, it teaches skills such as weaving and paper
making so that residents can go on to create productive lives for
themselves and their children.
In Calcutta, Doug visited the headquarters of The Missionaries of
Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa. He also saw the orphanage
and hospice run by the sisters, as well as the chapel where Mother
Teresa prayed each day. “You really feel her presence there,”
Doug recalls. “It’s humbling to go to the place where
she prayed and worked.”
Doug’s tour also took him to remote areas outside the city,
to small villages where residents gathered to present songs, dances
and a warm welcome to their American visitors. “One of our
visits was delayed,” Doug says, “which caused a major
scheduling problem. So two villages actually came together to welcome
us and what made this remarkable was that these tribes were feuding.”
All of Doug’s travels in India taught him the power of collaboration.
Catholic Relief Services creates partnerships wherever it establishes
a mission presence, working with local agencies to accomplish the
goals determined by the local community. “This is why they
are able to do so much with so few resources,” Doug says.
“That trip stays with me still,” Doug says, “because
I learned how effective we can be when we partner with the people
in a particular community. ... We have to ask them what they need
and how we can help. That’s a model for human service that
I try to emulate as I develop programs for our students.”
One way he brought his experience home was to recreate the living
conditions in Calcutta in his classroom, helping the students to
appreciate the poverty and hunger that are the daily reality of
an entire population.
Another way is by implementing the idea of partnerships. Doug
is the driving force behind Lansing Catholic’s Work-A-Thon,
a new Homecoming weekend tradition that puts 540 students and a
corps of parent and teacher volunteers into the community for 2,000
hours of service in a single day. On this day, students work with
a host of community service agencies to respond to their particular
needs.
Doug’s energy and enthusiasm for service inspires not only
his students, but his colleagues. Mary Gates, theology department
chair, and an early student of Doug’s at LCC, says, “Doug
dreams big and then he follows through.”
Principal Tom Maloney concurs. “Doug ... inspires all of us
to put our faith into action.”
---
The four diocesan high schools in the Diocese of Lansing are:
Father Gabriel Richard Regional
High School, Ann Arbor, 734.662.0496
Father Luke M. Powers High School, Flint, 810.591.4741
Lumen Christi High School, Jackson, 517.787.0630
Lansing Catholic Central High School, Lansing,
517.267.2100
everyone’s mother
Theresa Henderson nurse, missionary and
catechist
By Bob Horning | Photography by Christine Jones
 Theresa
Henderson is the mother of six grown children, and has 16 grandchildren.
She has been a registered nurse since 1973, and an anesthetist for
29 years. During the last 10 years, she has had an additional calling
– passing on the faith to grade-school children at St. Thomas
the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor. Here, she tells FAITH about her
many roles.
I love seeing the eyes of the children light up with joy when they
learn and understand something about God; and then when they do
something with what they learn. I want to help them get
to heaven by understanding their faith, and through having a relationship
with the Lord. I want them to learn Scripture, and I tell them that
Catholicism is based on the Scriptures. That way they can defend
the faith. I also show them how the church is centered on the Eucharist.
At present, I have 17 fourth-graders. This year they are learning
to talk to God, with and without the help of a prayer book, and
how to receive Jesus in Communion. We also are focusing on the saints,
the liturgical calendar and Scripture.
I try to teach at their level to keep them involved and interested.
At the start of class, we have a routine in which I ask, “Who
are you?” They respond, “We are saints in the making.”
Then we say a decade of the rosary for their intentions. We also
pray a Hail Mary for terrorists, that their hearts will be changed.
I tell a lot of stories, changing my voice for each character. I
use aids, like the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the wall, and
say to them, “This is your mother. She loves you and is happy
you want to learn about Jesus.” Every year I invite a priest
to come with his vestments and explain why he wears each one. And,
I am all the time giving them things like Bibles, holy cards, rosaries,
prayer books, pens, rulers, you name it. You know how kids like
to receive things.
Some families are teaching the faith at home, so their children
already know a lot. Some know nothing. But at this age
they are like sponges, soaking up everything. There are two parents
who come regularly with their children so they can learn, too. One
parent of a boy who is having trouble in school asked me what I
do differently in the class that allows him to learn. I explain
that the kids learn better if they know they are important –
important to the church – and know that God has a mission
for them. So I try to make everyone in class aware of something
special about each child.
I don’t have much formal training as a catechist.
But I did have 12 years of education from Dominican nuns in Akron,
Ohio – plus learning from my mother and grandmother. We walked
four miles each way to Mass every day. My grandmother would tell
me that during Communion Jesus is coming down from the altar to
live in me. I have also learned about catechesis from the evangelism
I do at work.
I work at Oakwood Medical Center in Dearborn. For eight
years I was clinical director of the Acute and Chronic Pain Service,
the unit for those with six months or less to live. I would ask
all the patients if they would like me to pray for them. No one
said ‘no.’ Once I prayed over a Protestant lady who
had neck cancer. She was touched deeply. Sometime later, she told
her family and me that she wanted me to do the eulogy at her funeral.
I was the only African-American there. When I gave the eulogy, everyone
was amazed, but I didn’t know why. Afterward, I was told that
she had hated black people her whole life, and wouldn’t even
walk on the same side of the street as them.
