Loretta Jasper, csj

Sisters, Agregees, Associates, Candidates and CSJ Friends,

Come, March 11, I will be completing a 13-week assignment in Junction City (Kan.) High School supporting and assisting the military affiliated kiddos within JCHS. Honestly, I believe that I have the very best ministry on this planet.

I continue to spend time with kiddos as they move into JCHS/Ft. Riley at any point in the school year. I listen and encourage them in the making of new friends, in getting adjusted to a new school environment, in seeking out their interests and hobbies in their new venue. Many kiddos have moved to and are adjusting to being with the other parent and step family. Many are also preparing to relocate due to the soldier’s upcoming assignment. It is not uncommon that my intent with a kiddo is to merely be with the child: to pose options which will boost the adjustment into a new school and locale.  Oftentimes, I offer encouragement which will help the child stay in school vs. drop-out or transfer to the alternative school. Such encouragement includes providing resources: who to ask for help with academics. I call this support with smooth moves.

Of course, there are then the unending issues related to having a parent leave the home to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan for the first to fifth time; and/or, having the soldier return home with a whole new set of dynamics either within the home, or within the emotional or physical system of the individual soldier. I call these reintegration and deployment issues.

Pre-teens experience and feel the effects of being a part of military moves, adjustments; deployments and re-integrations; but teens seem to be impacted with an increased level of intensity. Teens have more difficulty changing friends and schools and activities.  Teens are often tasked with replacing the absent parent with care of younger siblings and increased responsibilities within the home in the midst of the deployment. Teens are highly attuned to the physical and emotional dangers of war; the experience of the soldier’s trauma upon returning from war, and the effect of the trauma upon the family.  It is not uncommon for a teen to intercept physical aggression between a family member and the soldier during re-integration.  The aggression may be triggered by quick movements; sharp sounds; the re-arrangement of the home during deployment; the family activity within the home, and/or the soldier’s shift of power from being deployed and in charge, to being a partner in a marriage and family.

Yes, for one such as I to support and assist a teen–a military kiddo during war time–is very special for me.  I do not have the much tougher job in the high school of tending to discipline, academics, or accuracy.  I try to support and assist the teachers and the staff in re-directing some of the “stuff” which wrangles the heart of a teen in the midst of the deployments, the relocations, and the new starts.

More often than not, my office is a hallway floor in the school where a kiddo and I sit for a few minutes to build trust and share heart.

• Jon, in time, lets me know that he is feeling more at ease in the new school with new friends and he is trying to stay in school and strengthen his focus on academics.  He was recently taken aback when his soldier-Dad, who literally rescued him over Christmas from the street life in another State, gave him a big hug and kiss in the recent week.  Jon wasn’t sure he could handle such tenderness from his Dad.
• Bree’s mom died unexpectedly over Christmas.  She is the oldest of four children. Soldier-Dad needs her to care for her siblings before and after school, and to tend to transporting them to activities.  Her grief, increased responsibilities in the home, and now being three months pregnant… Bree just wants to transfer to alternative school, graduate, and be done with her education.
• Zack is furious because each time his dad returns from Iraq; Dad is “crazier” than the prior deployment.  He is physically aggressive with his mom and him; he throws and breaks household furnishings; he likes to spend time with the persons with whom he was deployed. Zack’s own anger has resulted in him being transferred for a short time to the alternative school, in-school suspension because of his own acting out in school, and anger management classes.
• Lizzy deplores the emotional trauma her dad has tried to sustain upon his multiple returns from Iraq.  Her brother has recently returned from Iraq.  She has also lost her brother, emotionally, to the effect of war. Both Dad and brother are living at home with Mom and Lizzy.
• I tap on the classroom door of a kiddo, greet the teacher and ask if this is a good time to “say hello” to Mari.  As Mari and I head for my office on the hallway floor one of the students chime: “You’re in trouble.”

“No,” Mari says back. “This is the Brat Chat (in school support group) lady. Persons who meet with her are not in trouble.”

Thanks, Mari!  Well stated!

