October 2006
We have a limited number of back issues available in print.
To request back issues, e-mail jjob@dioceseoflansing.org
or call 517-342-2595. You will be charged the regular cover price
of $2.50 per issue.
Love on Wheels
Greb Berent's gift to children in
pain
By Marybeth Hicks | Photography by Jim Luning
 Lacey
was only 7 the first time Gregg Berent met her, but immediately,
she captured his heart. “She climbed into the van
and introduced herself to me,” he recalls, “and even
then I could tell she was special.”
Despite a diagnosis of leukemia, Lacey was cheerful and charming.
She chatted all the way to Ann Arbor for appointments with specialists
at the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital.
“You would never have known how sick she really was,”
Gregg recalls. “She was always so positive.”
Along with her mother, Lacey spent hours with Gregg making the tedious
trek for chemotherapy treatments and follow-up visits with her oncologist.
Yet mile after mile, hour after hour, Lacey never complained about
the time she had to spend in the van or about the pain and discomfort
she endured because of her disease.
“Lacey was such a trouper,” Gregg says, “But that’s
what all our kids have in common. They’re all incredibly courageous.
But Lacey – Lacey made a lasting impression with me.”
For more than 10 years prior to taking on his current role
as assistant director of Flint’s Catholic Outreach, Gregg
served as the primary driver for the St. Christopher program,
a ministry that provides free transportation to hospitals in Detroit,
Ann Arbor and Lansing for critically ill children and their caregivers.
“There are some medical services, particularly dialysis and
treatments for rare diseases, that aren’t available for pediatric
patients in our community,” Gregg explains. “Without
the St. Christopher program, many of these kids could not get the
medical care they need.”
Yet the program didn’t emerge from a strategic plan or an
assessment of community services. It started because one man decided
to help some children.
“The St. Christopher program began with a man named Roger
Phillips,” Gregg recalls. “He called himself
an advocate for sick kids. Roger noticed that people had transportation
problems – they couldn’t get their children to medical
appointments – so he offered free rides to people who needed
them.
“Roger came to Catholic Outreach for gas money to offset the
cost of his personal ministry. Sister Claudia, our founder, never
turned anyone down, so of course she helped Roger to buy gas. That’s
how it all began.”
Eventually, Roger left the Flint area, but by then, the need for
such a service had been well-established. Catholic Outreach purchased
a minivan and Gregg began driving it, adding to his duties as coordinator
of bingo for the ministry.
“When I took over as the driver, I really didn’t know
what to expect,” Gregg recalls. “Over the years,
I carted hundreds of children thousands of miles to receive medical
care, mostly at Southeast Michigan’s two largest pediatric
health-care facilities in Detroit and Ann Arbor.
“It’s easy to befriend the children served by the St.
Christopher program. They’re some of the most courageous and
caring kids you’ll ever meet.
“Some of these kids have to be in the van several times a
week for dialysis,” Gregg says. “When you spend that
much time on the road, you really get to know them and their families;
you learn what they like and how to talk to them. When I started,
I had kids who were in car seats and now they’re young adults.
We spend a lot of time together.”
 Not
all of that time is comfortable or pleasant. Most of the
children needing transportation endure life-threatening illnesses
– AIDS, cancer, kidney failure; some have survived tragedies
such as a house fire, only to face seemingly endless treatments
and surgeries.
Some don’t survive. That’s when the bonds of friendship
mean the most.
“It’s extremely difficult to lose one of our kids,”
Gregg says, emotion washing over his face. “Stephan
was the first child I lost. He was the funniest kid I ever met –
he had cystic fibrosis and even though he was severely disabled,
when we piled into the van to go to the hospital, he would order
his family around, telling everyone where to sit. I’d look
back in the rearview mirror and he would make faces at me. He was
hilarious.
“Just before he died, Stephan said to his mom, ‘Page
Gregg and tell him I’m ready to go home.’ I realized
that I was a huge part of his life, and that made me feel so good.
