Communio . . .
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Feb 24, 2008
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To strengthen our shared life in Christ
through mutual participation and the free exchange of ideas.
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Community of St. Malachi, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2380. www.stmalachi.org
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Communio Archive
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Malachi House
by John
Gerace
(John is a member of the Community of St. Malachi.)
A St Malachi parishioner donated four row houses to St Malachi Church in
1987.
Fr. Paul Hritz, who was then Pastor
of St Malachi Parish and the Community of St Malachi, formed a committee to
determine the best use for the row houses.
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It was decided to establish a home for terminally ill persons, who had no
one to care for them, and might otherwise die alone. This was a real community
concern that needed to be addressed and required a solution. It was a concern
then and still is today.
The row houses were in need of serious rehabilitation.
It was going to require “many hands” to get the job done. Volunteers,
many of whom were members of St Malachi Parish and the Community of St Malachi,
joined together with people in the construction trades and with many
benefactors. It was a huge
undertaking. In excess of 100,000
volunteer hours were contributed. The
hard work was completed after many months.
Malachi House, this unique and important ministry on Clinton Ave at W.
28th St, came to life and welcomed the first residents in 1988.
Malachi House Mission Statement
Malachi House, created out of a Christian sense of ministry, serves persons who are terminally ill without
regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin, and
without cost to the resident or family.
This home ministers to individuals who need an available
caregiver, who have limited or no financial resources and are in
need of special home care in the final stages of life.
A trained staff and volunteers provide spiritual,
emotional and physical support with the assistance of a Hospice
team.
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“Many hands” are required to serve and care for our brothers
and sisters. The Malachi House care giving staff is the primary, or the
“front line”, of providing loving care and comfort for our residents
– 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Volunteers
are the “extra pair of hands” who allow the staff and caregivers the
time to provide the direct hands on care.
Volunteers do many of the chores necessary in running a home –
prepare and serve meals, grocery shop, cleaning, answer phones, do
laundry, stock shelves, provide clerical assistance and maintenance.
These responsibilities are necessary and important.
But, volunteers also spend very special and necessary time with the
residents. These are the
times that you realize how important we are to each other.
Residents are teachers… they teach you about pain and suffering,
fear and uncertainty, about hope and faith and ultimately, about
acceptance and surrender.
It is not uncommon for a resident to be unsure of his or her new
surroundings… change is often difficult. As
volunteers you spend time with residents, visiting or praying with them,
reading to them or, often, just listening or being with them in silence
– holding a hand. In time
you witness the transformation that takes place as loving care, concern,
and respect for the resident restores dignity.
It is at times like this you realize that the Holy Spirit is hard
at work.
Laughter is an important commodity at Malachi House... often
initiated by the residents and shared by all. You realize how special
Malachi House is when residents say, “I’ve never had so much love, and
good food too”… “I am blessed, I know God loves me because He sent
me here to finish my assignment”... “I should have been gone 7 months
ago but then, I came here to live, and that’s what I’m doing.”
An expression often heard at Malachi House is “You don’t come
here to die... you come here to live until you can’t anymore.”
And indeed they do. There is much living going on as residents play
cards, do crafts and puzzles, enjoy music – whether it is just listening
or, more often, participating in singing songs they remember or songs they
have not heard in a long time. Volunteers often agree that you come to Malachi House hoping
to bring something of yourself that may brighten a resident’s day but,
as you leave at the end of the day, you leave with far more than what you
brought in. No resident dies
alone at Malachi House. Volunteers
often sit in vigil with the resident.
It has been 20 years since the first resident was welcomed to
Malachi House. Since then
approximately 1275 precious souls have passed through the House on their
way home. It is an honor and privilege to be able to serve and participate
in this special ministry.
Funding for Malachi House is provided by contributions from
individuals, corporations, foundations and an annual benefit.
Several social and sporting events during the year raise additional
funds. Malachi House does not
receive any funding or support from any government agencies.
If you are interested in visiting or volunteering at Malachi House,
call Alice Sawyers, Volunteer Coordinator, at (216) 621 - 8831. You will
be most welcome.
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Look Beneath the Surface – Human Trafficking:
A Child’s Life May Depend On It
by Fran De Chant
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(Fran is a member of the Community of St. Malachi.)
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The large, diverse crowd gathered on the evening of January 24 in the Don
Umerley Auditorium at Rocky River’s Civic Center was quiet, intent on the
words of a statuesque blonde woman speaking from the podium. Many
participants carried credentials of health care, teaching and counseling
professions. An entire city’s police force in uniform filled a section
of back rows. The speaker concluded her presentation, opening the floor
for questions. For over an hour, questions exploded from the stunned
audience; most participants portrayed their shock at the urgent message of this
speaker as she related a story well beyond horrifying.
