Sunday, January 9, 2011
Beloved National Family,
As we gather in churches, families and fraternities this holy last Sunday of the Christmas Season, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Arizona, for the souls of those who have been slain including Federal Judge John Roll, who had just been to daily Mass; nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green, born on September 11, 2001 and who had recently made her first Holy Communion; Gabe Zimmerman and three others; let us pray for U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and perhaps 17 others wounded, as well as all of us who are traumatized and depressed by this horrible act.
The sheriff of Pima County Arizona has been quoted in today's newspaper saying, "The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous, and unfortunately Arizona has become sort of the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry."
Having recently participated in our National Chapter in Arizona with Sue Simeone and all the good people of her Region, including our NAFRA Peace Award winner Brother David Buer, OFM, I cannot believe the sheriff's words to be true, but let us all pray in solidarity with the good people of Arizona that Arizona and all of us in our beloved United States will be people of love and people of peace.
We can never give in to the forces of evil; rather, evil must be overcome by good through the grace of God, the sacrifice of God's Son and the working of the Holy Spirit.
Let us never cease our prayers, never lose faith, never surrender hope, never run away from God's command to love.
Let us all continue as good Franciscans to be instruments of God's Peace.
With love and peace,
Tom Bello
National Minister
Secular Franciscan Order
The United States of America
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Nominees for 2010 NAFRA Peace Award
Dear Readers,
It gives me great joy to
share with you all of those nominated, with the actual nominations, for
the 2010 NAFRA Peace Award.
Of course, all of them are
winners. I hope that their
lives will inspire you as they inspire me to be better Instruments of
God's Peace.
Please pray for them
that they may continue their great witness and that we may provide
better witness as we all try to follow in the footsteps of Sts. Francis
and Clare ever closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Prince
of Peace.
Peace and love,
Tom
National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order
2010 Peace Award Nominations
- Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA
- Rev. Scott Binet, M.D.
- Br. David Buer
- Bishop Ellis Chacour
- Captain Paul K. Chappell
- Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF, PHD.
- Franciscan Connection of St. Louis, Missouri
- Char Hipp SFO
- Immaculee Ilibagiza
- Deacon Mark Keely
- Gaylord A. Nelson
- Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, OFM, Cap.
- Jim O’Neill, SFO and Barbara O’Neill, SFO
- Alan Ouimet SFO
- Jeffrey Raymond Proulx, SFO (Deceased)
- Fr. Regis Scanlon OFM Cap.
- Fr. Paschal D. Siler, OFM Cap.
- Stephanie Sormane SFO
- Starcross Community of Annapolis, CA
- Fr. John Stowe
- Reta Tombaugh
- Ron Wakefield
2010 Peace Award Nominations
1. Mother
Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA
Dear Tom Bello, SFO,
I would like to make a personal nomination for
giving a peace award to mother Angelica for her gift of EWTN. EWTN
has done a lot to give me PEACE in my mind, my heart, my home, and in
my world. I am eternally gratefully.
Mary Sheehan, SFO
St. Pius X Fraternity
Middleton, CT.
Dear Bro Tom:
In response to your request in the summer edition
of TAU USA, the San Juan Capistrano Secular Franciscan
Fraternity (#111) of the St. Francis Region (#52), met today and
unanimously puts forward the following name for consideration of the
2010 NAFRA Peace Award: Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation,
PCPA - EWTN Foundress.
We all shared that Mother has tirelessly built a
Catholic and Franciscan global network out of virtually nothing but a
mustard seed of thought. The network has touched millions of lives and
brought into our homes and hearts the depth of God's love for us and the
Peace of Christ - centered and energized by the inspiration of Sts
Francis and Clare. We feel that Mother would be an outstanding
candidate for consideration of this award and look forward to hearing of
the formal nomination.
Bro Tom Cooney, SFO, Minister
2. Rev. Scott
Binet, M.D.
Dear Tom,
My fraternity sister, Harriet Sporn, suggested
the following nominee for the NAFRA Peace Award on behalf of our
fraternity—
The Fraternity of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and
Mary, Hilton Head Island, SC, BSSF Region #61, would like to nominate
Rev. Scott Binet, M.D. for the NAFRA Peace Award.
Fr. Scott is a member of the Order of St.
Camillus, a worldwide group of over 1,100 priests and religious brothers
dedicated to making Christ present to people in need, whether it be in
Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Haiti, or other destinations around the world. Fr.
Scott has been and continues to serve the people in Haiti since the
devastating earthquake there earlier this year. By way of his total
dedication to those in need, Fr. Scott brings Christ--and Christ's peace
to all.
Peace and all good,
DorothyAnn Rowland, Minister
3. Br. David
Buer
NAFRA 2010
Peace Award Nomination for Brother David Buer, OFM
The Saint Thomas More Region Executive Council
and the following local fraternities within this Region: Saint Anthony
Fraternity, Saint Margaret of Cortona Fraternity, Pope John XXIII
Fraternity, Saint Francis Fraternity, Our Lady of the Rosary Fraternity,
Saint Clare of Assisi Fraternity, Peace Fraternity, Saint Andrew Kim
Taegon Emerging Fraternity, Portiuncula Fraternity, and San Damiano
Fraternity humbly nominate, Brother David Buer, OFM, Regional Spiritual
Assistant and Saint Anthony Fraternity Spiritual Assistant for the 2010
NAFRA Peace Award.
Brother David lives the poverello life. He is
humble, seeks only to help others, refrains from judging others, and
praises God in all he does. He has made a life time of seeking out our
poor and society’s forgotten men and women and serving them with
dignity, kindness, and love. He clearly understands that by serving
others will we find peace. He is a role model for not only Franciscans
or Catholics but for all people. He evangelizes through the way he lives
his life, using words if necessary. During the past year he has worked
to open a cooling station allowing homeless men to spend some time
inside a cool building during our blistering summers. This past winter
he was instrumental in convincing members of other faiths and
organizations to open a shelter for homeless men during the coldest
nights of the year.
Most recently when Arizona passed a controversial
law on immigration, Brother David steadfastly continued his
humanitarian service to those who are crossing our southern deserts. He
knows the law does not serve the poor and the helpless and he is
tireless in his work to help them. He speaks to groups on the
humanitarian efforts that are currently going on in Arizona but more
importantly he lives it! There is no fanfare, nor boasting of what he
has done for years to help the poor. He simply serves his fellow
brothers and sisters with love and will continue to do so as others
still argue the law.
He has managed to carve out time in his
exhausting schedule to facilitate a Franciscan Family Connections class
for our Region to help fulfill the need for local spiritual assistants.
His nature is to be accepting and encouraging as the
participants move through this course and eventually on to serve as
spiritual assistants.
He truly deserves to be nominated for the NAFRA
2010 Peace Award. Brother David Buer, o.f.m., is from the Santa Barbara
Province of Franciscan Friars, California. Two fraternities in the Saint
Thomas More Region have provided some history of Br. David’s unwavering
service to our marginalized and too often forgotten brothers and
sisters.
- By Saint Margaret of Cortona Fraternity of Secular Franciscans, Las Vegas, Nevada:
Brother David came to the Las Vegas, Nevada area
in the late 1990’s. He quickly recognized that even though Catholic
Charities and the Salvation Army provided overnight shelter and beds for
the homeless in Las Vegas, there was a tremendous need for a daytime
home for homeless men. In 1997 through challenging work and the awesome
task of raising the funds, Brother David opened Poverello House in Las
Vegas, near what is known as the Homeless Corridor, where many of the
homeless live. It is a welcoming place where homeless men can receive
two nutritious meals during their day’s stay. The homeless men are also
given clothing, blankets, and personal hygiene items, when needed.
Showers and laundry facilities are available and are regularly put to
good use. The men also can take naps on the beds or watch television or
play games for recreation. They can also sit and rest in the large
enclosed yard. Poverello House was established to provide a place where
homeless men could find a safe haven to rest and refresh themselves
before they began searching for a bed for the night. Poverello House is
open five days a week. In 2002, Brother David started a second Poverello
House in nearby Henderson, Nevada. It also welcomes homeless women one
day a week.
Brother David made sure that the homeless were
and are respected. He exhibits this through his caring,
live-giving words he uses with all people, including those who may live
on the streets. His humble approach to life is demonstrated by giving
and serving our poor and marginalized brothers and sisters. Such as
Saint Francis said, “Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary.” Brother
David preaches the Gospel by his actions. He uses words
when necessary, especially when it involves housing, services, or laws
that affect the homeless. He became known to the Las Vegas
Mayor and the city council, when he would speak on behalf of the
homeless, whenever it was necessary. We, the Saint
Margaret of Cortona Fraternity, would also go to the city council
meetings with Brother David to face the mayor; to bring petitions
opposing any closings of facilities or services for the homeless that
the city was planning. The wintertime was the worst for
closing shelters. Brother David was the first in line to
fight for the rights of the homeless. We would also stand
in silent protest or walk with Brother David on the Las Vegas Strip.
Brother David has been an inspiration to the
Saint Margaret of Cortona Fraternity of Secular Franciscans. His
Franciscan spirituality, respect and caring for the homeless (our
present day lepers) and preaching the Gospel by living it, has changed
our lives. We have washed walls, cleaned toilets, painted
and have taken turns cooking at Poverello House. We still
do. Brother David is a man of peace. He simply serves others with
dignity and grace. He asks nothing for himself.
Brother David has taken members of the Saint
Margaret of Cortona Fraternity on walks through the Homeless Corridor in
Las Vegas to meet personally the homeless, to put faces and humanity on
the homeless. Those type of experiences opened our eyes
to see what the homeless have to go through in their everyday lives.
Walking the railroad tracks and seeing the tent cities gave us
all a greater appreciation for the blessings that the Lord has given us
and how much we need to give to our fellow brothers and sisters.
Brother David would sleep on the streets and
spend vigil time for a number of days while fasting, taking in water
only. Many Secular Franciscans met him for prayers while
he was fasting. Secular Franciscans would also bring him
communion while he would be on the streets. On one of the
vigils, Brother David was interviewed by a local television station.