Loretta Jasper, csj

A different recipe of rice and beans along with suggested practices and reflections to foster non-violence is here each week during Lent. Let us keep one another in prayer as we enter into the Season of Lent.

Acts of violence are numerous thoroughout our culture and world. Our reaction at times appears as if violence is the norm and we are unbothered by it. So here’s the deal! We desire peace throughout our world. What ways can you and I make a difference regarding peace? Do our thoughts and actions reflect a way of non-violence with one another that would enhance connecting and caring for others peacefully? As Sisters of St. Joseph, we have committed ourselves to practicing ways of non-violence that Jesus mentors for us in the Gospels. We invite you to join us in living out this Gospel message. A beginning step would be to join us during Lent to the following:

What to do!
• Pray daily for peace.
• Become aware of non-violent actions which each of us can put into practice.
• Reflect upon and discuss thoughts /quotes regarding non-violence.
• Commit yourself to fasting with one meal of rice & beans each week of Lent.
Our fasting links us to those who suffer from injustices and violence. Fasting is to bring about not only awareness yet also change in our behavior. In the Book of Isaiah we read that this is the fast which is pleasing to God: “This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own” (Isaiah 58:6-7).

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK’S FAST FOOD.

Basic South American-style White Rice – Arroz Blanco

Prep Time: 25 minutes           Serves 4
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 to 3 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup rice

Preparation:

1. Peel the garlic cloves, and mash them with a mortal and pestle until it’s well crushed.
2. Run water over the rice, and stir briefly, then drain water off. Repeat several times  until the water runs clear.
3. Heat the oil in a 2 quart saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for 2 or 3  minutes, until the garlic turns clear and barely golden in color.
4. Add the water and the salt, and bring the water to a boil.
5. Add the rice to the boiling water and stir briefly. Cover, lower heat to medium-low,  and let cook for 15 minutes.
6. The rice should be fluffy and still appear slightly shiny and wet. If it appears too wet,  cook a few minutes more. If it appears dry, sprinkle couple of tablespoons more water over the rice. Turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes more.
7. Fluff rice with a fork and serve. Enjoy! Also keeps very well for the next day.

Black Beans (from Cuban cookbook – Cocina Criolla)

1 pound black beans
10 cups water
2 green peppers, de-seeded
2/3 cup olive oil (two-thirds cup)
1 large onion
6-8 cloves of garlic
4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dry wine

Soak the beans in water overnight with one of the green peppers.  The following morning, cook the mixture in a large pot at medium-high heat for 45 minutes.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add and sauté the onion, the second green pepper and the garlic, all finely chopped.  Add the contents of skillet to pot of beans.  Add the salt, black pepper, oregano, bay leaves and sugar and cook for another hour at a gentle boil.  Then add the vinegar and wine and simmer for another hour until done. Best served over white rice.

P.S. If you wish for the beans to be less juicy, simmer for a longer period – very tasty. (from a Kansas cook)

Three practices for the fourth week of Lent

When we work together, we are stronger than when we work alone.  Find a way that you can cooperate and work more effectively with the people in your workplace, family, school or community and do it.

Dale Carnegie said that the greatest need people have is for love and approval.  Praise, compliment and honor the uniqueness of at least five people today.

Slow down and notice what is going on in the moment.  Become more conscious of nature, those around you and your own thoughts and feelings.

“We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.”

— Ben Sweetland

The short prayer ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Nazareth Motherhouse in Concordia. Everyone is invited.

Those attending are invited to stay after the prayer service for refreshments in the dining room.

Father Jean-Pierre Medaille, a Jesuit priest, founded the Sisters of St. Joseph in France in 1650. A small band of French sisters came to the United States as missionaries in 1836, and from that beginning grew across the country. Sisters arrived in Kansas in 1883 and established the Nazareth Convent and Academy in Concordia a year later.

Worldwide, there are more than 50 individual congregations and provinces of Sisters of St. Joseph, serving in more than 60 countries. Together there are about 14,000 vowed Sisters of St, Joseph around the world.

In Concordia, there are about 150 Sisters in the congregation, serving missions in more than 20 cities and towns in Kansas, plus others in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas. About half the sisters live and serve in Concordia.