I really miss him,” Gregg says. “His mom still calls
me to say ‘hello,’ and recently she called to tell me
it would have been Stephan’s 17th birthday.”
It’s not unusual for Gregg or the program’s two current
drivers to grow close with the children, as well as with their mothers,
grandmothers and families. “Most of these kids live
in single-parent homes and there’s a lot of pressure on the
moms to care for a very sick child, but also to take care of her
other children and even to hold down a job. There’s a lot
of stress, so we try to support them by just being a friend.”
Offering that support means responding to what each family needs.
For example, most of the time, St. Christopher drivers wait in the
van or the hospital lobby for patients to complete their visits.
But sometimes being supportive means sitting in on medical appointments,
picking up prescriptions in the pharmacy, or even holding a child’s
hand during a difficult procedure.
“Once I had a child who needed a spinal tap and his mom just
couldn’t bear to watch it. So I stayed with him,” Gregg
recalls. “After a while, you’re more than just the driver.
You’re a friend of the family.”
Just where is God in the St. Christopher van? “Everywhere,”
Gregg says. “He’s absolutely everywhere.”
 Not
that Gregg and the other drivers use the van to preach to a captive
audience. “We don’t evangelize while we’re
driving people to their appointments. We let the work speak for
itself. If the family asks us to pray with them, we do that. But
mostly I’ve noticed that the Holy Spirit seems to just take
over, especially with the parents.
“They have really sick kids and sometimes they feel angry
and sad. They just want someone to listen, and God puts us there
to be a strong shoulder to lean on.
“Another way God is there is in the fact that we’ve
never had an accident – and we have to drive in even the worst
weather, because if a child needs dialysis you can’t just
say, ‘Sorry, it’s snowy out.’ You have to go.
And God also has provided funds for this program, even when both
of our vans broke down at the same time. Somehow, he assures that
we’re able to keep going.”
God also seems to have blessed Gregg and the program’s other
drivers with a unique ability to let their hearts be broken. “I’ve
never felt hopeless, and I get that from the kids.”
Yet hope is found in poignant places. Gregg is used to feeling good
and feeling sad all at once. His hope comes in knowing that the
courage and character of his young passengers inspires him to share
his faith.
Lacey, the lovely little girl who charmed Gregg from their first
encounter, went home from the hospital for the last time when doctors
told her they couldn’t help her any more. She died a week
later.
“I needed to go to Lacey’s funeral because I needed
closure. Even though I sat there with tears running down my face,
I was so glad I went,” Gregg says.
“The minister talked about how Lacey spent the last week of
her life – she planned her own funeral – she
picked the readings and songs – it was incredible. She was
only 9 years old and yet she did this for all of us.
“Even when my heart breaks, there’s not a day that goes
by that I’m not grateful I got to drive that van.”
---
  Contact
your local Catholic Charities agency if you need help, or can give
someone else a helping hand by becoming a volunteer.
• Adrian: Catholic Charities of Lenawee,
517.263.2191
• Ann Arbor: Catholic Social Services of
Washtenaw County, 734.971.9781
• Brighton/Howell: Catholic Social Services
of Livingston County, 517.545.5944
• Flint: Catholic Outreach, 810.234.4693
• Flint: Catholic Charities of Genesee/Shiawasee
Counties, 810.232.9950 and 989.727.8239
• Jackson: Catholic Charities of Jackson,
517.782.2551
• Lansing: St. Vincent Catholic Charities,
517.323.4734 Ext. 1202
• Lansing: Cristo Rey Community Center, 517.372.4700
---
 Catholic
Outreach, under the direction of Sister Claudia Burke, is a Catholic
Charities agency of the Diocese of Lansing. Catholic Outreach
provides emergency assistance with housing, medical care, medical
transportation for children, food and economic needs. Many of Sister
Claudia’s employees at Catholic Outreach originally came to
the agency for assistance and were later hired. The late Bishop
Povish often called Sister Claudia “the Mother Teresa of Genesee
County.”
knitting into the mystery
how God is present in a ball of yarn and
pair of needles
By Nancy Schertzing | Photography by Christine Jones
 The
Lord works in mysterious ways. When she first saw the book,
Knitting into the Mystery, Sister Elaine LaBell didn’t understand
its power to bring comfort, purpose and joy to peoples’ lives.