A woman watching the newscast saw her brother in the background.
She had not seen him in years. This is the Holy
Spirit at work.
Brother David was also involved with Saint James
the Apostle Catholic Church in Las Vegas. His Franciscan Community
provided the Pastor for the parish, which serves primarily the African
American community. Brother David was always available to help with the
outreach programs. He was vital in securing and distributing food for
the needy people who live around the parish.
Brother David is always in motion, seeking to
help others. He never says “no” to anyone who needs help. He models
Franciscan spirituality and how a Franciscan can lead a life of helping
and serving others. He served as Spiritual Director of the Saint
Margaret of Cortona Fraternity of Secular Franciscans. The Secular
Franciscans learned a great deal from him by the way he lead his life of
peace and joy in all he approached. It was a great loss for them when
his order left Las Vegas and he was transferred to Arizona. The lessons
he taught them about being Franciscan continue to be valuable and
poignant in a city with so much neglect of their homeless populations.
- By Saint Anthony Fraternity of Secular Franciscans, Tucson, Arizona:
Saint Anthony Fraternity's prayers were answered
when Brother David became the Spiritual Assistant in 2005. He wished us
a Happy Liturgical Year as we began our Advent season in that year. He
reminded us that we live in the world, but also that we have another
clock as Catholics, as Franciscans - that the liturgical calendar alerts
us to spiritual realities that feed our souls that edify our humanity.
He has since shown us by example that he lives that truth.
The first few months he was in and out of town -
the friars of the Southwest region of Saint Barbara Province in the
spring of 2004 elected him to serve on the Chapter Steering Committee
which required meetings in the San Francisco Bay area about every six
weeks. That work culminated with the Provincial Chapter at Mission San
Luis Rey in Oceanside, CA in January of 2006. At that time, he also
continued to serve on the board of Poverello House in Las Vegas, the
house of hospitality for the homeless.
He had hoped to have Father Walter Holly, OFM, as
his mentor during those first months but our Lord called him home soon
after Brother David accepted. He said he was comforted on occasions
when he walked over to the cemetery down the road from the Mission to
visit his grave. He knew he had another Franciscan friend in Heaven who
was praying for us.
He urged us to reach out to Poor Clare
Monasteries because it is important that the relationships with the
other branches remain strong. By praying with each other, we could
educate each other in our Franciscan journey. Since there were no Poor
Clare monasteries near us at the time, this was accomplished at one of
our meetings by the members writing a personal letter to the Poor Clares
in Roswell, New Mexico. Brother David sent the 15 letters in a manila
envelope to them. We received a little packet of materials including a
letter from the Abbess with the name of the 21 Sisters and 1 Postulant
there. This ultimately led to 39 pilgrims in the Saint Thomas More
Region to participate in a 500 mile bus trip to the Poor Clare Monastery
in Roswell. It was a pilgrimage to connect the Franciscan family of
friars, Poor Clare Sisters and Secular Franciscans. The pilgrimage
included a tour of San Xavier Mission led by Dr. Bunny Fontana, Mass and
supper at St. Joseph's Apache Mission in Mescalero, New Mexico a
12-hour day of prayer with the Poor Clares in Roswell, which included
three conferences by Capuchin Father McCreary. The bus was used for
times of prayer, song and audio CDs on "Francis of Assisi, A New Way of
Being Christian" narrated by Bill Short, OFM. Brother David coordinated
this trip.
Brother David visits the home-bound members of
our Fraternity quite often. He enjoys those visits and urges those
members to write the stories of their Franciscan journeys. These were
published in the monthly newsletters.
July 3rd of 2006, Brother David opened the doors
at Saint Francis Cooling Center for the homeless. It was in the
basement of an old building on Santa Cruz's property. With the help of
volunteers, the basement was fixed up to be usable. Two air
conditioners were installed along with a large kitchen sink. The
graffiti on the walls were cleaned up, a half dozen fans were brought
and inexpensive tables and chairs were gotten from St. Vincent de Paul.
Some cots were borrowed from the Interfaith Homeless committee. Funds
from a diocesan grant were received. Two port-a-potties were donated and
a new roof was installed when a monsoon storm tore the roofing off.
Thanks, to Father Bob Carney of St. Francis de Sales Church, two
freezers were donated. Reverend Bandon Wert at Southside Presbyterian
worked two days to help get the basement ready to open. They were open
from noon to 4:45 pm, 6 days a week until August 9. The Saint Francis
Cooling Center averaged 30 guests a day.
In the winter of 2007, after Brother David’s
attempt to get a shelter opened for the homeless failed, he instead
rented a van and went out each evening providing hot soup, hot
chocolate, bread, cookies and blankets to the homeless. The food was
generously provided by Caridad, a feeding program begun by Father Joe
Baker at Holy Family Church. From 6 - 9 pm, he and a helper patrolled
some of the washes in the area, Santa Rita Park, the streets near the
Convention Center, Santa Cruz Church, Millers Surplus, Ajo, and the
Santa Cruz River, the main library and any place they found homeless
camped. They continued six nights a week through February.
He considers it a blessing to have worked almost
thirty years with the homeless - the Open Door community in Atlanta, St.
Francis Center in Denver, the Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph in
Chicago, the Catholic Workers in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
He is still amazed at how blessed the work is when the poor and homeless
are treated with respect and dignity as we work to get their basic
needs met.
Brother David recently opened a Poverello
Hospitality House here in Tucson similar to the one in Las Vegas. The
homeless can come by appointment to spend a day in a home where they can
take a shower, wash their clothes, get needed clothes and have a cooked
meal.
When the homeless receive food, shelter, showers
and hospitality, it is good. But Saint Paul's challenging words remind
us that without love, it is nothing. We know this is true in other
areas of our lives. If we get into disputes, do we allow anger and
righteousness with our position disrupt our fraternal relations? With
love and mutual respect, we can defend our deeply held beliefs without
disrupting our relationships. As we go about our daily work, do we get
irritable with co-workers who we judge to not be carrying their weight?
Or do we recognize that Jesus calls us to 'forgive those who trespass
against us? Brother David asks us.
He is very involved in the "No More Deaths"
movement which works with humanitarian help to the migrants coming
across the border. He regularly goes on patrol in the southern Arizona
desert near the Mexican border in order to provide water, shelter from
the sizzling sun, food and basic clothing items such as hats, sox and
shoes. Poverty has no boundaries so Br. David courageously serves all he
meets in the desert and stands up for the immigrants who are seeking a
better life.
Brother David served Saint Thomas More Region as a
"de facto" Regional Spiritual Assistant for many months before being
officially installed as Regional Spiritual Assistant at the Pastoral and
Fraternal Visitation of the Region in July of 2008.
Brother David wrote a 20-page report for the
provincial on the Religious Brothers, Franciscan Saint Barbara Province,
1908-2008". The book, "Gregor Janknecht and the
Franciscans in Nineteenth Century United States and Europe" published by
the Academy of American Franciscan History Berkeley, CA has in the
Editor's Note inside: Special thanks to Brother David Buer, OFM for
facilitating this project. Without his determination it would never
have come to fruition.
We are blessed to know Brother David as our
Region’s Spiritual Assistant. He provides compassion and concern to all
he meets. He offers ideas on how we as Secular Franciscans can reach out
to other Franciscans and has planned activities to do so. At our
Regional Council meetings, Executive Council meetings, workshops, days
of retreat, and pilgrimages, Brother David peacefully speaks and walks
the talk.
Peace and joy from Saint Thomas More Region:
Terry McCarthy, Sr., SFO, Minister, Saint Anthony
Fraternity
Madge Lange, SFO, Minister, Saint Margaret of
Cortona Fraternity
Rosie Roman, SFO, Minister, Pope John XXIII
Fraternity
Linda Raimundo, SFO, Minister, Saint Francis of
Assisi Fraternity
Robert Bundy, SFO, Minister, Our Lady of the
Rosary Fraternity and Region Treasurer
Ron Muller, SFO, Minister, Saint Clare of Assisi
Fraternity
Lynn O’Connor, SFO, Minister, Peace Fraternity
Kathleen Ott, SFO, Minister, San Damiano
Fraternity
Michael Nam, SFO, Minister, Saint Andrew Taegon
Emerging Fraternity
Clarita Caswell, SFO, Minister,
PortiunculaFraternity
Carol Bundy, SFO, Region Formation Director
Paul Winter, SFO, Region Youth Councilor
Rosemarie LeClercq, SFO, JPIC Councilor
Pat Nikolaisen, SFO, Region Secretary
Bill Neu, SFO, Region Vice Minister
Susan Simeone, SFO Region Minister
Cc: Pat Nikolaisen, Region Secretary
4. Bishop Elias Chacour
8604 Wandering Fox Trail # 408
Odenton, MD 211113
May 3, 2010
Dear Tom,
I have enclosed some information on Bishop Elias
Chacour as my nominee for this year’s Franciscan Peace Prize. I
heard him speak several years ago at a peace conference, and have read
his first book, “Blood Brother.” He is a remarkable
individual, and, I feel, very deserving of this prize.
The enclosed material will indicate the many
reasons for my nomination, and the many accomplishments and awards
already received. This is a man who is dealing, on a daily
basis, with the struggles and challenges of being a peacemaker.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Peace.
Sincerely,
Teri Egan, sfo
ARCHBISHOP
ELIAS CHACOUR of the MELKITE GREEK CATHOLIC ARCHEPARCHY OF AKKO, HAIFA,
NAZARETH and all of GALILEE
Bishop Elias Chacour (also Ilyas
Shakur), also known as Father Chacour and Abuna Chacour, is the first
Palestinian bishop to be born, raised, and educated in the Palestinian
Arab sector of Israel. Chacour rose to international prominence in
Europe, North America, Australia, and the Middle East as a peacemaker,
educator, and founder and president of Mar Elias University and its
related educational institutions in Ibillin, a Palestinian Arab village
located in the Galilee between Haifa and Nazareth. As a recipient of
numerous international awards and three-time nominee of the Nobel Peace
Prize, Chacour began to be recognized by Israeli leadership as a
prominent educator and advocate for the underprivileged Arab sector of
Israel. Chacour is the author of three books that highlight his life
story, including his work to build the various schools and university
that comprise the Mar Elias educational institutions. His writings also
tell of his philosophy and theology of nonviolence and work to transform
the impoverished Palestinian Arab communities of the central Galilee
through education of the youth of the region. Moreover, his commitment
to reconciliation and collaboration among the four major religious
communities of the Holy Land (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Druze)
continues to leave a legacy of peaceful coexistence, not only in the
Galilee, but globally.