Theresa Flores (her married name) was fifteen, living in an upscale
suburb of Detroit. “My family moved
often, about every two years, because of my father’s important position with
his company. Our house in Birmingham had
four bedrooms and five bathrooms,” Theresa remembers. Oldest in a
well-off, stable, churchgoing, Irish Catholic family, Theresa was obliged to
make new friends, striving again and again to fit into the complicated social
world of high school. This time, her need for acceptance coupled with
naive trust of ethnic groups she knew little about, drew her down into a hellish
world that no one saved her from. It was, AND IS THE WORLD OF HUMAN
TRAFFICKING.
Theresa defines “human trafficking” as compelling a person by force
to go places against her or his will and to perform actions against her or his
will. Human trafficking takes two forms, labor and sex, sometimes both.
For two long years Theresa was taken secretly from her home at night, driven to
hidden basement locations and forced to sexually service groups of men.
They controlled her by fear and with threats to her and her family’s safety.
During the daytime she was watched continuously and stalked in her every move.
The pretty, indulged teenager had been turned into a modern day sex slave.
And no one asked, “Are you afraid?” No one came to her rescue.
Today, Theresa is a survivor, mother of three and a licensed social
worker. She repeats over and over that at the time of her abduction into
slavery, twenty-five years ago, those who should have been alerted to act on her
behalf failed her. She was just a child, trusting and unskilled in
self-protection. Her parents conformed so much to the formal social
expectations of their class that they shielded themselves from uncovering
evidence of their daughter’s plight. Teachers routinely turned their
backs on a troubled, sleep-deprived student they should have known was being
hideously abused. Medical personnel never inquired why a young student
would need repeated treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. The
police neither patrolled effectively nor investigated criminal activity which
would have led to rescuing her.
Twenty-five years later, the audience posed the question: “Is the same
thing happening?” Theresa’s answer is a firm, “Yes! Human
trafficking is going on in the United States. It’s not just abroad or in
Asia.” Theresa’s appearance was
cosponsored by The Collaborative Initiative to End Human Trafficking and the
Sisters of the Humility of Mary. Columbus and Cincinnati
both have a coalition of agencies and services to identify and aid victims.
Toledo, the city in Ohio
where the most cases are presently being prosecuted, does not yet have
coordinated services. Neither does Cleveland.
Ohio, which is the fifth leading state in human
trafficking, lacks the legislation that would make human trafficking a crime.
At this time three bills are pending.
There are steps everyone needs to take to identify the presence of this
hideous form of exploitation:
Educate yourself about human trafficking in the United States. Theresa
assures us that voluminous information is available on the internet. I
would be happy to share any information I have with you. My e-mail address
is: frandec1213@netzero.com.
Form a mindset that accepts human trafficking as possibly happening in your
neighborhood, your children and grandchildren’s school, and even a danger to
your own family. This is the only way, similar to domestic violence and
incest, that this crime can be prevented and victims rescued.
Demand that teachers, medical and law enforcement personnel become familiar with
the signs of victimization. They need to learn the key questions and
persist in asking them.
Theresa wrote in a poem describing her healing, a miracle in itself,
“Don’t ask me why I am so spiritual, for only the angels accompanied me on
my darkest journey.” Believe that we, as people of faith, are called to
awareness, to concern and to action. These tens of thousands in our midst,
so horribly systematically abused, are truly the least of our Gospel sisters and
brothers.
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Two Choices
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(Thanks to Frank Schiros for sending this anonymous email in.)
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John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and
always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was
doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”
He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee
how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked
him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the
time. How do you do it?”
He replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two
choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or...you can choose to be in
a bad mood.
I choose to be in a good mood.”
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can
choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their
complaining or...I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the
positive side of life.
“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested.
“Yes, it is” he said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away
all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to
situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good
mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.”
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to
start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made
a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several
years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60
feet from a communications tower.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released
from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d
be twins...Wanna see my scars?”
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his
mind as the accident took place.
“The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my
soon-to-be born daughter,” he replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I
remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to
die. I chose to live.”
“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.
He continued, “...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was
going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions
on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I
read ‘he’s a dead man’. I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said
John. “She asked if I was allergic to anything ‘Yes,’ I
replied! The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I
took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity’.”
Over their laughter, I told them, “I am choosing to live. Operate on me
as if I am alive, not dead.”
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his
amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live
fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.