Yet, since she began her Knitting Ministry group in January 2005,
she has seen the mysteries of this ancient art form heal in surprising
ways.
It’s a Tuesday morning at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Otisville.
Sister Elaine LaBell, pastoral coordinator of this small, rural
parish, welcomes 10 women to the basement of her home on the church
grounds. Different in age, background and ability, the women go
through boxes of yarn donated from leftovers or unrealized projects.
Cradling and fondling the yarn, each imagines the project she will
create with it. Some speak of upcoming baby showers, anniversaries
or funerals.
“The first mystery of this process,” explains
Sister Elaine, “is the excitement that builds as participants
use their creativity. They look ahead both to the beautiful
items they will knit or crochet, but also to the joy those items
will bring to the person who receives them. You can really feel
the excitement!”
Eventually, Sister Elaine calls the women to the circle of chairs
and asks them to put their completed work in the center. The Knitting
Ministry meeting begins.
As Sister Elaine reads the opening prayer, heads bow in unison and
hands fold into laps. Silently, their hearts echo her request for
blessings on the minds, hands, souls, yarn and needles that will
create the shawls and lap blankets. She asks also for blessings
on the people who passed on this ancient art and on those who will
receive the fruit of their work.
 “The
second mystery of this process is that it connects people, especially
women, with each other. It centers them both in prayer
and in an art form passed down over generations.” Sister Elaine
says. “I come from a family of knitters. Many of these folks
learned from loved ones now passed, and they share their memories
openly with the group. For example, MaryAnn has shared with me that
she and her mother used to sit side by side knitting for hours.
Now that her mother has died, this group allows her to connect with
others in this powerful way.”
After the opening prayer, each woman shares the handiwork she’s
completed since the previous meeting. In simple words and sincere
modesty, each lifts her creation from the center table and talks
about its stitches or its yarn – the color, texture and loft
making each a unique creation. Some have made their shawl or lap
blanket for a specific person or purpose. Others have stories about
what happened in the course of creating their pieces. Laughter and
conversation flow around the circle as the women take pride in their
collective work, and joy in each others’ company.
After the sharing, Sister Elaine pulls out the list of candidates
to receive the shawls or blankets. The discussion that
ensues focuses on the needs of others and diverts attention from
aches or pains within the circle. This day they agree that one blanket
will go to a friend grieving her mother’s death, and two will
go to an elderly couple separated when they were placed in different
nursing homes. Two shawls are offered for friends from different
communities battling cancer. Sister Elaine enters the recipients’
names in the group’s book of prayer and shares some stories
of previous gifts.
 “The
third mystery is the powerful experience of giving the shawls or
blankets to people in need.” Sister Elaine explains.
“When we give our works away, we take the piece, place it
around the person’s shoulders and read them the prayer on
the card that goes with it. So from the first minute they have the
shawl, the person is literally wrapped in warmth and prayer.”
“Last year at this time I had a funeral for a widowed mom
who died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving her 11-year-old son
alone. In my reflection, I gave the boy our shawl and told him I
handed it with the promise of prayer. Talk about tears! Later the
funeral home director told me they transported the mom’s body
way up north for burial, and at the cemetery site that young boy
had the shawl.”
“The fourth mystery of this process is that it gives us opportunities
to explore our faith and our role in living God’s love.
We minister to those in need when we make our shawls and blankets
and give them away. But we also heal each others’ loneliness
through our work and prayer.” Sister Elaine smiles, “It’s
a way to connect and get meaning from life.”