No one has ever said anything to me about praying with the patients
and staff. In fact, my boss tells me to keep praying. I
even give out Bibles at work. One time, a rosary fell out of my
pocket. A technician saw it, realized I was Catholic, and we began
talking about Catholicism. Turns out she had been away from the
church for 35 years. As a result of our conversations, she is back
practicing her faith.
I try to live my life in a way that people will want to imitate
me. I try to love them where they are, not attempt to change
them. There are a lot of people waiting to hear the truth. If we
don’t step out for God, nothing will happen. If I can give
them God’s love, it changes them.
One last thing about work – in the medical community, abortion
is, of course, a big issue. I tell those who favor abortion
that 62 years ago my mother was raped. Should she have aborted me?
 Every
year I go on a mission trip with the Filipino Medical Society of
Michigan. We go to the barrios three to four hours from
Manila, where the hospitals have nothing. We take along supplies
and equipment donated from hospitals here. While there, we live
like the poor people. We live out of our suitcases because the hotel
rooms have no furniture. The mattresses sag. The ants and lizards
are our companions. If we are lucky, there is a window air-conditioning
unit. It gets hot in the Philippines in the summer.
The catechesis there is living out the Gospel, giving God’s
love, and caring for the people medically. We do hundreds
of free surgeries that the people would otherwise have no chance
to receive. They are very grateful. It’s one way they learn
about God. I tell people here that if you don’t believe in
God or prayer, go on a mission trip. We are the answer to the prayers
of the poor who have been begging Jesus and Mary for help.
---
The Diocese of Lansing has a renowned catechetical formation
program. Those who are called to this ministry are provided
with excellent workshops to prepare them as catechists.
If you would like more
information about becoming a catechist, contact your parish’s
director of religious education or call the diocesan director of
education and catechesis, Michael Andrews, at 517.342.2539.
Meatloaf? Grilled cheese?
Maybe or maybe it’s a miracle!
Michelle DiFranco | Photography by Joe Vaughan
 There
are a number of different true miracles that have been recorded
in history.
Jesus was known to be a healer, not only of physical disease and
ailments, but the “disease” of human sin. He
had the miraculous ability to drive out physical and psychological
demons from the afflicted. He could also multiply a few loaves of
bread and some fish in order to feed a multitude.
There are those true miracles of life. So are the ordinary
miracles of a cocoon hatching into a butterfly – or even more
astounding, the miracle of a human embryo with developing arms,
hands, legs and heartbeat. Many people describe the birth of a baby
as the greatest miracle of their lives.
True miracles happen in many different ways and they happen every
day. These are the unexpected miracles we don’t see
– miracles that happen when we aren’t even aware of
them. For instance, we may have emerged unharmed from a car accident.
Or God may have “opened a door” for us by placing in
our paths a new friend who is there for us during a difficult time.
Typically, it is our human tendency to think of these situations
as fortuitous coincidences, rather than as miracles.
These surprising “miracles” are something worth thinking
about and even praying for. Discuss them with a spouse, a friend
or your children.
Have you ever thought of opening up the lines of discussion over
a grilled cheese sandwich or some meatloaf at dinnertime?
I highly recommend it. You may be thinking, “What in the heck
does a grilled cheese sandwich and meatloaf recipe have to do with
true unexpected miracles?” Read the ingredients and ponder
life’s surprises.
---
Meat Loaf
You’ll need:
• One 5” by 9” bread pan
• 6 cups cocoa-flavored crisp rice cereal
• One 10-ounce bag regular marshmallows
• Red and green rolled fruit snacks
• 1⁄2 cup dried pineapple
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
 Coat
the bread pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a food processor,
quickly pulse the cereal. Crushing the cereal with a rolling pin
in a large zip-topped freezer bag will work, if you don’t
own a food processor.
Chop all of the rolled fruit snacks and dried pineapple into small
bits. Set all ingredients aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over low heat.
Add the unsweetened cocoa powder and stir until mixed. Add the bag
of marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add cereal, chopped
fruit snacks and dried pineapple to the marshmallow mixture. Stir
quickly, using a rubber spatula coated with cooking spray or butter,
until well mixed.
Press mixture evenly into pan and let cool for 30 minutes. For a
more convincing meatloaf, slice it up and place on a serving platter.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
You’ll need:
• Vanilla pound cake (store-bought is fine)
• One cup vanilla or buttercream frosting
(store-bought is fine here, too)
• Red and yellow food coloring
 Cut
the pound cake into one-inch slices and lightly toast in a toaster
or toaster oven until they turn light golden brown. Let cool 8-10
minutes.
Once cooled, stack two slices for each sandwich and cut in half
diagonally. Do this first to avoid making crumbs. Set “bread”
slices aside and add a couple of drops of yellow and red food coloring
to the can of frosting. More yellow than red is better for realistic-looking
American cheese. Carefully spread a generous amount of frosting
between slices of each half of sandwich. Gently press down on the
sandwich so the frosting slightly oozes out of the sandwich, creating
a melted cheese effect.
I suggest that you actually serve these after the main course.
It will be something totally unexpected for family or friends and
a great opportunity to discuss God’s unexpected miracles.
Have fun!
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