Category: Secular Franciscan Order

“Creating an opportunity of encounter”

This past Sunday, the Troubadours of St. Clare Fraternity spent the day in service to the poor, serving a meal at St. Charles Borromeo Parish on Detroit’s east side. It is always an interesting adventure. The Parish volunteers flow in and out of the kitchen as the meal is being prepared. The kitchen, by the way, is a transformed classroom with old blackboards still hanging in place behind the freezers.  The lasagna is placed in the oven, salads are tossed and refrigerated, and dessert cakes are cut and made ready.

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After mass, the good people come down to the basement and are seated waiting for grace to be said prior to the meal.

As the people filter into the seating area there is a loud voice shouting to any and all that might break the rules “TAKE OFF YOUR HAT”. It is extremely disruptive to hear and not very welcoming. It reminds me of an experience I had at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi a short time ago. As I wandered in amazement looking at the frescoes on the ceilings and walls, there was a friar seated in a place of authority using a microphone within the sacred space saying, “SILENCIO-SILENCIO”. I guess he wanted silence in the Basilica and yet he was making much more noise keeping everybody quiet than the pilgrims were making as they wandered the basilica in awe of Giotto’s work! The friar had a job to do and by heaven he was going to do it. The same could be said for the help at St. Charles–yelling across the room for the one or two people that wandered in out of the cold rain to take off their hats–that was their job. They had the authority and by golly they were going to use it. I, however, found the events in both locations disconcerting. unwelcoming, and an obstacle to intimacy and relationship.

All the while,  everyone was being seated and grace was quickly said. A line was formed and the people were fed. For our part, we did what we were asked to do, exactly how we were asked to do it;  yet there was something missing for me. The long serving table created a dividing point, a barrier. We were on one side of the table and they (the guests) were on the other.  There was no opportunity for dialogue and relationship–not much time even for a smile to be shared.  We were not able to be brother and sister one to another. In fact, when we were done serving, we (the fraternity) took our food into the kitchen and sat and ate together. Again we were separated from the people, within a walled space. All in all, it was a very sanitized experience. These were for the most part our sisters and brothers that had just left the Table of the Lord having received his body and blood. We could have gone out and sat with those we were serving, but it did not happen. In this regard, we as a fraternity have some work to do. Yes we served/fed the hungry. But we failed to step through our own isolation, failed to step through the walls that were created to maintain order and break bread. We did not celebrate; we were not Eucharist with the people that were present.

Did we actually  fail at anything?  No not really!

It was a wonderful and enjoyable experience. We as a fraternity are continuing to step out of our comfort zones. Trying to give life and action to our  vocation. With a bit more experience and a little more help, we will be able to go out to the people and “break bread” with them, quoting Pope Francis, “Creating an opportunity of encounter”.

From our Rule of Life

Article 13

AS the Father sees in every person the features of his Son, the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, so the secular Franciscans with a gentle and courteous spirit accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ.

Article 19

Mindful that they are bearers of peace which must be built up unceasingly, they should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue, trusting in the presence of the divine seed in everyone and in the transforming power of love and pardon.

Messengers of perfect joy in every circumstance, they should strive to bring joy and hope to others…..

With great joy we will struggle to do this alone and this ministry  most certainly cannot be accomplished in fraternal  isolation, behind any kind of barrier (table) that separates us. Putting a serving of lasagna on a plate is a good  beginning. But it is only a first step in a journey of  admitting and overcoming our own  fear, distrust, and prejudice. To be truly alive,  truly loving and caring, we must continue to step out into the unknown as we seek  “To encounter the living and active person of Christ in our brothers and sisters….” (Article 5, Rule of Life).  This is our call to conversion and a continuing challenge, becoming people joyfully recognizing and encountering our God in each other and in our sisters and brothers.

 

G.C. Article 55 and I didn’t sign up for this!

From the OFS Constitution

Article 55

If a brother or sister, for any reasonable cause, desires transfer to another fraternity, he or she first informs the council of the fraternity to which he or she belongs and then makes the request, including the reasons for the transfer, to the minister of the fraternity to which he or she wishes to belong. The council makes its decision after having received the necessary information in writing from the fraternity of origin.