She turns to the group. “Can we stop and pray?” They
reach for their own handiwork and all rise. Standing with their
shawls or blankets in the circle, the women read the blessing for
the completed shawls. “May God’s grace be upon this
shawl – warming, comforting, enfolding, embracing.
“May this mantle be a safe haven – a sacred place of
security and well-being – sustaining and embracing in good
times as well as in difficult ones.
 “May
the one who receives this shawl be cradled in hope, kept in joy,
graced with peace and wrapped in love.”
Then, wordlessly, each hands her piece to the person next to her
for a silent blessing. For the next moments, the shawls and blankets
flow in a circular wave of benediction and love as each woman prays
silently over the works. When each holds her own handiwork again,
the circle disperses as the women enter into the fifth mystery of
the process – contemplative prayer.
The talking dies away and a rhythmic silence fills the room: clicking
needles knitting and purling. Side by side, they immerse themselves
in this timeless process. The women’s work becomes their mantra
– a wordless prayer opening minds and hearts to the mysteries
of creativity and the peace of sharing God’s love.
---
wrapped in love
 Susan
Moriarity lost her husband to cancer when their children were seven
and five. “It’s ironic,” she smiles ruefully.
“He was a rocket scientist, but three years of cancer treatments
destroyed his immune system. He developed encephalitis and his brain
literally crumbled.”
Now, five years later, cancer stalks their household again. In the
course of a normal mammogram last winter, Susan’s doctors
discovered a spot on her breast that turned out to be an aggressive
form of cancer. Almost through her chemotherapy regimen, Susan has
lost her hair to cancer, but not her spirit.
Before her chemotherapy began, Susan received a prayer shawl from
a friend. She wrapped herself in it then, and still turns to it
for comfort and warmth at times of need.
“There are some days when the overall depression wells up
– being a widow and a single mom and having cancer. It’s
pretty overwhelming when I think about it,” Susan says. “I
ask God, can I just be the wave instead of the thing that gets tossed
about in the water?”
“But I feel the prayers flowing to me from the shawl and all
my friends and family. They help me to focus and provide a kind
of background for doing what I’ve got to do.”
“I’m too young to quit, and my kids need me to stay
alive. I have to get up, pick up my mat and keep putting one foot
in front of the other to get through this. That takes a lot of strength.”
“It’s easy to get depressed. But the prayers remind
me and God reminds me I’m still alive. They pull me back around,
and the option to slip away just doesn’t occur to me any more.”
why Father Tony thinks 87 is too
young to retire
meet the oldest active priest in the Diocese
of Lansing
by Bob Horning | Photography
by Tom Gennara
 It’s
five o’clock when Father Anthony Majchrowski awakens. He
walks over to unlock the church, and says his morning prayers. Then
it’s time to hear confessions before 7 a.m. Mass. Usually,
25 people show up, double that number during Lent.
Later in the day, he does his exercises – like knee bends,
sit-ups and walking around the church parking lot six times, equaling
one mile.
“As long as the Lord gives me good health, I’ll keep
going,” he says. I won’t have to retire. I do admit
that I tire out more quickly now, and I do have a little arthritis
and other aches and pains, but not enough that I need any medication.
I was ordained to serve others as Christ served us, so I want to
be active in the priesthood as long as possible.”
Father Majchrowski, 87, is the oldest working priest in the diocese.
The third of five children, Anthony was born in Flint on Christmas
Eve, 1918. He attended All Saints Church and school. “At that
time there were 700 students in the elementary grades,” he
said. “Around World War II, Buick bought it, and now it is
a magnificent parking lot.
 “I
wanted to become a priest ever since I was a little kid.
Of course, at the time, I wanted to be a fireman and policeman,
too, but my desire to be a priest outgrew and survived my other
desires. By high school my mind was made up. My older sister had
entered a convent, so she was a good example for me. My parents
thought a vocation was fine, for her and me. They were excellent
models of sincere faith. I still remember that during the month
of October, we gathered as a family every evening and prayed the
rosary, on our knees, with our mother leading us.