PERSONAL HISTORY
Chacour was born on 29 November 1939 in the village of Bir’am, in the upper Galilee of Palestine to a Palestinian Christian family of the Melkite Catholic Church, the Byzantine Eastern rite church in communion with Rome. When he was eight years old Chacour and his entire village were evicted by Israeli soldiers during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and became refugees in their own land. The Chacour family fled with most residents of Bir’am to Jish, a neighboring village in the Galilee. After two years of legal appeals to the government of Israel, the residents of Bir’am were allowed to return in order to celebrate Christmas in their original homes. But in September 1953, the Israeli military destroyed the village just before the refugees tried to return. As they reached the top of the hills overlooking their village, they could see the smoke rising from their former homes.The Chacour family placed a premium on education and remained close to the church. By the age of eleven, Elias was convinced he wanted to become a priest. After completing his primary and secondary education in Haifa and Nazareth he was sent to Paris by the Melkite Church where he studied for the priesthood, graduating with a degree in theology and biblical studies from the Sorbonne University in 1965. A few months after completing the degree Chacour was ordained a priest in the Melkite Catholic Church and was promptly sent by his bishop to the village of Ibillin. It was envisioned as a temporary one-month transition, but has now become a lifetime assignment.
In 1968 Chacour received his master’s degree in Bible and Talmudic studies from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the first Palestinian Arab to receive such a degree in that department. Returning to Ibillin, he concentrated on the youth of Ibillin, establishing a youth center and summer camp in addition to his regular priestly duties at the church. However, Chacour noted that his ministry would need to be enlarged beyond that of a village priest. From his own youth, Chacour knew that most of the Arab villages did not have adequate schools, libraries, or playgrounds, and that a university education was beyond the reach of over 90 percent of the population. With over 50 percent of the Palestinian Arabs in the Galilee under sixteen years of age, Chacour decided to focus his educational mission on several Arab villages in central Galilee, such as Jish, Tarshiha, Mi’liya, Shefa Amr, and Isifya, in addition to Ibillin. Within three years he established kindergartens, public libraries, tutorial programs, and youth centers in the six villages. Additionally, each summer he organized regional youth camps that involved up to five thousand youth.
Chacour completed his Ph.D. in ecumenical theology at the University of Geneva (Switzerland) in 1971 and again returned to focus on his work in Ibillin and the neighboring Galilean towns. After several years of planning, fund-raising, construction, and appeals to the Israeli Ministry of Education for a building permit, Chacour opened the Mar Elias High School with eighty students in 1982, but without a building permit. Chacour’s persistence, combined with international pressure from his many friends in Europe and North America, eventually secured the permit and official status for the school. Enrollment has steadily grown to approximately fifteen hundred students, with the high school receiving numerous academic awards, including taking first place in the Hebrew language (10th and 11th grades) in the entire country of Israel in 2003.
In 1984 Chacour published his first book, Blood Brothers, which describes his personal journey from the time of his expulsion from Bir’am to the process of building Mar Elias High School. The volume has been translated into twenty-seven languages.
Chacour was elected in 2006 as the Melkite Catholic bishop of the Galilee. The Melkite Catholic community represents the largest body of Christians in the Holy Land with the majority living in the Galilee.
INFLUENCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS
Chacour was nurtured in the
Christian faith and by his devout parents, simple peasants who were
active in the Melkite Catholic Church. From an early age Elias learned
the centrality of peace, justice, reconciliation, and a strong sense of sumud
(Arabic: steadfastness), for his people, as was modeled and taught by
Jesus of Nazareth in the Sermon on the Mount, from whom Chacour drew
inspiration and vision. The tragedies that befell his people and his
family’s ordeal in losing their home and possessions in 1948 became the
seeds for his eventual commitment to serve the underprivileged
Palestinian Arab youth of Galilee through the educational institutions
and programs he established throughout his career.
BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Name: Elias Chacour (Ilyas Shakur)
Birth: 1939, Bir’am, mandatory Palestine
Nationality: Palestinian; citizen of Israel
Education: B.A., Sorbonne University (Paris), 1965; M.A.,
Hebrew University (Jerusalem), 1968; Ph.D., University of Geneva
(Switzerland), 1971
PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY:
· 1965: Ordained to the
priesthood in the Melkite Catholic Church; parish priest in Ibillin,
Galilee
· 1982: Founds Mar Elias
High School in Ibillin
· 1995: Founds Mar Elias
Technological College in Ibillin
· 1997: Founds Mar Elias
Teachers’ Resource Center in Ibillin
· 1998: Founds Mariam
Bawardi Elementary School in Ibillin
· 2003: Mar Elias College
becomes Mar Elias University
· 2006: Elected Melkite
Catholic bishop of Galilee
THE WORLD’S PERSPECTIVE
Since the late 1970s and each
successive decade, Chacour has traveled the globe spreading his message
of peace and reconciliation while also appealing for support for the Mar
Elias schools. His growing notoriety in religious and peace circles
brought a steady stream of international visitors to Ibillin, many to
spend several weeks in a volunteer service capacity, others for a short
visit to see Abuna Chacour and the high school. Churches and peace
organizations throughout Europe, North America, Australia, and India
have hosted Chacour where he has been welcomed as a popular lecturer, as
evidenced in the many awards and citations. He has been nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions: 1988, 1989, and 1994. Also in
1994, Chacour received the prestigious World Methodist Peace Award.
Among the previous recipients were former U.S. president Jimmy Carter,
Egypt’s Anwar Sadat, and Nelson Mandela of South Africa.
In 1999 Chacour received two honors in France as
he was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by the president of
France, and later in the same year the Marcel Rudloff Peace and
Tolerance Award in Strasbourg. This was followed in 2001 by the Niwano
Peace Award from Japan, which came with a cash prize that helped build
the Niwano Peace Auditorium on the Mar Elias campus. The auditorium
opened in 2004 with a seating capacity of fifteen hundred the largest in
the Galilee.Beginning in 1995, Chacour’s vision for additional institutions of higher learning began to be fulfilled with the opening of Mar Elias Technological College in October 1995. The college was fully accredited by the Israeli Ministry of Education and authorized to offer degrees in education and computer technology. In 1997 the Mar Elias Resource Center opened, offering both training and resources for educators throughout Galilee, also the first for the Arab population. In the fall of 1998 another school was added to the growing Mar Elias group as the Mariam Bawardi Elementary School opened with the first-grade class. Each year a grade has been added with the full six grades now in full operation.
The next stage of the vision was realized in October 2003 as the college became Mar Elias University, the first Arab Christian university in Israel. Mar Elias offers three degree programs with U.S. accreditation as a branch of the University of Indianapolis. The university continues to serve the four religions of the Holy Land: Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze, and its faculty also represents the four religions. The university received accreditation from the Israeli Ministry of Education’s Committee on Higher Education, with authorization to grant degrees in computer science, communications and marketing, and environmental science and chemistry.
In April 2002 Chacour authored his third book, J’ai foi en nous , published by Hommes de Parole, Paris. The international awards continued, such as the prestigious Peacemaker in Action Award in August 2002 from the Tannenbaum Center for Inter-religious Understanding in New York City. In December 2002 he was awarded the Dante Alighieri Peace and Human Rights Award in Rome. In 2003 Chacour was appointed by the Vatican as consultant to the Holy See Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, and later received the Prix Meditérranée pour la Paix from the Accademia del Mediterraneo, Naples, Italy. On 20 May 2003 he was voted Man of the Year by the Lions Club of Israel.
The next building on the Mar Elias campus was a long-term dream of Chacour, realized in the fall of 2005 with the opening of the Church of the Sermon on the Mount. The majestic sanctuary is a testimony to peace, reconciliation, and the inclusion of all religions and people. The church quickly became the center of the burgeoning campus of the Mar Elias Educational Institutions. Later in 2005 Chacour received the coveted Americas First Freedom Award in Richmond, Virginia.
LEGACY
Chacour is the first Palestinian
Arab bishop in the Melkite Church to be born, raised, educated,
consecrated, and a citizen of Israel. The new bishop was quick to point
out that he will retain his duties as the president of the Mar Elias
Educational Institutions, where he envisions an expanded campus with a
student enrollment of five thousand students from the entirety of
Israel, continuing his commitment to an inclusive student body of
Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Druze students and faculty. Having
started in 1982 with eighty-two students in a building without a permit
or electricity, the Mar Elias Educational Institutions now serve over
four thousand students. It continues to be the only private campus in
the history of Galilee where all of the religions of the region study
together with the vision of creating a common future built on respect
and justice for all. No other primary, secondary, or higher education
institution in Israel can make that claim.
As an educator and man of peace, Bishop Elias
Chacour has pioneered an educational model of interreligious education
among the Christian, Druze, Muslim, and Jewish youth of the Galilee. His
capacity to dream large and solicit funding from multiple international
bodies have enabled him to build a significant system of institutions
within the Mar Elias complex. The true legacy of his work are the
thousands of young lives that have received not only an education and
vocational training skills, but a respect for each others’ religions and
cultures, and a model for successfully negotiating their differences
through nonviolent conflict transformation.
Some Additional Items on Bishop Chacour
*Recipient of the prestigious
Methodist World Peace Award (1994) [Past recipients include President
jimmy Carter and former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat]
* Some honorary doctorates: St.