I experienced a sad yet interesting coincidence this past week at our OFS Fraternity Council meeting. We have a member officially requesting to transfer to another Fraternity. The reason “officially” given for the request to leave our OFS Fraternity?

“I cannot accept the ‘Alternate Theology’ that this fraternity embraces.”

I can guarantee you that this person did not see my last blog post. The individual is struggling and the only solution is to leave. There is no openness to dialogue.  Franciscan Theology and Spirituality was not a part of the bargain upon entrance to the Fraternity. All this is coming about after the past year and a half of ongoing formation where the F.U.N. (For Up to Now) Manual was used and our Theology and Spirituality studied.

A period of time was so tense that at the end of our studies from the F.U.N. Manual on Theology and Spirituality, our friar Spiritual Assistant recommended to the fratenrity that we only have ongoing formation once or twice a year rather than it be a part of every gathering.

My first thoughts?  The teaching of our Theology and Spirituality taken directly from the F.U.N Manual that was created for inquirers and candidates, those people who are thinking of entering the Order, is perceived as an act of violence and betrayal to our Catholic faith and the magisterim of the Church to some of our professed members.

Where will this individual go to find a Fraternity to walk with in the future?

In our Region, there are plenty of Fraternities whose foundation is not set on the bedrock of our theology and spirituality. In the past, the only focus was on a quite literal interpretation of our Rule and Constitutions and within the Rule and Constitutions no where is our theology and spirituality giving anything more than a passing mention. In fact our Rule and Constitutions are quite generic when read (if they are read) without a good understanding of the Charism, Rule, and Constitutions. With just a couple word changes, our Rule and Constitutions could quite easily fit any public association of the faithful or any third order.

What is the “personality” of a  fraternity that is not grounded in our theology and spirituality? What takes its place? The power of the dominant personality which might be a friar or secular Spiritual Assistant; or it might be the elected Minister; or it might even be a Regional or National Minister. There are a few other possibilities; yet, in almost every case  the strongest personalities in the fraternity at any level and their personal view of Catholisim and  Franciscanism will often dictate and dominate what it means to be Franciscan. Usually it is anything but that.

From the OFS Rule

CHAPTER THREE: LIFE IN FRATERNITY

Article 20.

The Secular Franciscan Order is divided into
fraternities of various levels — local, regional, national,
and international. Each one has its own moral
personality in the Church. These various fraternities
are coordinated and united according to the norm of
this rule and of the constitutions.

 

From the OFS Constitution’s

Article 33

1. In the guidance and co-ordination of the fraternities and of the Order, the personality and capacity of the individual brothers and sisters and of the individual fraternities should be promoted. The plurality of expressions of the Franciscan ideal and cultural variety must be respected.

Implied in these two quotes is an understanding that both the “moral personality” and the “plurality of expressions” of a fraternity at any level are built upon Franciscan thought, theology, and spirituality. It is not the thought, theology, or spirituality of the supposed authority figure whether that person be a Priest, Deacon, Spiritual Assistant, Minister, or Formation Director at any level of Fratenity.

As brothers and sisters of penance, we are going to have to come to terms with this. Creating the F.U.N. Manual  was a beginning. Its creation was a good start. Yet, its usage is optional. It was created for inquiry and candidacy without any mandate that it be studied and understood by the Professed.  There has been little if any follow up.  As stated in my last blog post,” People will ‘pick and choose’  and ‘from these pickings and choosings’  will construct his or her own deviant opinion” that will make them comfortable, and will vilify  anyone or anything that  makes them uncomfortable or sets outside of their belief system. If we as an Order don’t come to terms with this, all the good intention in the world will not help.  The movement will pass on into history.

 

 

Picking and Choosing

 

“The English word ‘heresy’ comes from the Greek verb hairein, which means ‘to choose’.  A hairesis originally meant, quite simply, the taking of a choice.” However in the context of religious authority and tradition, a “heretic” is someone who denies this authority  and instead “picks and chooses” from the content of that tradition, and again, according to Berger “from these pickings and choosings” constructs his or her own deviant opinion.