You can be happy in all your circumstances if you have the RIGHT
attitude. Philippians 2:4-5
“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to
the interests of others. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” After all,
today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
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St. Malachi Center: Where Those Who Give, Receive and Those Who Receive, Give
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(This was written by Marcia Kuper who has worked in the Center’s business office for nine years. She
has seen and experienced much of the gift we call St. Malachi Center.)
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When they come to St. Malachi Center, they appear to be ordinary people,
very much like you and me. They
have parents and belong to a family, or at least there are people who matter to
them and to whom they matter. They
have needs, priorities and different ways of seeing things. Like all of us, they have experienced love, doubt, anger,
confusion, grief, joy... Some have
very little education and some are highly educated.
Sometimes, much of that education comes from life’s school of hard
knocks. Some belong to
St. Malachi, or to another parish. Some
believe but belong to a different faith tradition; some may have no faith at
all. Some work at companies from
the surrounding areas. Some are
from the convent, some are from the streets, some are from the jail and some are
from the surrounding schools. Some
are here just because their friends are here.
They come in all colors, sizes, shapes, ages, origins and status. It doesn’t matter, because here, everyone who comes,
belongs.
People come to the Center for many reasons. Some come to help; some come
to get help. Some come to make up for the mistakes they’ve made, to fill up
what is missing, to move forward after lost time. Some come to give of
themselves. Some come to listen to children read and some to have someone to
read with. Some come for a much needed shower and perhaps a clean set of
clothes.
For some, the Center holds a job that puts food on their
table. For others, it is a warm
refuge on a frigid day. For some,
coming means teaching or learning life-skills like sewing or computer
technology. For others, it means
giving or receiving medical attention two Monday evenings a month.
Some are looking to share the gifts they have been given.
Some are in search of something greater than themselves.
For some, the work they do here will free them from paying a fine or
doing some time. Some have come to
fulfill requirements for Confirmation, high school graduation or a scouting
merit badge or rank. Some come to
help the Center itself. Their
reasons are as diverse as people themselves can be.
But no one, it seems, comes through the doors of the Center unless that
person has somehow been called to be here – and said “yes” to that call.
Once inside the Center, people find themselves growing – perhaps in
surprising ways – into the persons God made them to be and become.
Miracle after miracle, those in need who have walked through the
Center’s doors, have pulled themselves up by the bootstraps, perhaps when no
one thought it possible. And then,
without a word from another, turned to help the next guy.
Many have learned to read or have gone on to acquire their GED’s.
Some have gone on to college and some have returned with their degrees to
encourage others to do the same. Many
have gotten jobs and are now able to care for their own.
And miracle after miracle, those who came to help were surprised to find
that they had been receiving as well. Perhaps it was the joy of seeing
another’s success – the “aha!” moment when a child realizes that she CAN
read herself, or the young man who is the first member of his family in three
generations to graduate from high school, or the formerly homeless man who
proudly reports that he now has “his own place.” Perhaps it was a sense of
perspective, recognizing where one’s own trials and struggles fit into a much
larger picture. Perhaps it is gratitude for all that one has received simply by
coming to know and walk with other people who have found their way into the
Center.
People have been – are – the miracle that is the Center.
It is not possible to walk through its doors without being changed in
some subtle yet real way. This is a
place where hearts are transformed, one life at a time.
If we have been blessed to witness these things and have experienced the
impact on our own lives, who could imagine all that has happened at the Center
which is known to God alone?
If you have not received your call to come, perhaps you need only listen
again.
Everyone is welcome here, including you.
And when you come, do bring your heart.
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Reflections
from the Junior High Christian Formation Group
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A few weeks ago, at the close of the 11:00 liturgy on February 3rd,
a man by the name of Joe Tuley
quickly got up to speak to the congregation. A polished speaker he was not, a
passionate believer and witness he was. He began to speak about an experience
regarding his journey to the March for Life in Washington, D.C.
His story spoke of his Godchild who was a student at Case Western Reserve
University ten years ago. While a student, she became pregnant by her boyfriend.
Still in college with a great career in her future, she was convinced by her
boyfriend’s mother to terminate the pregnancy and have an abortion. In the
midst of her abortion, not only was the unborn child’s life ended but her own
was as well, for she bled to death.
You could tell by the emotion on Joe’s face, this was not an easy story
to tell. In fact, many people in the congregation were uneasy as well as he went
into detail about the event. It was not an easy thing to hear. He went on to
tell another story shared with him by a group of six nuns at the March For Life
Walk.
It was about a five-year-old boy who was lying in a hospital
bed in a comatose state, having been declared brain-dead. His parents were ready to pull the plug.