Michael’s College (1989) Texas Wesleyan (1997) Duke University (2000)
and Indianapolis and Emory Universities (2001)
* “ From my perspective as a
believer and a diplomat, I take hope and comfort in knowing that amid
all the hatred, destruction and death, Father Chacour continues his
patient work, softening one heart at a time. He demonstrates how,
through humility before the Word of God and the never-ending struggle to
reconcile faith with the unhappy realities of this world, one
courageous man has illuminated the truth he learned [and that we could
all bear to learn]from another Man of Galilee: ‘Love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in
heaven.’
Blessed, indeed, is the
peacemaker.”
James A Baker III, U.S. Secretary of State, 1989-1992
5. Captain
Paul K. Chappell.
Our Lady of Mercy Fraternity nominates
Captain Paul K. Chappell for the 2010 NAFRA Peace Award. Captain
Chappell left his military career after serving seven years, including a
tour in Baghdad, to spend his life committed to “Waging Peace.” Paul
is committed to educating and inspiring people to rethink their old
ways of looking at war and peace.
A young man in his late twenties, Captain
Chappell has taken a position with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
as Director of its Peace Leadership Program. He is
developing this free program to empower college students with the
leadership skills that are vital for waging peace. Paul points out that the military is very
successful in recruiting and training, and the peace movement must do
the same. He has based his peace training on the training
he experienced at West Point. While he is particularly
committed to reaching young people, his programming and writings are, of
course, valuable to people of all ages.
His two books, Will War Ever End?: A Soldier’s Vision of
Peace for the 21st Century and The End of War: How Waging Peace Can Save Humanity, Our Planet,
and Our Future (May 2010)
challenge readers about war and
peace, and about violence and non-violence in ways that could profoundly
change the way people think. His logic and insight are
especially powerful coming from the perspective of a West Point graduate
and soldier. He is working on his third book, PEACEFUL
REVOLUTION: How to Create the Future that Humanity Needs to Survive.
With
relentless energy, Paul travels throughout the country speaking to
colleges, high schools, veterans groups, churches and activist
organizations. He dispels the myth that “we need war to
end war” and encourages others to become leaders in waging peace.
He not only inspires but gives the tools for peacemaking
leadership.
Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, said of Captain Chappell’s
latest book: “… has given us a crucial look at
war and peace from the unique perspective of a soldier, and his new
ideas show us why world peace is both necessary and possible in the 21st
century. The End of War can help people everywhere understand
why war must end, and how together we can end it."
Submitted by:
Jim Hanna for Our Lady of Mercy Fraternity
7494 Thackery Rd.
Springfield, OH 45502
(937) 788-2257
6. Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF, PHD.
Hi Tom, I had been praying about the peace award
and I would like to nominate Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF, PHD. Through her
writings, teachings as well as her international ministry, I feel that
she has done so much to foster peace, justice and the care for creation
around the world.
I feel she should be commended for the work she
is doing. It seems like everywhere I look I see something written about
her, or a lecture she will be giving, and I even saw her on television.
She is respected, loved and revered around the world.
I found this about her this evening:
Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF, Ph.D.
Sister Ilia Delio is a Franciscan sister
who holds doctorates in Pharmacology from the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and in
Historical Theology from Fordham University. She lectures
internationally in Franciscan theology/spirituality with a particular
focus on integrating Franciscan theology and contemporary questions.
Sr. Delio has written Simply Bonaventure (2001), Franciscan
Prayer (2004), The Humility of God (2005), and Christ in
Evolution (2008). She also is a contributing author to Care for
Creation: A Franciscan Spirituality of the Earth (2009). She
served as Chair and Professor in the Department of Spirituality Studies
at the Washington Theological Union, where she also was Director of
Franciscan Studies. She is a member of the Commission for the Franciscan
Intellectual Tradition that is sponsored by the English Speaking Conference
of Friars Minor. She currently serves as a Research Analyst for the
Franciscan Action Network and is a Senior Research Fellow in the
Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.
Thanks Tom, and God Bless You for the Work you
are doing to serve the Lord and the Franciscan Family.
Peace and Love, Mary Simmons, sfo
Md. Pa. Del. Regional Councilor
7. Franciscan Connection of St.
Louis, Missouri
The St. Clare Regional Fraternity is eager to
nominate the Franciscan Connection of St. Louis, Missouri for the 2010
NAFRA Peace Award.
The Franciscan Connection is an outreach program
begun and staffed by OFM priests and/or brothers of the Sacred Heart
Province since 1991. During its almost two decades of outreach and
service to the poor and marginalized of south St. Louis City, the friars
have provided for the care and needs of those in the area around St.
Anthony of Padua Church, the provincial headquarters-a neighborhood very
much in transition, were refugees and ethnic minorities have replaced
the once traditionally white population, where small stores and
businesses have closed and buildings been boarded up and where a sense
of urban decay has crept in. The Franciscan Connection began to provide
emergency help to single mothers, to under-employed dads, and to the
frail elderly of the community. A little financial assistance on a high
utility bill, for example, could often save a home bound senior citizen
from another night without electricity or heat; a backpack of school
supplies and a voucher for new shoes could ready a young child for their
first day in the classroom; bus tickets could provide the means to a
job interview or getting to that doctor appointment; or a Christmas
basket could brighten a family's whole holiday. The home repair
ministry directly helps widows and other low-income families make their
homes more safe, secure and healthy places in which to live. In
addition, the friars offer one-on-one support to those who come to their
door, addressing the needs of the inner spirit while leading them on to
other area resources and encouraging them in their pursuit to become
self-sufficient. Each year, over 500 families in need benefit from
direct emergency assistance, home repairs and other support. Countless
others receive helpful information and referrals.
While the friars in service at the Connection
perform their ministry, they in turn inspire countless lay volunteers,
from young teens to retired seniors, to join them through use of their
time, talent and treasure in the service of God's children. Through the
friars’ organization and direction, the Connection involves hundreds of
people in carrying out the ministry the Connection seeks to provide.
Volunteers come from throughout the area as well as other states to
assist in one day, one week or longer projects. They have sought and
received grants, as well as materials and specialized work crews from
various companies and foundations. And it is through witnessing these
friars preach the gospel through their action and love, that many of us
have been led to a deeper appreciation of the Franciscan charism and the
love of neighbor that is spoken of in the Gospel. As Secular
Franciscans, many of us have been able to assist these dedicated friars
in their work and participate in the spread of God's kingdom on earth.
In order for you to witness more fully the
extent of the service provided by the Franciscan Connection, we
encourage you to view their website www.franciscanconnection.org
Because of the peace joy, dignity and love these
friars spread to their area of south St. Louis City and the lessons
they share with volunteers and donors, the St. Clare Regional Fraternity
nominates the Franciscan Connection and all its former and current
friar staff members for this year's NAFRA Peace Award.
Sherry Stevenson, SFO
Sherry added in a later email: We
have previously submitted the Franciscan Connection as our regional
fraternity 2010 Peace Award nominee. In last week's archdiocesan
newspaper, a beautiful article appeared showing how the Connection
changes and adjusts to the needs of the community as well as the changes
in personnel, but still gives totally to the people of God.
We thought you would like to read the article
concerning these dedicated men who staff the Connection. We encourage
you to visit www.stlouisreview.org for the article on The Franciscan Connection
and Brother Donald.
Thank you for your consideration of this most
worthy group.
Peace and All-Good
Sherry Stevenson, SFO
Regional Minister
St. Clare Region
8. Char Hipp
SFO
Greetings Tom, I was given a verbal nomination
for the Peace Award - in return I informed them that there must be a
write up. They are in the process of doing so. The name of
the person is Char Hipp, sfo. She is the infirmarian of the St Joseph
Fraternity in Appleton WI.
She is a past Minister of the same fraternity.
For the past 20 some years she as written, visited, talked on the phone,
kept tract, and so very much more of all the active and inactive
members of this fraternity.
At one time this St Joseph Fraternity had over
100 members. She has dedicated herself to the care of these folks -
seeing that they are kept informed of the activity of the fraternity as
well as seeing to their personal and spiritual needs in relation to the
fraternity.
All of this while raising a family of I believe
12 or more children - grandchildren and great grandchildren that I can't
even begin to say. She also nursed her husband in his final days. I
believe they were married over 50 years. She is a model of
a blessed individual, wife, mother, grandmother and to top it off a
active member of her parish but at the heart of it all a Secular
Franciscan who truly has lived the Gospels.
I hope this is not too late to enter her into
the nomination process for the Peace Award.
I am sure more will come regarding her.
Thank you Tom - you inspire me to strive for
more!
Peace and All Joy,
Ken sfo
9. Immaculee
Ilibagiza
Cecilia Telles, SFO
4221 Santa Rita Street
El Paso, Texas 79902
June 25, 2010
Dear Mr. Bello,
Peace and greetings to you and God willing all is
well with you.
I am submitting a nomination for the NAFRA Peace
Award. The name of the person I am nominating is Immaculee Ilibagiza.
· She is a Rwandan genocide
survivor who survived in a bathroom with 7 other women for 91 days while
surrounded by killers hunting for them.
· Author of 3 books-a portion of
the proceeds of her books go to the Left to Tell foundation which
helps the children of Africa build better lives.
· Her books contain inspiring
stories about survival, prayer, faith and above all forgiveness.
· She is establishing a Foundation
to help survivors heal from the pain and evil of genocide and war.
· Forgiveness, faith, and prayer
and the rosary are the messages that she hopes to spread through her
speaking engagements, seminars, books, CD’s and television appearances.
· The beauty of her messages is
that they all inspire a wonderful peace that comes through the power of
forgiveness, faith, prayers and the rosary.
I am submitting this nomination on behalf of my
fraternity. Saint Patrick Fraternity of El Paso, Texas. Our Minister is
Adelina Frisbee and I am the Formation Director of our Fraternity.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Cecilia Telles
10. Deacon
Mark Keely
I nominate Deacon Mark Keely sfo of the Little
Portion Fraternity in Tahlequah, Oklahoma; for the 2010 NAFRA Peace
Award.