Today, however, deviance is the rule-there is no common standard from which one would deviate.

The point is that, in the modern context, far from being an anomaly, heresy becomes the norm- a necessity, even, as “modernity creates a new situation in which picking and choosing becomes an imperative.” [Ecumenical Trends Magazine – January 2015]

What I quoted from the Ecumenical Trends Magazine  was not written about the OFS (Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis). In fact it has nothing to do directly with the OFS.  It did get me thinking.  In many ways it describes my own personal journey and experience serving on the local, regional, and national levels of fraternity within the OFS. First thoughts? We are a people that like to “pick and choose.” In fact,  for some of us, the very process of becoming a Franciscan is an act of discernment, of “picking and choosing”.

Within Catholicism, there are two main theologies that have been passed onto us from the middle ages:

The primary Theology adopted by the Church (i.e. The Work of the Dominican School) and the Alternate Theology in the Church, (i.e. The Franciscan School)

I am not speaking here of Spiritualities, of which there are many fine paths that can lead us to experience God. I am speaking only of the  foundations in theology that give rise to the many varied and equally excellent approaches to God (spiritualities).  [OFS For Up to Now Manual (FUN); Understanding Franciscan Theology Tradition and Spirituality pg 3]

For decades now, I have  personally experienced  brokenness within the order both locally, regionally, and internationally. We are in need of healing.  One of the areas of brokenness that we need to heal is our lack of a cohesive and consistent understanding of who we are as a people and what our Franciscan charism is.  There seems still to be a rejection of our theology or at least a major lack of understanding across a wide spectrum of  individuals that make up the OFS. Not only are we not yet able to share a “common standard” of understanding about what it means to be a secular Franciscan in the world today, we seem to struggle to recognize a “common standard” of understanding of what it means to be Catholic. The tension this creates within fraternal life keeps us from truly being brother and sister, one to another.  All of this is exacerbated by our individual participation in the political culture wars that permeate our religious experience and the seeming tribal effect of our participation in digital/social media.

Recently I had the honor and privilege serving NAFRA (OFS-National Fraternity-USA) on a couple of committees. It was a great joy for me, yet there was often present a dynamic of tension. How can we as a people possibly support and become active participants in the OFS, let alone any of the Committees  (i.e. ‘Ecumenical and Interfaith’ and the ‘Joint Committee for Franciscan Unity’) if even a little part of what I have experienced is true? I can see why many would not even believe these committees are necessary given the lack of a “common standard” of understanding of our faith and our Franciscan charism?

Yes, I just might be a “heretic”. Yes, in the “picking and choosing” involved in the process of discerning my vocation, I have realized and intentionally chosen the Franciscan path. However, rather than “constructing my own deviant opinion” as a Professed Franciscan, I accept and live my life following an “Alternate Theology” within Catholicism.  Because of my choices and especially as I navigate my own brokenness as well as the brokenness of my sisters and brothers,  I  experience a certain tension and lack of acceptance sometimes outright rejection within my  OFS family.

The only solution before me is love.  I  do recognize my own brokenness as part of the problem and as I reflect, I take upon myself the thoughts and words of Benedetto Lino, OFS, who authored a study on Secular Franciscan Formation titled “What is Christian Formation and in particular Formation For Us Secular Franciscans.” (Benedetto served for years as the CIOFS [Council International of the Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis]  International Formation Minister)

I must “Start Afresh From Christ”

I must “open my soul to Christ”

I must “encounter the living person of Jesus Christ”

I must enter into “a true conversion-transformation towards a Christ-shaped existence”

I must seek out and enter into “a true personal relationship with Jesus Christ”

I must be “transformed into a new creature”

I must “Experience the ‘vibrant excitement’ and the ’emotion’ to stand before the mystery of such a wonderful condescendence’, to the point of giving myself up and to adhere totally to the Lord.”…..

“The first element in the vocational process of Saint Francis ……is the PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST, a relationship which is characterized by radicality, totality and permanence. …..”

“The flame and this warmth can be received only by those who want them and render themselves open to the action of the Spirit and to the living transmission of authentic and credible witnesses….”