Dr. Donna Beegle

When Donna Beegle tells her story, it sounds painfully familiar to those who work to address the causes of poverty in our country.

The child of poor migrant parents, Donna dropped out of high school at 15. By 25, she was the divorced and uneducated mother of two, facing homelessness.

Yet by 35, she had earned a Ph.D. and started her own business — and began telling her own story as a different way of helping people understand the reality of poverty.

“My education, my work and my passion are to help people from all races who are trapped in poverty,” Beegle explains. “I want them to have genuine options for lifelong success. This can only happen if the voices of those struggling with poverty can be heard and their perspectives understood.”

That’s part of the message she will bring to Concordia March 30, for a daytime workshop and an evening talk that is part of the Cook Lecture Series.

“Poverty 101,” Beegle’s workshop for professionals who work with people in poverty, begins at 9 a.m. at the Nazareth Motherhouse Auditoirum, and will conclude at 2 p.m. The cost for the day’s program is $20, which includes lunch.

Registration and payment are required by Monday, March 22; tickets will not be available at the door.

To register, call Sister Jean Rosemarynoski at 785-243-2149. Or, download this printable PDF and mail it and the $20 fee to the address listed on the form. The registration and payment must be received by March 22.

CEU credit is also available for the workshop. For information on receiving credit, call Holly Andrews at Cloud County Community College, 785-243-1435, ext. 371

Tuesday evening Beegle will speak at the Brown Grand Theatre in downtown Concordia as part of the Cook Lecture Series, sponsored by Cloud County Community College. That session begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

After earning a GED, Beegle went on to receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications. In 2000, she completed her doctorate in education leadership at Portland (Ore.) State University, where she taught speech communication courses for eight years.

Today she is president of Communication Across Barriers, a consulting firm in the Portland, Ore., area devoted to improving communication and relationships. Donna is also founder and CEO of PovertyBridge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing lives for people in poverty.

She is also the author of “See Poverty, Be The Difference,” a resource book for professionals who work with people in poverty, and is a nationally recognized speaker, discussion leader and trainer on topics of poverty.

Her workshop and lecture in Concordia are sponsored by  the Sisters of St. Joseph and the college.

“Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.”

— Brian Tracy

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

— Lao-Tzu

The simple but solemn ceremony at the Motherhouse ended the annual weekend associate retreat, held at Manna House of Prayer.

CSJ Associates are Christian men and women from all walks of life who are committed to Gospel values and are drawn by the charism, spirituality and mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph. They meet regularly for prayer and sharing either in groups or one-on-one.

Currently, there are associate members in cities throughout Kansas, as well as Missouri, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.

Joining the congregation Saturday as its newest associate was Nancy Welsh of Topeka.

The two new candidates were Jane Christensen and Myrna Shelton, both of Concordia.

Each received a copy of the “Maxims of the Little Institute” and will spend the next seven to 12 months studying the charism, spirituality, history and mission of the congregation, praying with the associate community and preparing to make a commitment to live the mission of a CSJ Associate.

The two “inquirers” were Rosalita Flax of Ness City, Kan., and Jayne Prior of Overland Park, Kan. Over a period of about five months, each woman will attend monthly meetings with a sponsor in order to discern whether she is being called by God to be an associate of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

The CSJ Associates renewing their commitments were:

Carol Arts of Concordia.

Amber Charbonneau of Oklahoma.

Rita Collette of Concordia.

Stephanie Hudson of Kansas City, Mo.

Susan LeDuc of Ames, Kan.

Kathy Schaefer of Augusta, Kan.

Karma Smith-Grindell of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Jennifer Spangler of Overland Park, Kan.

As associates, they meet monthly with other associates and sisters, participate in the prayer life of the congregation and attend retreats, assemblies and celebrations of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia.

Sisters Janet Lander and Jean Befort led Saturday’s ceremony.

For more information on the CSJ Associate program, contact:

Sister Jean Befort at jeanbefort@sbcglobal.net

or Sister Janet Lander at janetmarycsj@yahoo.com

or go to www.csjkansas.org/about/associates/

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.”

— Andrew Wyeth