Deacon Mark Keely is my minister. He has always
conducted our full fraternity meetings with a spirit of peace. He has a
calm character and is a gentle and soft spoken man. He does not let
emotions rule his intuition and intellect. Deacon Mark is a faithful
servant of God who is dedicated to prayer by his assisting at Mass,
leading the Liturgy of the Hours, and letting the Holy Spirit guide our
monthly and bi-monthly meetings. Deacon Mark lives the gospel passage,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life." He promotes peace by
constantly referring to the gospels and the SFO rule and constitutions.
Deacon Mark gives a clear message of who Christ is by his example of
calm and humble leadership.
Sincerely with all P & G,
Stephen Lafferty sfo (Little Portion of
Tahlequah, OK.)
Minister Mark
Keeley is indeed a prayerful, dedicated, humble, and holy person. I
heard a parishioner make the comment that Mark is a holy man. He is well
respected by all and he strives every day to live a Franciscan life. He
influences by example and good works. He can always be counted upon to
assist anyone who needs his help. He blesses, and prays for people every
day.
We are blessed to
have him as our minister.
Blessings,
Mary SFO
11. Gaylord
A. Nelson
Hello,
Tom.
One
of the members of St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity in St. Clare Region
gave me a nomination for the Peace Award. The gentleman’s name is
GAYLORD A. NELSON. Mr. Nelson is a former Wisconsin governor, senator
and founder of Earth Day.
Thank
you,
Mary
Wainscott, SFO
Minister,
St. Francis of Assisi Fraternity
Here
is the nomination:
Dear
Mary,
I am sending this man’s name Gaylord A. Nelson to be put on the
list for the Peace Award. It takes a lot of people to focus on how
precious the Earth is and here is one man that brought the attention to
National Level and established Earth Day to raise attention to the care
and restoration of our environment.
Thank you.
Editor’s
Note: This nominee sent a picture from the newspaper of Gaylord
Nelson which I was unable to include. The caption for the
picture read: “Gaylord A. Nelson, a former Wisconsin governor, senator
and founder of Earth Day, stands in a prairie of blooming wildflowers at
Governor Nelson State Park in Waunakee, Wis., in 2001.
12. Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, OFM, Cap.
Nomination for the NAFRA Bearers of Peace
Award
Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, OFM, Cap.
“A nominee should have made significant
efforts in the generally defined area of Peace:”
Cardinal O’Malley OFM, Cap. has
made significant efforts in the area of Peace by being a force
for healing in the priestly sexual abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of
Boston, Dioceses of Fall River, MA and Palm Beach, Florida. He is
continuing his efforts to bring healing and peace to Ireland since he
has been appointed by the Pope in this recent endeavor.
His ways of healing and peace
were to personally reach out and to get to know the victims, he set up
systems within the church to offer pastoral care for the victims of
abuse and to speedily resolve the legal disputes. He arranged for the
victims to meet with the Pope personally in New York and confidentially
shared his knowledge of the extent of the victims. Victims were heard
and their concerns were taken seriously. The local archdiocese became
more transparent in dealing with the abuse and its victims and thus
became a source of healing and peace.
Please see the
attached biography for more information.
Nominated by: St. Francis Fraternity, Andover
Massachusetts
(St. Elizabeth of Hungary Region)
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the
Fraternity Council,
Francine Gikow, sfo
Email: gikows@yahoo.com
Phone: 978-749-0880
Address: 41 Sagamore Drive
Andover, MA 01810
Cardinal
Sean Patrick O’Malley, OFM, Cap
Cardinal of
the Boston Archdiocese
Biography*:
Patrick O’Malley was born in
Lakewood Ohio on June 29, 1944. He was received into the Capuchin
Franciscans on July 14, 1965 and took the name “Sean” in honor of St.
John the Apostle. He was ordained a priest in 1970. He holds a Masters
degree in religious education and a P.H.D from Catholic University in
Spanish and Portuguese literature. In 1973, he ministered
to the Latinos in the Washington D.C. area and in 1978 he was appointed
episcopal vicar for the Portuguese, Hispanic and Haitian communities.
In 1984, he became
coadjutor Bishop of the Virgin Islands and became Bishop there in 1985.
Later in New England, he became Bishop of Fall River, MA during
the priest sex abuse scandals of Fr. James Porter and also in Palm Beach
Florida where he also tried to settle the scandals of priestly sexual
abuse.
In 2003, the Pope made Sean
Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of the Boston Archdiocese where he also
inherited a huge priest sex abuse scandal from Cardinal Bernard Law who
eventually resigned. In 2006 he became a Cardinal.
When Sean Patrick
O’Malley became Cardinal in Boston, he breathed new life into a church
wounded by priest sexual abuse. He actively reached out to the survivors
in a pastoral manner and directed the diocese’s lawyers and insurance
companies to quickly settle with the victims. He enacted a
zero tolerance policy of sexual abuse and instituted
one of the first comprehensive sexual abuse policies in the Roman
Catholic Church. He also led a delegation of abuse victims who
met with the Pope in New York so that their voices could be heard. He
has done much for the healing of priest sex abuse in the Roman Catholic
archdiocese of Boston.
The Archdiocese of
Boston is a much more open and transparent Church since Cardinal
O’Malley came. He is the only Cardinal to have a personal blog (cardinalseansblog.org)
and has had podcasts as well, during the holidays. Now he
has been asked by the Pope to assist the Church in Ireland in their own
sex abuse crisis.
Cardinal O’Malley is and has
been a force for healing in the church during the priest sexual abuse
crisis and is an agent for peace among those who have been victimized in
the church (both directly and indirectly).
*Biographical background taken from the on-line
encyclopedia, Wikipedia
13. Jim O’Neill, SFO and Barbara O’Neill, SFO
Blessed John XXIII Fraternity, nominates Jim
O’Neill, SFO and Barbara O’Neill, SFO for the St. Francis Peace Award.
One cannot think of either Jim or Barbara without
considering the other. They truly exemplify the meaning of the term
“helpmates”. However, each one has worked individually for peace within
the Order and within the worldly political arena. Jim was instrumental
in negotiating and bringing to resolution the formation of our Region
from the previous Provincial model. For many years, Barbara and Jim
served as the SFO presence, indeed the Franciscan presence, as non-
governmental observers at the United Nations. Finally, Barbara’s
leadership for our Region has been that of sharing her wisdom to lead
each fraternity to enflesh our Rule with peaceful solutions to the very
real, everyday, nitty-gritty problems that ensue with fraternal life.
Both Jim and Barbara have always been accessible to lend a Franciscan
“ear” when called upon. Living in a peaceful manner themselves,
encouraging others both in the Order and those not in the Order to make
peaceful decisions, and by their presence in their respectful leadership
roles they express in their lives what we each hope to live in ours.
Thank you for considering Jim and Barbara for
this year’s Peace Award.
Respectfully submitted,
Jean A. D’Onofrio,SFO
Minister Bl.John XXIII SFO Fraternity
St. James, New
York
June 9,2010
14.
Alan Ouimet SFO
St. Conrad's Fraternity, Annapolis, MD nominates:
Alan J. Ouimet, SFO
Founder of Franciscan Family Apostolate (FFA) and continues to operate it today.
Founder of Franciscan Family Apostolate (FFA) and continues to operate it today.
Website: http://www.openhearts.org/ sponsor/index.html
93 Country Way
Madison CT 06443
ffaindia@att.netFollowing is from the website:The FFA was founded in 1971 by Alan Ouimet, SFO. For the first 8 years, Alan worked with a parish priest in India whom he contacted through a mutual friend. The organization came to the attention of the, then, Msgr. Peter Chenaparampil who was forming a Bishop's Relief Fund in the Alleppey Diocese. It was at that time that Msgr. Peter asked the Canossian sisters to provide a member of their community to oversee the program in India, a post which they continue to fill today. When Msgr. Peter was elevated to Bishop of the diocese, the FFA moved forward with him. Today, Bishop Stephen Athipozhiyil continues to give his support to the activities of the FFA to relieve the distress of the poor in his diocese.
93 Country Way
Madison CT 06443
ffaindia@att.netFollowing is from the website:The FFA was founded in 1971 by Alan Ouimet, SFO. For the first 8 years, Alan worked with a parish priest in India whom he contacted through a mutual friend. The organization came to the attention of the, then, Msgr. Peter Chenaparampil who was forming a Bishop's Relief Fund in the Alleppey Diocese. It was at that time that Msgr. Peter asked the Canossian sisters to provide a member of their community to oversee the program in India, a post which they continue to fill today. When Msgr. Peter was elevated to Bishop of the diocese, the FFA moved forward with him. Today, Bishop Stephen Athipozhiyil continues to give his support to the activities of the FFA to relieve the distress of the poor in his diocese.
The Franciscan Family Apostolate presently
assists over 1300 destitute families in the district of Alleppey,
Kerala, South India with monthly food subsidies, housing, medical
attention and self-development programs.
St. Conrads has been sponsoring a family for more than 10 years. Our first family became self-sufficient. We are now supporting a second family.
Joan Faltot
Secretary, St. Conrad's Fraternity
Annapolis, MD
St. Conrads has been sponsoring a family for more than 10 years. Our first family became self-sufficient. We are now supporting a second family.
Joan Faltot
Secretary, St. Conrad's Fraternity
Annapolis, MD
- - - - - - - - - -
Dear Tom,
The following person is nominated as a recipient of the NAFRA Peace Award: Alan Ouimet. He has been an SFO since 1967.
The following person is nominated as a recipient of the NAFRA Peace Award: Alan Ouimet. He has been an SFO since 1967.
Alan is Founder and President of the Franciscan Family Apostolate which cares for the destitute in India. (You can view the Franciscan Family Website.) He is the founding director of Heart2Heart USA, Inc. which cares for HIV/AIDS children in Kenya. Alan is also the founding director of the Connecticut Urban Education Fund which cares for at-risk children in New Haven, CT.
Joan Geiger, Minister, in the name of the Tau Cross Region, makes this nomination.