“Francis, like a new Christ, inflamed his companions, his fellow-citizens, the people of his time and he continues to set the world on fire, just like Jesus’ first disciples.”

“We, too, must “set the world on fire”, dear brothers and sisters, and to do so we need ‘true faith, certain hope, perfect love, deep humility, sense and knowledge, that we may carry out the Lord’s holy and true command’,  exactly as Francis asked the Crucifix, after He had revealed to him his mission.”

“We must multiply and, by living contact, we must transmit, form, and inflame.”

 

 

United by their vocation as “brothers and sisters of penance,” and motivated by the dynamic power of the gospel, let them conform their thoughts and deeds to those of Christ by means of that radical interior change which the gospel itself calls  “conversion.” Human frailty makes it necessary that this conversion be carried out daily……  [Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order; article VII]

 

Let me begin again for up to now I have done nothing.

And you?

Pax et bonum

Mike

 

 

 

Forsaken

As we enter into Holy Week my thoughts turn to Good Friday and the words of Jesus as he was dying on the cross.

“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Mt. 27: 46

What does it mean to be “Forsaken”? Can we even imagine how this feels?

In the time of Francis one group of “Forsaken”  were the lepers. A group of people whose very identity was officially erased. They were the “disappeared” of their day. The very act to remove them from society was an official act of the Church with a proper Ritual.

The Mass of Separation

The mass, spoken by a priest, was performed at the site of the leper’s hut. The whole parish accompanied a newly identified leper to his/her new home [outside the city walls] as the priest performed the mass.

I forbid you to ever enter a church, a monastery, a fair, a mill, a market or an     assembly of people.

I forbid you to leave your house unless dressed in your recognizable garb and also shod.

I forbid you to wash your hands or to launder anything or to drink at any stream or fountain, unless using your own barrel or dipper.

I forbid you to touch anything you buy or barter for, until it becomes your own.

I forbid you to enter any tavern; and if you wish for wine, whether you buy it or it is given to you,  have it funneled into your keg.

I forbid you to share house with any woman but your wife.

I command you, if accosted by anyone while travelling on a road, to set yourself down-wind of them before you answer.

I forbid you to enter any narrow passage, lest a passerby bump into you.

I forbid you, wherever you go, to touch the rim or the rope of a well without donning our gloves.

I forbid you to touch any child or give them anything.

I forbid you to drink or eat from any vessel but your own.

Martene’s DeAntiquis Ecclesiae Ritibus, “Ordo I” , quoted. in Martinus cawley, “The Life of Alice the Leper and the Silver Age of Villers,” Cistercian Scholars Quarterly

It was from this lived experience of the removal of society of the “forsaken” that we read from the Testament of Francis:

The Lord gave me, brother Francis, to begin to do penance in this way: While I was in sin, it seemed excessively bitter to me to see lepers.  And the Lord himself led me among them and I did mercy with them. And when I left them that which seemed bitter to me had been changed into sweetness of spirit and the body; and afterward I lingered a little and left the world. [of Assisi]

Who are the “Forsaken” of today? Who do we not want to look at or not want to see? Who are we keeping outside of the walls of our communities? How are we as Secular (Lay) Franciscans  responding?

Fraternity Election Results

 

Troubadours of St. Clare Fraternity Election Results

Peace be with you,

On October 20, 2015, our Fraternity held its Chapter of Elections.

The Offices of the Fraternity Council were filled as follows:

  • Councilor – Barbra Jur OFS
  • Formation Minister – Kathleen Carsten OFS
  • Treasurer – Jerry Alderman OFS
  • Secretary – Mary Anne Novak OFS
  • Vice – Minister – Marie Amore OFS
  • Minister – Mike Carsten OFS

It has been many years now since my last term of service as “Minister” of a fraternity; many years since I last participated as a member of the Divine Mercy Region, Regional Fraternity. In the years that have passed, many things have changed in the world, the Church, and in the Franciscan movement; and yet so many things have stayed the same.

I look forward to following in the footsteps of those that have so ably guided the Troubadours of St. Clare Fraternity, and I want to thank those that have willingly said yes to serve on the council along side of me at this moment.

