Chasing The Wild Goose

Fraternity Election Results

Troubadours of St. Clare Fraternity Election Results

Peace be with you,

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

The Offices of the Fraternity Council were filled as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Possible future adventures? How about –

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

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

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

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

How about an OFS day at the Detroit Zoo; or

A picnic/fraternity gathering on Bell Isle?

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

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

Pax et Bonum

Mike

She Left Her Bed in a Hurry…

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

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

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

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

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

She Left Her Bed in a Hurry 1

An invitation to look anew at the Office of Minister

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

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

The office of Minister
The office of Councilor

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

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

The Office of Minister
The Office of Vice-Minister

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

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

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

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

“ 5. SOME CONCRETE PROBLEMS

Lack of collegiality and misunderstanding of the role of ministers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace

Mike

A Chance Encounter

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace

Mike

Indigence Cleansing in the “D”

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

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

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

Called to conversion, called to explore and think.

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

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

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

Question 1. Why are you poor?

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

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

Why is that?

Peace

Mike

Compuware Corp.

June 17, 2014

For more years than I can remember, the Compuware family has supported the Ministries of St. Aloysius Neighborhood Services. When the Outreach Center was active and serving the poor, we could always count on them to lend a hand when emergencies came up by supplying coffee, bread, money and a more than generous amount of personal time.

The location has changed a bit. The model of service has changed a bit, but one thing that has stayed constant is the support of the good people at the Compuware Corporation.

Today, volunteers from Compuware Corporation can be found wearing Neighborhood Services aprons and backpacks, searching the streets of Detroit during their lunch breaks, looking for those most in need. They can also be found in our Kitchenette making hundreds of sandwiches to be given out to those whom are hungry.

For more than two years, the Compuware team has singlehandedly created mission and ministry. At 7:30 am they are at the back door of the Church picking up needed supplies, sandwiches, cookies, socks and hygiene kits and more. Working together with Skillman Library staff they weekly set up tables and meet and greet dozens of people in need and address the needs of body, mind and spirit. After the noontime encounter, the Library invites all in attendance to sit for a spell and enjoy a movie.

We are grateful for the love and dedication of the good people that join us from Compuware Corporation. We are a volunteer driven organization. Without volunteers there is no ministry—no helping hand reaching out.

If you are looking for a way to give back and a ministry to participate in, please consider giving us a call.

Peace

Mike