“As a youth, I was pretty active in outdoor activities. I
earned my Eagle Scout badge in high school, and was a summer swimming
instructor at Camp Sancta Maria near Gaylord during my seminary
years. I also got my amateur radio license, W8QXL. I still have
it, and every once in a while go on the air. For musical entertainment,
I enjoyed playing the concertina (a small instrument somewhat like
an accordion).”
Anthony graduated from high school in 1937, then attended Sacred
Heart in Detroit for minor seminary. He went to major seminary in
Norwood, Ohio, outside of Cincinnati, at Mount St. Mary.
 After
being ordained June 3, 1944 by Bishop Joseph Albers, Father Tony
was assigned to St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing; the next year he
came back to his home parish of All Saints in Flint. “I
never knew of anyone being assigned to his home parish before,”
he said. “I think it was because it was a Polish community
and I knew the language; that’s why I have been here ever
since. I arrived as assistant pastor with some fears, but I was
well-received.
“I taught at the high school until it was closed. In 1958,
I became pastor. When the church was built in 1958, northeast Flint
was a growing area, but it never developed as expected. The parish
now has 375 families. Everyone has to travel to get here, which
is why we have religious education from noon to one o’clock
on Sundays.
“We still have a rosary devotion in Polish every Sunday at
3. But no more Polish Masses. That ended in 1998, though even by
that time it was just the Gospel and a short homily that I did in
Polish; the remainder was in English. Increasingly during the homily
I would look out at the congregation, and their expression seemed
to say, ‘What’s going on?’ So that was the end
of Polish. Not many of the second or third generation speak the
language.”
Over the decades, Father Tony continued his interest in outdoor
sports and activities. For 10 years, on his summer vacation,
he would sail on the Great Lakes with a friend who had a 36-foot
sailboat. When that arrangement ended, he continued his sailing
with another priest on their days off, followed by lunch together.
“Then I got interested in motorcycling,” he says. “I
enjoyed that because it enabled me to see much of the United States.
I went to California, Washington, and Oregon one time, another time
Alaska, and once to Nova Scotia. Usually three or four of us would
go, and camp along the way. I took my portable Mass kit, so on Sundays
we had Mass in camp if we weren’t near a church. My last trip
was in 1987, when I was almost 70.
“My first bike was a 1968 Harley Davidson FLH. It was a wonderful
vehicle, but on vacation trips the chain required lubrication about
every 500 miles. In 1974, I purchased a BMW R90, then in 1994 a
Honda Gold Wing SE. It weighed over 900 pounds, so it wasn’t
long before I couldn’t get my left foot out fast enough to
balance the bike when I needed to stop quickly. I was 77, after
all. So I converted it to a tricycle. I still ride a little, but
probably less than 100 miles per year.”
Another activity Fr. Majchrowski has enjoyed for the past 53 years
has been deer hunting while visiting at a friend’s home on
Beaver Island in Lake Michigan. “I enjoy the peace
and quiet, and not having a phone ring,” he says. “And
I have shot a deer the past six or seven years.”
Has Father Tony liked being a priest? “Absolutely,”
he says, enthusiastically, unhesitatingly. “I wouldn’t
trade it for anything. To share in the priesthood of Christ, to
be his delegate to his people – nothing is more rewarding.
There is no greater privilege than offering the holy sacrifice of
the Mass. It is a mind-boggling privilege. I never tire of it. Every
day before celebrating Mass, I ask the Lord to help me say it with
attention, with reflection, with sincerity, and devotion.
“Another thing I have always liked is giving instruction in
the faith, especially one on one, because then the person is more
free to ask questions.
“I feel as though I have successfully served the people in
their needs. Helping them has been a joy and satisfaction, being
able to comfort them in sickness and death.”
Though Father Tony is still busy all day, he doesn’t put as
much emphasis on church programs and activities as he once did.