On behalf of a grateful fraternity, I offer a special thank you to our sister Joan for her faithful service as Minister the past 3 years.

I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead of us.

We look joyfully to our January 2016 fraternity gathering as we will celebrate the presence of 4 individuals joining us as they discern a possible vocation in the OFS.

Kathy will begin leading us with The Holy Year of Mercy, a Faith-Sharing Guide, With Reflections by Pope Francis.

We also will experiment with a new format for the fraternity gathering where what was once described as our social time, will be incorporated into and throughout the entire meeting.

Possible future adventures? How about –

A 3-day retreat/Chapter at the Capuchin Retreat Center in August; or

A few times a year holding Fraternity Gatherings at members’ homes; or

How about resurrecting the Fraternity Sunday Corporate Communion and breakfast? Every now and then those that are able would gather at a member’s parish for mass and then go out to breakfast together; or

An OFS “day at the ballpark” enjoying a Tiger game in the spring or early summer; or

How about an OFS day at the Detroit Zoo; or

A picnic/fraternity gathering on Bell Isle?

What does it mean to “Gather as Fraternity”? To be sister and brother one to another? How many of these possible events could we invite the Region to?

Let us fearlessly re-imagine our vocation and time spent together.

Pax et Bonum

Mike

 

 

She Left Her Bed in a Hurry…

Tuesday morning’s weather made me want to stay in bed and pull over the covers—it was raining and cold—a typical November morning.  Nonetheless, my day needed to start, and so I made my way to St. Al’s.  As I walked to our office, we had a guest who left her bed in front of our doorway—looked like she left in a hurry. She left her blankets and a bag of belongings.  I say “she” because there were thin women’s stockings and paperclips on the bed that may have been used to hold back her hair. The word on the street, too, was that it was a woman who slept here, but no one knew her. She didn’t come back the rest of the day. Ron (name changed), who worships at St. Al’s, neatly folded up her belongings and put them aside behind one of the pillars.

The following morning when I arrived at St. Al’s, the bed was spread out and left just as it had been on Tuesday, only several feet away from St. Al’s front door.  Our guest had left in the same manner and nowhere to be seen.  Today her belongings would not be spared.  The maintenance man from the former chancery building bundled the blankets together and put them out by the trash can.

We may never meet our guest—I wonder what her story is.  Is she a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother?  Is she struggling to pay bills on minimum wage earnings?  Is she showing signs of health problems in mind, body, and spirit?  Will we ever meet, and will Neighborhood Services have the opportunity to provide her with help to address the issues of homelessness?

Downtown and Midtown Detroit’s landscape is changing with all the renovations of buildings and razing of old houses and office buildings.  But let there be no mistake, our homeless brothers and sisters are not gone.  They may be pushed here and there, have no place not even a blanket to call their own, but they do have St. Aloysius Neighborhood Services to reach out to through our street ministries, whole health ministry, and a place to worship.   Our brothers and sisters will always be with us.

Mother Theresa gives us a beautiful thought of action; she says, “Together let us do something beautiful for God.”  It is our hope that we can continue together with you to serve our brothers and sisters in need in Detroit.

She Left Her Bed in a Hurry 1

An invitation to look anew at the Office of Minister

 

In October we will be participating in the Fraternity’s “Chapter of Elections”.  It is a time of Joy and Grace for the sisters and brothers of the Troubadours of “St. Clare Fraternity” and for the entire Order as well.

During the Election process there are two specific types of office within the one Council that nominations are received and persons are elected too.

  1. The office of Minister
  2. The office of Councilor

The specific tasks that are filled such as Secretary, Treasurer and even in our Fraternity’s case Formation Master/Minister all are given their expression through the office of Councilor.

The “Office of Minister” is a unique position that is distinct in its character.  Within the “Office of Minister” there are two positions that members are elected to.

  1. The Office of Minister
  2. The Office of Vice-Minister

For the purpose of this article I am going to focus on these two unique and distinct offices Minister and Vice –  Ministerwithin the council at all levels.

There is no position that holds more misunderstanding within the OFS than the office of Minister.

