Kevin's Corner 07-18-10
MY BROTHER AND HIS BOSS: For my family, last Saturday was an extraordinary day. We are “newspaper people”; that is, all of us find pleasure as well as information in the reading of the daily press. And no daily paper carries more of both than the New York Times. So it was very powerful to open September 10’s edition and find a handsome photo and lengthy profile of Denis McDonough and his relationship with President Obama. If you have not seen it, you can find a clipping on a bulletin board in the church entrance. As proud a moment as it was (and remains) to see that article, it also causes some worry, and I ask your prayers for my brother. Unlike elected officials who need constant media exposure to raise funds and attract votes, supportive staff members work best out of the public eye. The Times profile makes Denis a target for unwanted attention. Please ask God for his safety, and also for wisdom for him in his continued support of our nation’s president.
IT’S PARISH PICNIC TIME: Our Parish Social Committee chair and his crew have been working since midweek to get us ready for today’s Parish Picnic. I am so grateful to Bob, Janie, Everlyn, Dave, Marie, Pat and gang. We have held our Picnic each year since our Centennial (1992) on the parish grounds. That obviously makes for some advantages of convenience, but my hope is that the Picnic’s location and energy also speak an un-preachy message: we are part of the Rondo community, and we are here to stay. Enjoy today’s event, and be sure to welcome neighbors who may be stopping by.
CELEBRATING RONDO DAYS: This neighborhood has had a bigger set of events going on since last Friday: Rondo Days. We are just a year or so short of the thirtieth anniversary of the first such “family reunion” for Saint Paul’s historically African-American neighborhood. Rondo was kept together for 75 years by housing discrimination and then split apart a half-century ago by freeway construction. Rondo Days evokes a time of mutual interdependence, multigenerational family unity, locally owned businesses, and clear cultural identity – and seeks to promote all of the same once again. I am particularly pleased to welcome Adeyemi Chaka, a son of the Rondo community, who is setting up a booth to display his African and African-American artwork at our Parish Picnic. Adeyemi ran a store on Selby Avenue for several years, and has recently been moving his collection to California. A house fire has prompted him to have move things a little faster than anticipated, but that is an advantage to us. Take a little bit of Rondo Days home from our parish gathering. Happy Rondo Days.
PARISH COUNCIL ELECTION: Our Parish Council meets quarterly throughout the year to provide support for the Church’s mission and accountability about finances and other practical measures. The Council is made up almost entirely of the chairs of various ministry-oriented committees. At this weekend’s Masses we are affirming the reelection of four Council members. Our election-day situation is the same this year as in the last several: we have no disputed positions. There is just one self-volunteered nominee for each slot on the Council. I would be more nervous about that if I did not know the very high quality of our candidates/returnees. Please take a few minutes to show your support for the Council members by voting in today’s election.
VISITS FROM SOME SUMMER SCHOOL STUDENTS: I have had some opportunities this summer to talk about Claver’s mission and Rondo’s history to students in church-related summer school programs. This week a group of Catholic educators will spend a morning with us: they are working on Master’s Degrees through a program called the Murray Institute at Saint Thomas. I think it a good sign that those who are training the next generation of Church leaders want them to know about what we do here. Next month we will have a new wave of Jesuit novices arrive at the reopened novitiate on Oxford and Summit. They will surely join us for worship and volunteer service. If you have a chance, boast to them and other visitors about the vitality of urban Catholic life and ministry.
THE NCCA AND GUEST HOUSE: I was pleased to see some Claver people at various events connected with the national conventions of the National Catholic Council on Alcoholism and the Guest House Institute. Best of all, my niece Gracie was in attendance Tuesday night at an awards banquet. I hope more young people get a chance to learn about the hope and grace that come through living the Twelve Steps of AA.
REST IN PEACE, MR. STERLING: Parish member Elaine Encinas buried her father, Gaston Sterling, this past Monday. A nice group of parish member-friends came to support her. May God bless father and daughter.
UJAMAA PLACE: Watch for the name “Ujamaa Place”, an effort to make a positive difference in the lives of men who are usually only focused on by law enforcement and prisons. Under the leadership of recently-retired Saint Paul Police Chief John Harrington, community members are putting together a program that – through intensive engagement over most of a year – will help young Black men break out of a cycle of ever greater hopelessness and self-destruction and break into good education, work, and family life patterns. I am helping to raise some money for the project. Here will be more public announcements about the program’s launch in the next few weeks.
WHAT ARE YOU READING THIS SUMMER? Book reading is limited to no season, but I always find summer to be a particularly fine time to curl up with a “good read”. I have had two such blessings in the last two weeks. One was a classic: Langston Hughes’ The Ways of White Folks. The other is a recent best seller: Still Alice, by Lisa Genova. I recommend them both. Anybody read something you would like to encourage friends to pick up?