Being a Catholic hospital, ending his life was not an option. The nuns
gathered to pray for either healing or for a peaceful passing. At this point
during the story, Joe was escorted back to his pew.
The end of the story …after 15 minutes of prayer, the five-year-old boy
was found the next morning sitting up in bed, talking and smiling. This happened
the week before Thanksgiving, 2007 in Wichita, Kansas.
Today the boy is back in kindergarten.
Modern day miracle??? That’s up to you to determine. Hopefully you get
the parallels of the two stories.
For the Jr. High Christian Formation class, the story didn’t end there.
We talked about this event at our next Christian Formation meeting; in fact,
some of us went to talk with Joe later the following week. People had different
reactions to Joe’s talk, but one thing that everyone agreed upon was that
Joe’s talk had good content. Another thing that everyone agreed upon was that
Joe wasn’t a polished speaker, and that this hurt his appearance.
This wasn’t good for Joe because most people don’t know him.
And so with these comments began our discussion. We wondered and talked
about if the speaker had been someone we knew, would we have been more
comfortable with what he was talking about? Would we be able to stand up in
front of a lot of people and share strongly held beliefs? That takes a lot of
courage and can be risky if your audience doesn’t agree. Some of us thought it
was pretty cool that he shared his beliefs and his passion. Some of us thought
that his story was too graphic and some of us thought the very personal nature
of his story made the issue of abortion more accessible to us.
We all learned and agreed that he obviously made an impact because a week
later we still all knew the story.
We know the story could have been scary for young children who were
present, but we also think we should hear more about right to life issues in
church. A lot of us were interested in the actual March For Life itself and
wanted to hear more about it. Last
but not least, we spoke about how Joe was interrupted and kind of shut down.
That felt wrong to some of us because it’s not very community like, but to
others seemed a little late in coming. One member of our class said it best;
“he upset us so much it was hard to accept him.” That was hard to know
because that is not who we say we are as Christians.
We then discussed what it must have been like hear Jesus. What did he
come off like? Some of us thought he probably came across like he was crazy at
times. How difficult it must have been for the original disciples to follow Him.
Were they ridiculed for following? How
did He present Himself?
So we leave you with these thoughts. Did Joe’s talk stimulate as much
conversation with your family as it did with ours? Were you caught by surprise
with the unplanned nature and strong subject matter that day? Do you think the
original followers of Christ ever doubted His integrity or credibility?
In this Lenten season, let us all be challenged as true disciples to see
the Christ in everyone regardless of presentation, character or beliefs.
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Community of St. Malachi, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2380
216-781-3110 www.stmalachi.org
Sunday Community Mass 11 a.m. Parish Masses Sat. 4:30 p.m., Sun. 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Holy day: Vigil 5:30 p.m., 7 a.m., noon. Weekday: 7 a.m., noon. Legal Holiday: 9 a.m.
We celebrate Children’s Liturgy of The Word every other Sunday, please see the Calendar.
For information on the Sacraments, please call the Community Office.
THE COMMUNITY OF ST. MALACHI is a lay-directed, non-territorial personal
parish of the Diocese of Cleveland. Although separate from the Parish of St.
Malachi, we join together for many worthwhile activities. All are welcome to
worship at the 11 a.m. Community liturgy on Sunday. Community members are
expected to actively contribute of their time, talent and treasure.
Communio is a monthly publication of the Communications Committee of the
Community of St. Malachi. Deadline is the second Sunday before publication. You
ease our task by submitting materials by E-Mail or on disk. All viewpoints of
interest to our Community in the context of our journey of faith are welcome
here. Viewpoints are those of the writers and not necessarily the teachings of
the Roman Catholic Church.
For e-mail delivery of Communio or Newsletter through CSM’s E-Subscription
service
complete the Newsletter/Communio Add/Removal Request Form
© 2007 Community of St. Malachi. Reprinting of articles originating in Communio
is encouraged – please contact the Editors for permission. |
Newsletter and Attachments: Nadge Herceg
440-930-2781
E-mail nadgeh@eriecoast.com
Communio
Chief Editor: Joe Pulizzi
216-941-5054
E-mail joe_pulizzi@yahoo.com
Volunteers to collate and staple:
Nadge Herceg 440-930-2781
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Volunteers to hand out after Mass:
Kevin Garven
Copying and attachments: Kimberly Tatro
216–781–3110
St. Malachi Web Site: Mike May
E–mail stmalachiweb@catholic.org
Prayer Request: If you have a prayer request, please contact the rectory 216–781–3110
To receive Malachi e–mail prayer alerts, go to www.stmalachi.org/prayers.asp.
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