“Through the years, I have become more conscious of God’s
presence and so as I age, I think more about seeing the Lord face
to face. I’ve seen him in pictures and statues, but this will
be the real thing. I’m going to stand in judgment before him.
I haven’t been a saint, so I hope the pit stop of purgatory
isn’t too long.”
Looking back on 62 years of priesthood, his advice to new priests
is pretty simple: “Be faithful to your prayer life, be grateful
to the Lord for your priesthood, and you will be rewarded a hundred-fold
now and in eternity. Be aware that he is with you to help in all
circumstances.”
---
 
Father Anthony’s long and happy life as a priest is an inspiration
to younger men who are considering traveling the same path. If
you have ever thought of becoming a priest, contact Father Jerry
Vincke, director of seminarians at the Diocese of Lansing, at 517.342.2507
or e-mail him at jvincke@dioceseoflansing.org. Father Jerry can
provide you with a copy of Priest Vocation Stories, a compendium
of the faith journeys of many of our diocesan priests.
Thank you
for that really important gift
Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Photography by Joe Vaughan
 In
the last year and a half, I have received generous gifts for two
wedding showers, my wedding, two baby showers and my daughter’s
baptism – not to mention all the other gifts we were
given when our first baby was born. The outpouring of generosity
was such an honor to my husband and me. It also amounted to writing
a lot of thank-you notes!
In truth, it sparks a question when I think of all the love I was
shown and all the thank-you cards I had to write. Namely,
why did I have to wait for tangible gifts before I took the time
to formally thank those who have loved me? The people who gave gifts
over these last two years have been loyal family members and friends
long before the arrival of wedding bells and baby rattles. For years,
they have given me gifts that far exceed any items purchased off
a registry. How many of these people have been good listeners or
have told me they were praying for me when I was going through a
tough time? When did I ever take the time to thank them for the
important gifts, the intangible blessings that come only from those
who love as deeply?
Perhaps you have been in a desperate situation and God has worked
through a friend or loved one to help see you through it.
How often have people you know lit your soul when it was captive
to grief, anxiety, frustration or depression? Maybe now is the time
to thank them. It is never too late to thank your neighbor who has
gone out of her way to love you. By thanking her, you love back.
And in turn, you love God.
Creating and writing a handmade thank-you note is not only a great
way to use your creative talents for someone you love, but to also
show him just how much you appreciate what he’s done.
So, why not go the extra mile and make them instead of buying them?
After all, your loved one has gone the extra mile for you.
 For
the project shown,
you will need the following:
• One 8 1⁄2” x 11” piece of off-white card
stock
• One 8 1⁄2” x 11” piece of light green
card stock
• Decorative-edge scissors
• One pack of adhesive letters (in the scrapbook supply section
of an arts and crafts store)
• Glue
• One standard invitation size (4 3/8” x 5 3⁄4”
) envelope for sending
Fold and crease the 8 1⁄2” x 11” piece of off-white
paper in half. Gently tear along the line of the crease (if you
wish to have a cleaner edge, cut 1/16” off of the torn edge
with a utility knife and ruler). You will now have two 5 1⁄2”
x 8 1⁄2” pieces of off-white paper. Take one of those
and fold in half again with the ends aligned to form the card. Set
aside. Use decorative-edge scissors to cut a light green piece of
paper 1” smaller than the 5 1⁄2” x 8 1⁄2”
piece you just folded in half. Fold that piece of paper in half
until the ends are aligned. Glue the piece over the off-white card.
Set aside. Using the decorative-edge scissors, cut a 1” x
3” piece from the remaining off-white paper and glue in the
center of the light green part of the card. Adhere the letters on
that piece of paper.
More ideas ...
• Spruce up handmade cards using different textures of paper.
• Glue on metal charms (found in the jewelry-making supply
section of an arts and crafts store).
• Try using a rubber stamp or calligraphy pen for an alternate
way to spell out the words, “thank you.”
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