It is seen by most (at all levels) to be a position of power and authority.  The Office of Vice-Minister is used today (at all levels) as a somewhat ceremonial position where the person elected is viewed as less than the Minister and as someone behind the scenes waiting for delegation of responsibility’s from, or the absence of the (true) Minister. In other words to fill in when needed. Nothing could be further from the truth or the intention of our Rule and Constitutions.

To quote our Minister General, Tibor Kauser In a presentation to the assembled gathering in Assisi during the OFS General Chapter, November 2014.

“ 5. SOME CONCRETE PROBLEMS

  1. Lack of collegiality and misunderstanding of the role of ministers.

This is the most frequent problem in the order. The problem exists not only because there are ministers who think they are entitled to have absolute powers but also because there are counselors who are convinced that the minister is responsible and empowered to do everything, or who simply have no intention to get involved to serve.

The solution of this problem entirely resides on the full compliance with our Rule and General Constitutions.

Particular misunderstanding can be experienced regarding the role of the vice-ministers. They are very often considered to be ‘substitute ministers’, saying that they do not have anything to do until the minister is in charge.  I strongly recommend to read the General Constitutions for this:

   The vice minister has the following duties: (G.C. 52.1)

  • To collaborate in a fraternal spirit and to support the minister in carrying out his or her specific duties;
  • To exercise the functions entrusted by the council and/or by the assembly or chapter;
  • To take the place of the minister in both duties and responsibilities in case of absence or temporary impediment;
  • To assume the functions of the minister when the office remains vacant.

These duties – particularly the first two – are way fare more than to wait until the minister ‘disappears’. This needs a new understanding from both the ministers and the vice-ministers”. End quote.

Sisters and brothers, we are being asked by our Minister General, to rethink and recreate, our understanding and experience of the “Office of Minister”.  To expect from those elected to this office, both Minister and Vice-Minister at all levels of Fraternal life, a true understanding of the collegiality and shared ministry expressed and expected as a result of our intentional desire to live out our Rule and General Constitutions.

Our brother Tibor’s comments are meant for the entire order. The task for our specific Fraternity and Region is to look at who we are. How we operate and respond in concrete ways to this moment of fraternal correction we are being offered.

Tibor’s entire presentation can be seen and downloaded from the NAFRA web site. It is well worth the time and effort.

Peace

Mike

A Chance Encounter

A Chance Encounter

It’s a very dark Tuesday morning, January 13, 2015 at 6:30 am.

The wind was blowing hard and the temperature probably about zero—must be a chill factor of at least 15 below zero. As I was driving to work at St. Aloysius, I was thinking about how cold it was. My teeth hurt and I had a brain freeze going on from the few minutes I was outside getting the car ready to go.

As I moved through the streets of Detroit, I pulled up to Mack Avenue and Beaconsfield on the East side.  Down the street I could see traffic coming but something caught my eye. In the headlights I saw a person walking in the street. Drivers worked their way around this person and the only way I could see anything was in the headlights of the oncoming traffic. I paused at the intersection to see what was going on. Slowly the person walking in the street made their way to the front of my car. I stared in disbelief—right in front of me walking down the middle of the west bound lane of Mack Avenue was a teenage male. He was barefoot, wearing only boxer shorts and a tee-shirt. I watched as he walked by the intersection. Cars were whizzing by him on his left. I hopped out of the car and yelled to him but he showed no response at all. I walked into the street and yelled again. Still no response from him. I returned to my car and made my first call to 911.  6:37 a.m. showed on my phone. After requesting both police and EMS to be sent to the site, I put on my emergency flashers and pulled out behind him and followed creating, as best I could, a shield from the traffic coming from behind. He made no sign of knowing I was present. After some distance, he came to Alter Rd—a main intersection with a stop light. The teenager stopped and waited for the light.  While sitting at the light, I called 911 for the second time and gave them an update as to his location.  Almost ten minutes had passed. When the light turned green, he walked through the intersection and progressed down the road passing the entry to a major gas station located on the corner. Once by the entry, he turned back and walked up to the gas station; he went inside. The night shift person on duty pushed the young man outside by motioning with his hands—the way you might try to move a wayward dog out of a yard. Three times the attendant forced the young man out of the store. Three times the young man wandered back in. It is now 7:17 and for the third time I called 911. After my conversations with dispatch after asking where not only the police were but what has happened to EMS, I was told my call has gone out and they are both working to respond. I walked up the attendant and introduced myself. I informed him that I was waiting for the police and EMS to arrive and that I was watching out for the teenager until they arrived. The attendant then took the young man into the station and let him sit down next to the window. I had a coat that was donated during the Christmas Giving effort; I took it in and wrapped it around him. He shook uncontrollably and tears were running down his face. The attendant brought him hot coffee and a pair of socks.