- - - - - - - - - -
Tom, Jan, Ken, & Stephanie,
On behalf
of Father Solanus Casey Region as its minister, I would like to
nominate Alan Ouimet, Founder and President of Franciscan Family
Apostolate to be the recipient of the NAFRA 2010 Peace Award. Alan
Ouimet is a Secular Franciscan who lives in Madison, CT and is a member
of St. Pius X Fraternity in Middletown, CT. He was professed in 1968.
The Franciscan Family Apostolate is a ministry that enables a person to
support a poor family in India. Please visit http://www.openhearts.org to learn more about the Franciscan Family
Apostolate. The Franciscan Family Apostolate was founded in 1971 or
somewhere around there. Please feel free to contact me if any of you
have any questions. My phone number is (860) 828-0878. Thank-you for
your consideration.
Pax et Bonum,
Sally Haddad, SFO
Minister of Father Solanus Casey
Region
15. Jeffrey Raymond Proulx, SFO
(Deceased)
Nominee: Jeffrey Raymond Proulx, SFO (Deceased)
Nominated by: Fraternity of Mary, Queen of
Peace, St. Paul, MN. Queen of Peace Region (written by Mary Marshall,
SFO)
Down’s syndrome never proved to be an obstacle
for the late Jeffrey Proulx, SFO, as he lived fully his Franciscan
vocation. Jeff, who professed into our fraternity on September 14, 1977,
was the personification of peace.
Because Jeff was our fraternity's official
"greeter", no "stranger" ever visited our fraternity. With an extended
hand and
"Hi! I'm Jeff. Welcome!” a new friend instantly
materialized. Jeff demonstrated infinite patience with his fraternity
siblings and was willing to perform any act of service asked of him-from
assisting at Mass to bringing a cup of coffee to a sister with
a walker.
Jeff possessed a deep sensitivity to the
feelings of others feelings and had a remarkable ability to empathize
with a suffering brother or sister. Through shared tears, a clasped
hand, or perhaps an embrace, Jeff was able to cross that unseen barrier
to truly become one in spirit with another soul. That perpetual optimism
and calm strength that resided in Jeff seemed to transfer to those in
need. From Jeff's soul it could truly be said that "peace is flowing
like a river".
Jeff's life in the world included a career as a
kitchen worker at a large corporation, a Special Olympian, and a Boy
Scout. At his wake, an entire room was needed to display all his medals,
ribbons, and wards. Several rooms were needed to seat his countless
friends, who testified to having known the same man of peace as our
fraternity had. (In fact Jeff was such a peacemaker that he managed to
be both a Vikings and a Packers fan, and he had the wardrobe to prove
it!).
On September 12, 2009, Jeff's physical heart
failed, and he died. But the Franciscan heart of Jeffrey Raymond Proulx,
SFO, is alive and well and will live on forever at the Fraternity of
Mary, Queen of Peace.
P.S. Less than six months after Jeff's death,
his older brother, the internationally renowned liturgical composer
Richard Proulx, followed him to eternity. One can only imagine the
canticle of peace the two must be singing together.
Submitted by
Michael Young, sfo
16.
Fr. Regis Scanlon OFM Cap.
June 18, 2010
The Penitents of St. Francis, a fraternity of the
Secular Franciscan Order, wishes to nominate our Spiritual Assistant
Father Regis Scanlon, OFM Cap. for the Peace Award.
For over ten years Father Scanlon has labored and
served thousands of prisoners in Colorado jails. Many of the prisoners
were Mexican nationals. Father Scanlon never inquired as to their
immigration status. The only “papers” he cared about were the Gospel and
the sacraments. Having gone to Mexico to learn Spanish he offered mass
and the sacraments in Spanish. All of this he did with one vocal cord,
the other paralyzed. His compassion often spoke louder than his voice
and many Mexicans returned to the practice of the faith. Only a serious
heart condition forced his retirement from prison ministry. In fact from
his sickbed he had to be ordered under obedience to leave prison
ministry, so reluctant was he to leave his flock orphaned without an
immediate successor. Fr. Scanlon left prison ministry in April 2010.
Secondly, Father Scanlon, after personal appeal
by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now Blessed Teresa, offered countless
retreats and workshops to the multi-cultural community of the
Missionaries of Charity, both in Mexico and the United States. Once
again Father Scanlon displayed his compassion and priestly zeal “sin
fronteras” [without borders]. The only boundary he cared about was
Christ’s love. He also provided priestly service to AIDS victims served
by the Missionaries of Charity in Denver.
Finally, Father Scanlon was instrumental in
establishing a home for women released from prison. Many of these women
had gone from abusive e homes to austere jails. After
their release, there was no place they could return to except the
streets and a life that would soon return them to jail. Father Scanlon
established a transition home where the women would receive the love and
support they needed to rebuild their lives. Once again Father Scanlon
helped heal their violent past with the peace of Christ.
For all these reason, we believe that Father
Scanlon OFM Cap. should be recognized with a Peace Award.
Larry Brooks SFO
Minister, Penitents of St. Francis
(with the approval of the Council of the
fraternity)
1367 S. Gaylord St.
Denver, Colorado 80210
17. Fr. Paschal
D. Siler, OFM Cap.
Nominee:
Father Paschal D. Siler, O.F.M. Cap.
Father Paschal is the pastor of St. Labre Mission to the Northern Cheyenne people in Montana. He has ministered to the Cheyenne people for nearly three decades. Despite being past retirement age (he will turn 77 in August) and coping with diabetes, Father Paschal drives many miles to serve three widespread parishes on the reservation, due to a lack of priests. This includes his regular 240-mile round trip to visit the sick in the hospital. During the severe Montana winters, these drives are hazardous.
In February students at the St. Labre Indian School honored Father Paschal for his long and continued commitment to them and to the Cheyenne Native Americans. He is a well-loved pastor to a community too often afflicted by broken families, addictions, unemployment and poverty.
Throughout his life Father Paschal has followed in Christ's footsteps, emulating St. Francis, by freely pouring out his own life in love and service to those on the margins of American society. Father Paschal offers his flock the only true peace, the "peace which passes understanding", the "peace which the world cannot give."
We first met Father Paschal in the early 1980s in Saudi Arabia where he was an undercover priest. (Many Americans do not know that the practice of any religion other than Islam is forbidden in that country.) Father Paschal brought the sacraments to the Catholics at the American Embassy. At great personal risk, he also celebrated clandestine Masses for the larger expat Catholic community in Saudi Arabia. His ministry was a great source of comfort and strength to Catholics far from home. Finally he was arrested celebrating Mass with Filipino dockworkers, held in a warehouse at the seaport of Jeddah. He was jailed, initially denied access to American consular officers, treated disrespectfully, and deported weeks later.
In earlier years Father Paschal served in his order's soup kitchen in Milwaukee, providing for the homeless and destitute in that city. From 1966 to 1974 he was the Vice Postulator for the cause of canonization of Venerable Solanus Casey, a member of the same order.
We heartily recommend to the committee Father Paschal D. Siler for the 2010 Peace Award. He is a model to all, and particularly to all Franciscans, of someone who daily lays down his life for God's people. Old age, disease and weather do not deter this priest!
Submitted by Brian and Susan Majewski, SFO (Holy Family Fraternity, Manassas, VA)
Address: 9369 Dahlia Ct., Manassas, VA 201110
email: brianmajewski@msn.com
Phone: (703) 895-8018
Father Paschal is the pastor of St. Labre Mission to the Northern Cheyenne people in Montana. He has ministered to the Cheyenne people for nearly three decades. Despite being past retirement age (he will turn 77 in August) and coping with diabetes, Father Paschal drives many miles to serve three widespread parishes on the reservation, due to a lack of priests. This includes his regular 240-mile round trip to visit the sick in the hospital. During the severe Montana winters, these drives are hazardous.
In February students at the St. Labre Indian School honored Father Paschal for his long and continued commitment to them and to the Cheyenne Native Americans. He is a well-loved pastor to a community too often afflicted by broken families, addictions, unemployment and poverty.
Throughout his life Father Paschal has followed in Christ's footsteps, emulating St. Francis, by freely pouring out his own life in love and service to those on the margins of American society. Father Paschal offers his flock the only true peace, the "peace which passes understanding", the "peace which the world cannot give."
We first met Father Paschal in the early 1980s in Saudi Arabia where he was an undercover priest. (Many Americans do not know that the practice of any religion other than Islam is forbidden in that country.) Father Paschal brought the sacraments to the Catholics at the American Embassy. At great personal risk, he also celebrated clandestine Masses for the larger expat Catholic community in Saudi Arabia. His ministry was a great source of comfort and strength to Catholics far from home. Finally he was arrested celebrating Mass with Filipino dockworkers, held in a warehouse at the seaport of Jeddah. He was jailed, initially denied access to American consular officers, treated disrespectfully, and deported weeks later.
In earlier years Father Paschal served in his order's soup kitchen in Milwaukee, providing for the homeless and destitute in that city. From 1966 to 1974 he was the Vice Postulator for the cause of canonization of Venerable Solanus Casey, a member of the same order.
We heartily recommend to the committee Father Paschal D. Siler for the 2010 Peace Award. He is a model to all, and particularly to all Franciscans, of someone who daily lays down his life for God's people. Old age, disease and weather do not deter this priest!
Submitted by Brian and Susan Majewski, SFO (Holy Family Fraternity, Manassas, VA)
Address: 9369 Dahlia Ct., Manassas, VA 201110
email: brianmajewski@msn.com
Phone: (703) 895-8018
18. Stephanie
Sormane SFO
Dear Ken and Peace Award Committee,
The St Bernardine of Siena Fraternity would like
to nominate Stephanie Sormane. Stephanie has worked for peace and
justice for many years. She does this quietly without making a fuss
about her accomplishments. As a member of FAN, Stephanie has devoted
herself to promoting FAN amount the SFO fraternities. She actively
educates Franciscans about issues that have to do with peace and
justice. She is passionately committed not only promoting FAN, but also
making the connections with issues of peace and justice and our
Franciscan Tradition.
Stephanie is also the PJIC Councilor for the
Mother Cabrini SFO Region and helps to create awareness and educates
members of the Region that challenge our understanding of what it means
to live justly in the world.