I went out to my car and sat parked near the window watching and waiting. Within minutes a car pulled up to the front door. A man got out and went in and up to the teenager. The youth stood up and followed him out to the car. I went up to the pair and introduced myself. The man said he was the young man’s father. He explained to me that his son was autistic and that he had somehow slipped out of the house. He had been looking for him. He thanked me for my help. After our conversation, the father loaded the teen into his car and drove away. It was my hope that the father had taken him to the hospital, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

I made my fourth and last call to 911. I let them know that the young man had been taken by someone who said he was his father and that he was taking him home; I informed them I was leaving as well.  The time was 7:24 a.m.  I hopped in my car and continued on to St. Aloysius.

The police never did show up. Neither did EMS.  I left earlier than usual for work that day.  Now I know why.

Peace

Mike

 

Indigence Cleansing in the “D”

 

Washington Boulevard was much busier this past month. The poor most especially the mentally ill were much more visible.  In September the buildings in Capital Park that we share the alley with expanded their renovation. So our shared alley is part of a construction zone now from State Street to Grand River. With this added construction/renovation, comes added security from the private security firm that the city has hired.  It is assumed the primary job of the private firm of course is building security. The buildings and construction materials are exposed and in need of being watched.

And yet a secondary task has been assigned to the city’s private security force. They are to clean/sanitize the area of any and all undesirable people. Who are the undesirable people? Why the poor of course. The homeless and mentally ill for sure. But it is not always easy to distinguish who the homeless and mentally ill are despite the best profiling techniques; so if you look poor, you are questioned.  And, as witnessed by this writer, if you don’t answer the questions correctly, you are escorted out of the area by a guy in a black uniform with a big gun. If you are homeless and carrying a backpack? Well forget it. The city parks or streets are not for you.

The city is slowly expanding its zone of indigence cleansing. Within the parish boundaries, that zone of indigence cleansing now has reached our back door. In the not too distant future, it will reach our front door. The poor we serve will continue to be pushed further and further out away from the dynamic central city.   The homeless and mentally ill will not disappear though it may be tougher for them to reach us. These issues are much greater and much more complicated and are in need of being addressed by the people of the State of Michigan and the US.

Called to conversion, called to explore and think.

An article from the current issue of the “THE CORD A Franciscan Spiritual Review” Grabbed my attention this past week.

I quote from an article written by Michael Cusato, O.F.M. one of the foremost Scholars on medieval Franciscan History in the field today.

He starts out his article by writing a couple of questions directed towards the Friars.

Question 1. Why are you poor?

In his response he states –  “ ……I would hazard to guess that a least a few (if not more) would answer my initial question – why are you poor why do you choose poverty – by claiming that you are poor because the Jesus whom you desire to follow was poor, and that we Franciscans are poor, because we follow the poor Christ. This was and is a truism in Franciscan formation and spirituality. Indeed, it was the primary reason given in the Middle Ages by many Franciscans themselves. But today, few Scripture scholars would describe the Jesus of the gospels as being a man who lived a life of voluntary poverty. The poor Christ, in other words was a particularly medieval understanding of Jesus. In fact, it was an image that had become prevalent only in the High Middle Ages – shortly before the time of Francis in the latter part of the twelfth century – and that this particular image would once again shift in succeeding centuries.”……..

YIKES! This article starting with this paragraph really caught me off guard. I must admit that I was unprepared to hear this message and, at first, was instantly repelled by its implications for me.  This is something I really did not want to hear.

Why is that?

Peace

Mike