The integrity of her life is a clear witness to
peace.
Thanks for your consideration.
Mary Beth Murray
Minister, St Bernardine of
Siena Fraternity
19. Starcross Community of Annapolis, CA
Starcross is a
small autonomous community of lay people trying to live quiet lives in
the monastic tradition and offering encouragement and affirmation to
gentle folk on all spiritual paths. The members are Br. Toby McCarroll,
Sr. Julie DeRossi and Sr. Marti . Their home is in the coastal hills of
Sonoma County, California. Here are some excerpts from their website
that talk about their work. The most well-known is their
work with orphans of AIDS victims and children with AIDS.
AIDS +
Starcross
Children
with HIV/AIDS
From February 1986
to the present the AIDS pandemic has been a part of our life at
Starcross. It's a story of people, mostly children, and of dreams. It
started one night a few weeks after David, our adopted son, was born. A
TV news program showed a picture of a toddler in a walker tethered to a
doorknob in an empty hospital hallway. He was one of a growing number of
children with HIV/AIDS warehoused in hospitals. They were called
"Boarder Babies." Many were afraid to provide them with a normal home.
The United States had no national public health policy on AIDS. Agencies
were cautious. It was assumed the children would not live long. We
looked at happy David and back to the
TV. It was wrong.
These kids deserved to experience life no matter how short that might
be. We had a big house but we were worried about handling medical issues
from our rural location. Dr. Marshall Kubota, the remarkable physician
responding to the people living with AIDS in our county, told us "At
this time we have no medical answers. What these children need is love."
So it started.
There were a lot of
friends; doctors, nurses, social workers, lawyers, judges, journalists,
and neighbors. But there was also a lot of fear in those early years.
We were denounced in public meetings. The county dump would not take our
garbage. Store clerks would not touch our money. A volunteer fireman
would not respond to a call for help. Some social welfare and
educational agencies responded to us with panic and hostility.
Fortunately other officials did not. To us, we were simply offering to
provide a home for a few children made homeless because they carried a
deadly virus.
The negative
reaction surprised us. It was painful and very time consuming. In time
it passed - but there were new challenges. For reasons we could not
understand we caught the attention of the international, national and
regional media. An ABC-TV producer tried to explain that "in a sea of
despair because of AIDS you represent something hopeful." As the story
spread, so did the calls from people impacted from the pandemic. Mothers
without family and with AIDS who did not have long to live were trying
to make responsible plans for their children. We could only take a few
children. Sister Marti became a one-person hub for putting people in
need together with those opening their hearts and homes. Other
well-meaning people wanted us to become an agency for Children with
AIDS. We just wanted to be a few people responding to a need by
providing a home and love for children as individual children, each with
a right to be cared for lovingly.
It was hard for us
to have a normal home life. Some well-known people moved forward to
provide us with protection so that we could simply focus on the
children. Several authors visited and became close friends: Dr.
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, On Death and Dying; Randy Shilts, And
the Band Played On; Paul Monette, Borrowed Time. But what was
a normal day for us in those early years between 1986 - 1996? Sister
Julie wrote: "Caring for desperately ill children brought out
incredibly intense emotions. The deaths were more devastating than we
could have imagined. There were sleepless nights followed by days of
fighting bureaucracy. But we took utter delight in the world of the
babies - reveling in each of their little victories." It was a bit
hectic. We had 4 toddlers learning to walk. We were milking cows and
trying to keep our Christmas tree farm going. Whenever there was a
conflict the needs of the children came before the needs of the farm,
and so money was an issue as well. Some of the children
died. That was very hard. But they had lived well. Others came. Some
died and some lived. Two who tested positive were found clear of HIV
when the tests became more sophisticated. We had adopted them and they
are very much a part of our family now as healthy teens.
Children with AIDS
are no longer a major problem in the United States. Medicine has found
strategies to greatly reduce the transmission of the HIV virus from
mother to child. It is now down to 1% transmission. Adults and children
can now live with HIV/AIDS much longer with antiretroviral medication
and proper care.
Romania
In December 1989
the communist regime was violently overthrown in Romania. Immediately,
unbelievable stories came out. At least 120,000 abandoned children were
living in sub-human conditions, most of them had AIDS because of the
practice of reusing needles for injections. Shortly afterwards, Toby
went over accompanied by veteran journalists Robin Weiner (a producer),
Alex & Franci Bruckner (camera and sound.) None of them were
prepared for the horror they discovered and started communicating to the
world. Four segments on Prime Time Live filming Brother Toby’s
activities revealed that these children were left to die from starvation
and neglect. Each TV presentation averaged 17 million viewers. This
helped turn the spotlight on the situation. On January 17, 1991 we were
able to open our House of Hope, "CASA SPERANTA", in Constanta. Until
1994, Starcross directed the daily operations at Casa Speranta.
Work in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
has one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS infection rates. Without access
to medications, large numbers of adults die quickly. Children would
ordinarily have gone to live with aunts and uncles - but soon those too
are dead. In some areas whole generations are missing. Only elderly
grandparents and children were left. There is barely enough to keep a
child alive and no money for education. We were asked by
an ordinary person, who found our name in a book, to found a program in
Uganda. We needed to provide not only food, medicine, and education for a
child but to do it until they were well launched in life. Hope was what
we were cultivating. It took awhile for a child to believe again in "a
bright future" as they put it. We gathered co-workers from our group of
AIDS orphan sponsors and formed Starcross Kin Worldwide (SKW), a
separate non-profit corporation with a board of directors. Brother Toby
and then Sister Julie served as the CEO. Many children come to SKW
malnourished, suffering from repeated bouts of malaria. Some are
disabled by anxiety and sever emotional trauma. A few have HIV/AIDS. If
there is a viable family, we support the family. When the last adult
dies the child comes to our House of Hope in Kampala.
For a copy of their
newsletter please look here: http://www.starcross.org/pdfs/ sharings10summer.pdf
20. Fr. John
Stowe
2010 NAFRA Peace Award Nominee, Father John Stowe
Mary Immaculate Fraternity
El Paso, Texas
Father John Stowe joined the Franciscans at age
19. He was the youngest one in the candidacy program-the first step in
the formation, or entry process. “I was reluctant to tell most of my
friends, but nobody was surprised, everybody was supportive,” says
Father John.
Father John Stowe was ordained to the priesthood
on September 16, 1995 and became an associate pastor at Our Lady of
Mount Carmel Parish. Later Father Stowe was named pastor of Our Lady of
Mount Carmel. Bishop Armando X. Ochoa named Father Stowe moderator of
the curia and vicar general on December 24, 2002. While moderator of the
curia, Father Stowe served as administrator of Our Lady of the Valley
Parish July 1, 2005 through November 2, 2009. He has been elected vicar
provincial of Our Lady of Consolation Province of the Friars Minor
Conventual. During the past 15 years, Father Stowe has been active in
projects to foster interfaith dialogue and understanding and has taught
courses at Tepeyac Institute at the Diocese of El Paso, Texas.
As Father John accepts this new ministry to the
friars of Conventual Franciscan province Carey, Ohio, he says he does so
with great affection and gratitude for having been sent first to El
Paso. He served two parishes in Ysleta, the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo,
providing sacramental ministry to Sierra Blanca and Dell City and other
places on an ad hoc basis, he worked with the bishop and other diocesan
ministries, including conferring the sacrament of confirmation upon
thousands of young people, participating in the formation of permanent
deacons, sharing his love for the Church’s history through Tepeyac
courses, advocating for justice and for genuine participatory democracy
through EPISO, and helping to bring living wage job training to El Paso
through Project Arriba, promoting justice for immigrants and the reform
of broken and unfair immigration laws, spiritual advisor for two
fraternities of Secular Franciscans, sharing and exchanging pulpits with
Rabbi Back of Temple Mount Sinai, discussing our Christian faith with
members of the Islamic Center, and other privileged sites of ministry
too numerous to count.
Through intensive investigations on sensitive
matters for the Church, which were assigned to him as Vicar General and
Moderator of the Curia in the Diocese of El Paso (Texas), he was
instrumental in bringing about peace and justice in areas such as
Liberia, the Honduras, Ecuador, and Africa.
The following are comments from those that have
been privileged to know Fr. John and share in his spirituality and love
of God:
Sister Nancy Hansen of the School Sisters of St.
Francis offers the following statement on Father John: “Friar John Stowe
has been instrumental in building bridges between religions. He has
brought people of the Jewish and Islam traditions to encourage
understanding. He worked alongside of Rabbi Bach and others to teach
about these religions at Tepeyac, the Diocesan School of El Paso.”
The minister of Mary Immaculate Fraternity, Ysela
Sanchez states: “I have admired Fr. John since I attended a Franciscan
Spirituality conference which he led at Tepeyac Institute in 1997. I
have found him to be tireless in his work for the Lord, and as a
Franciscan Friar. Not only does he work for Peace on a large scale with
the Diocese, internationally and locally, but he takes the time to
educate. For example, he worked that we could have the Transitus of St.
Francis, a yearly re-enactment of the final hours of St. Francis, the
Blessing of animals, and many Franciscan events such as the Stations of
the Cross, and the Christmas crèche. His humility is exemplary and he
inspires by example.”
From our Formation Director, Rose Cano: “Fr. John
has always been a great advocate for justice and peace both locally and
internationally. He is inspiration to our fraternity and to me for us
to follow. He walks the talk as a Franciscan.”
The Secretary of Mary Immaculate Fraternity, Gigi
Gregory states: “I have always respected Fr. John’s spirituality and
his dedication to educate us in our journey as Franciscans. We were in
the process of understanding the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’
through his guidance and untiring teachings. He kept us informed of
different events that we could attend that would inspire us to reach for
peace and social justice in our area. He, with God’s help, will
continue to encourage other people in their journey to God.”
Secular Franciscan and member of Mary Immaculate
Fraternity, Mary Ellen Vega says: “My life as a Catholic has been
enriched with the knowledge that my priest (Father John) is also my
friend and brother. We are truly a family with God as the head. This is
what I have learned from my brother, Father John Stowe; we are totally
complete as a people because we are all totally saved by God’s love for
us.”
Secular Franciscan and Mary Immaculate
Fraternity, Oscar Casarez gives this statement: “What comes to mind when
I reflect on Fr. John is of a simple servant who is full of the Wisdom
of God and a perfect example of St. Francis of Assisi in today’s world.”
Secular Franciscans and members of Mary
Immaculate Fraternity, Hector and Letty Ramirez say: “The very first
time we heard Father John give one of his lectures to our fraternity, we
were mesmerized; he made everything seem so simple; it’s easy to follow
Christ, it’s all in us…no more excuses…and for this, we will always be
thankful that our Lord put him in our paths.”
From one of our newest professed members, Cissy
Castro: “…Father John Stowe studies God’s Word and Catholic Church’s
teachings fervently. He applies what he has learned carefully serving
God’s people whole-heartedly. Father John Stowe is a very good example
of: Living a life from Gospel to life and life to Gospel. He tells us to
ask ourselves, ‘What God wants us to do in each situation?’…he
encouraged us to promote peace and justice and to seek first God’s
kingdom. …To reach out and go beyond our comfortable zones. He also
encouraged us to study the Gospel well, study our faith well, study
human history well to keep up with current events and to apply our faith
to current events of the world.”
Past Regional Counselor and long time member of
Mary Immaculate Fraternity, Viola Marquez: “Father John’s Franciscan
Spirit of authentic love, joy, and peace witnesses to people who
encounter him no matter where he goes. The charisms of the Holy Spirit
are most definitely at work in him as his humble life radiates the
meaning of gospel living. His example continues to draw countless many
to do as he does to follow our Lord Jesus. His encouraging words of
wisdom and understanding have taught us to take care of the poor and
marginal and to be a voice for the voiceless in a peaceful loving way.
As busy as he is with the demands of his priesthood, he always finds the
time to visit and minister to anyone who calls on him with such
tenderness and care, a true reflection of a shepherd. As a spiritual
director, Fr. John’s gift of listening and discerning God’s movement in
my life has deepened my relationship with God as I know it has with many
others. God has gifted Fr. John in a mighty special way whose life in
return is a gift to us. We are so blessed!”
Therefore, it is with great pride and honor, that
the Mary Immaculate Fraternity in El Paso, Texas, offers the nomination
of Father John Stowe for the 2010 NAFRA Peace Award.
Ysela Sanchez, Minister
Mary Immaculate Fraternity of El Paso, Texas
10400 Shannon Place, El Paso, Texas 79925
PH. No.: 915-598-4158
21. Reta
Tombaugh
Dear Tom,
The Santa Maria de las Montanas Region of the
Secular Franciscan Order would like to nominate Reta Tombaugh for this
year's Peace Award. Reta has spent the last ten years working with
women (and their children) in crisis because of unplanned pregnancies,
emotional and physical abuse. Healing the scars from physical battering
is often less painful than the scars from years of emotional abuse and
her program is structured to address the barriers of emotional
instability, lack of education, and unplanned pregnancies. Women work,
go to school, or get vocational training while pregnant. Once the child
is born they prepare to transition to greater independence by working
through various stages of the program. Parenting classes, mental
health, trauma and sometimes substance abuse treatment are integral.
All women are invited to discover their spiritual self. Prayer, and the
healing from violence that comes through prayer, is part of their daily
routine. A chapel is available 24 hours a day. Reta is not only a
strong practicing Catholic but a member of the Secular Order since
1996. The organization, Maternity of Mary, functions through charitable
giving from donors throughout the local community. Reta represents the
best of what "in the trenches working for peace through non violence"
means. We can look to her example for practical solutions, peaceful
solutions, to some of the most violent barriers women and children face
today.
Thank you for the opportunity to present this
nomination for the National Peace Award.
Peace from the Santa Maria de las Montanas
Region of the Secular Franciscan Order.
Dolores J. Walker, SFO
Regional Formation Director
22. Ron
Wakefield
Secular Franciscan Order
St. Francis Region
Office of the Minister
8121 Barrington Dr.
La Mirada, CA 90638
June 25, 2010
Deacon Tom Bello, SFO
Minister, National Fraternity
1710 Chesterbrook Vale Ct.
McLean, VA 22101-3244
Dear Tom and the members of the Peace Award
Committee:
I am writing to nominate, on behalf of St.
Francis Region, Ron Wakefield for the annual Peace Award given by NAFRA.
Ron is a professed member of Our Lady of
Guadalupe Fraternity that meets in Whittier, CA, and is a member of
their council. He is an outstanding clarinetist, and was a
studio musician for many years. He gave up that very
lucrative work when he felt the Lord was calling him to work with
children, and he took a job as a junior high school band director in an
area with a heavy Hispanic population and gang problems.
What he has done with the band is hardly less
than miraculous. But even more impressive is the work he
has done - with his band - with disadvantaged children. He
started by taking some of his band members to give a concert for the
mothers and children staying at the Catholic Worker home in Santa Ana,
CA. When several of the children “wished” they could play
an instrument, Ron started taking some of his band members down there
to teach the children. He provided the instruments for the
children - often bearing the cost out of his own pocket - and
supervised the student teaching being done. He took six of
those students with his band to New York City to give a concert at
Carnegie Hall!
Since then he has expanded his “kids helping
kids” program to hospitals, homeless shelters, and agencies for abused
and neglected kids. In August of 2010 he led kids on a
concert tour in China, where they performed and taught music lessons at
orphanages. His former students have started similar
programs in Baltimore, Harlem, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia.
He was invited to speak earlier this summer at a
conference in England on Spirituality in Music Education. After
everyone had spoken, he was asked to speak more and tell the educators
in more detail just how he had managed to do what he has done. As
a result of that conference, it appears the program is spreading all
over western Europe. Since returning, he has been asked to
speak at the University of Arizona and help the educators there to
start a similar program.
I am enclosing Ron’s resume, which tells worlds
more about him and what he has accomplished, along with a brochure
describing the program*, and a copy of a news article that appeared this
year. Many Franciscans in this Region have been involved
in helping raise funds for this program, and many have heard his band or
small groups from it. I spent the first half of my life
as a concert pianist and can say, from a professional perspective, that I
have never heard a junior high band that sounds like this one. His
band is the only junior high school band ever invited to march
in the Tournament of Roses Parade, and they have done that twice.
They have performed in Carnegie Hall four times.
This past year, Ron did not even conduct the
concerts, including the one in Carnegie Hall. He had
student conductors do the entire program. Some of the
conductors were from his band, and others were former members who were
now in high school or college. A large number of
disadvantaged children from the various shelters here in CA and from the
centers on the east coast, went to New York with the band and performed
with it there, including a young girl from Haiti who had lost her leg
in the earthquake.
Another most amazing aspect of Ron’s work is that
in every concert he has managed to program religious music - either
“classics” recognized by all, or religious tunes incorporated into music
specially arranged for the band. The band members appear
on stage with the boys in tuxedos and the girls in long, formal black
gowns. They are well groomed, and very well mannered when
meeting the audience at receptions after concerts. It is
difficult to believe they are 12 - 14 year olds.
What Ron has done and is doing with these
children - both the ones in his school band and the ones living in
various shelters and hospitals - has changed their lives. With
experiences like they’ve had, they have been totally removed from the
potential status of failure, or gang, or worthless. They
are and will be part of the peace efforts that are needed to change this
world, instead of part of the problem. Ron himself is the
most humble person you could ever imagine, very soft-spoken, and
totally dedicated to doing God’s work.
Our Region urges you to give strong consideration
to Ron Wakefield to receive the Peace Award for 2010.
Peace and God Bless.
Sylvia L.
Paoli, SFO
Minister,
St. Francis Region
* Editor’s note: We apologize that were
unable to format the brochure in a way to include it in this document.
BIO OF RON WAKEFIELD
Clarinetist/Conductor
Ron Wakefield has performed extensively around the world including in
Canada, Mexico, Europe, and China. His interest in contemporary music
yielded more than 100 new musical works written for and dedicated to
him. He has performed with many Southern California
Orchestras, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has also
performed with Mexico's Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa, and has recorded
for Lorimar and Columbia Pictures. In 1985 he starred in the West Coast
tour of the Broadway show "The Lady and the Clarinet". While the
Los Angeles Times called Mr. Wakefield "...a splendid soloist..." , the
Bern Post (Switzerland) described him as "...subtle and expressive..."
His North Park
Middle School Band from Pico Rivera, California is the only middle
school band to ever march in the world famous Pasadena Tournament of
Roses Parade (1997 and 2005), and they have performed in Carnegie Hall
four times. The band also performs frequently for homeless shelters,
children's hospitals, senior centers, and other social agencies.
In recent years Mr.
Wakefield has become most interested in providing musical outreach
opportunities for disadvantaged children. In his "kids helping kids"
program he leads his students to teach music lessons to children in
hospitals, homeless shelters, and agencies for abused and neglected
kids. In August, 2010 he led kids on tour to China where they performed
and taught music lessons at orphanages. Mr. Wakefield has founded
music outreach programs on the East Coast in Baltimore,
Harlem, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia.
Mr. Wakefield and
the North Park Middle School Band recently returned from the East Coast
where they performed in a children's hospital and in Carnegie Hall,
bringing together children from all of the outreach programs from coast
to coast. Also included in the performance was a young girl from Haiti,
who lost her lower left leg in the January, 2010 earthquake.
Mr. Wakefield
speaks frequently at educational conferences on the subject of
Social Justice in Education. He has been a guest speaker at USC, UCLA,
and will speak in England this summer at a conference on Spirituality in
Music Education.
One of his future
plans involves bringing disadvantaged children from his East Coast
outreach project to California to perform at Disneyland.
In his "younger"
years, Mr. Wakefield enjoyed climbing mountains. To his credit are the
world famous peaks of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mexico's Pico de
Orizaba, and Switzerland's Matterhorn.
Mr. Wakefield
received his musical training at USC and is a professed member of the
Secular Franciscan Order.
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