Marists All: Issue #67 April 2002
Media
Part of Marists All: Issue #67 April 2002
content
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
1/12
ISSUE # 67
April 2002
From Bro. Ben Consigli, Vice Provincial of the Esopus Province.
I just wanted to pass on the news that Br. James Damian Brady '40,
passed away this morning, April 16.
The wake and funeral mass will take place on Thursday, April 18 at Saint
Richard Church in Miami.
On Saturday, April 20, at 11:30AM, there will be a prayer service in the
Chapel in Esopus followed by the burial.
From FRANCIS X. (Barney) SHERIDAN ('55): ‘My Cousin Vinny’
POISELLA urged me to write for the newsletter, so I will. Personal notes: I
retired from social work and now work as a hospital chaplain at Cabrini Medical
Center, also interning at Beth Israel, where classmate Brother JAMES ADAMS
is a full-time chaplain. My wife Anne is about to retire from the NYC Board of
Ed. Son ROBERT, his wife CAROLE and their one-year-old LUCAS
FRANCIS XAVIER live in the Bronx. Daughter ROSEMARY is getting her
Masters in England. Writing this time, however, I want to go beyond the
personal notes to write about DMORT, the World Trade Center morgue on First
Avenue and 30th Street.
As a volunteer Red Cross chaplain, I have had the opportunity to meditate on the
reality of the 9/11 tragedy as I do shifts at the morgue. There are 2830 people
missing/dead from 9/11. However, there are more than 15,000 body parts at
DMORT. Every one is tested for DNA and matched against a database. The
base line information is from previous DNA testing, or testing on the missing
person’s hairbrush, toothbrush and such, or from genetic testing of the missing
person’s parents/children. Further sources of identification include finger
printing and dental records. Investigation of clothing, rings, identification cards
in wallets provides collateral information. Members of service (police, firemen,
and paramedics) are easier to identify due to better records. Civilians are more
difficult, and foreigners are most difficult. It is assumed that someday there will
have to be a common burial of unidentified remains.
The actual examination tables are set up in a large enclosed space half way
between the FDR and First Avenue. Remains are somewhat mummified, of a
grey/brown color; they weigh about 1/3 of the person’s weight due to
dehydration. A forensic anthropologist, police property detectives, and a
medical examiner function in that space. A large number of detectives are also
licensed morticians by training. DNA samples are taken for testing here. In
other labs finger print and dental detectives do their work. The officers are
extremely professional and much admired. Their work is very wearing. As
tough as the work is, the environment seems more sterile than the temporary
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
2/12
morgue at ground zero or at the land fill site on Staten Island where detectives
sift the WTC debris for human remains.
DMORT includes Memorial Park, a large white tent a few stories high that can
be seen from the FDR Drive around 30th Street. It stands on an asphalt field.
The loading doors of 18 refrigerated trailers stick through the walls of the tent.
Flowers and flags are the only decorations. One trailer is empty and two trailers
are used for remains from the airbus tragedy that took place in Queens in
November 2001. Of the 15 WTC trailers two are used for remains identified
from members of service; they have a fairly fast release time to families and
burial. The other 13 trailers contain remains of civilians, with most parts
unidentified. They are getting close to the bottom of ground zero; there probably
will not be a great number of new findings.
At each delivery of civilian remains the chaplains say a prayer. When the
remains of members of one of the services arrive, there is a short ceremony
where all police officers, correction officers, fire fighters, and others on the site
line up to receive the remains. The chaplain says a short prayer and a flag-
folding ceremony takes place. If the remains of a member of service have been
identified over at the temporary morgue at ground zero, members of the home
unit are notified ahead of time and are often present to meet the remains. Part of
the chaplain’s function is to be present for these folks also. Since 9/11 there
have also been volunteer Jewish ‘shomers’ (vigil keepers) on duty 24/7, praying
constantly. They are very inspiring.
What does it all mean? Well, I hope the presence of chaplain and shomers in the
midst of such evidence of terrorism and death is a continuing sign of the
sacredness of the human body. And I hope the work of many caring people
results in closure of the painful journey for many families.
Sometimes it’s easier to block out 9/11 as a past historical event. However, the
truth is we have been changed. We can’t avoid facing the horror of the tragedy.
We have to explore the mystery of the presence of God in the experience of the
WTC. Sometimes I just walk back and forth in Memorial Park and
meditate/pray, as we did this summer in the cemetery in Esopus. Tonight I went
onto the roof of our building here in Manhattan and gazed at the two blue pillars
of light shining into the sky from ground zero, a sign of remembrance and
rebirth in the heavens. It's like a prayer reaching up. Father Mychel Judge, the
Franciscan priest, Fire Department chaplain who died at the WTC, used to say
this prayer: "Lord, take me where you want me to go. Let me meet the people
you want me to meet. Help me say the things you want me to say. And then,
Lord, keep me out of your way." (626 East 20th St. #9A, New York NY 10009-
1515; 212-529-2257; fxsheridan@rcn.com)
From BR. HANK HAMMER ('75): I would like to have my name and email
address included on the Marists All web site. My preferred email address is
hankhammer@hotmail.com
. I am attaching a copy of Marist Evangelization
Update. If there is anything there that you want to use in Marists All, feel free to
do so. If anyone would like to be put on the email list for the Marist
Evangelization newsletter, please contact me.
Marist Evangelization is the broad term we are using to describe our work with
Marist schools and Marist youth. In the schools we are looking closely at what it
means to be Marist and Catholic today. We spend quite a bit of time looking at
the Marist heritage and charism and how it is shared and lived out by the men
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
3/12
and women who minister in Marist schools. With the kids we are trying to build
an identity of what it means for a young person to be "Marist" and how she or he
would live a life as a Marist Youth. It is very exciting and energizing work.
Thanks for all the work you and your team put into Marists All. What I do with
Marist Evangelization is only possible because of the work that all of you have
done before me. I am humbled and grateful. (10114 South Leavitt Street,
Chicago IL 60643; 773-239-4116)
MARIST BROTHERS celebrate 50 Years in KOBE The 2001-2002 school
year marks the 50
th
anniversary of Marist Brothers International School in Kobe,
Japan. After the 1995 earthquake we existed in temporary classrooms for some
time. In 1998 a beautiful new MBIS was opened. Brothers Joseph Yoshida,
Augustine Landry, and Ramon Bereicua make up the Marist Brothers’ presence
in Kobe. Gus and Joseph are members of the school's board, with Gus serving
as its chairman. Last August Br. Hank Hammer traveled to Kobe to present
workshops to the entire faculty. The spirit of Marist Education is alive and well
in Kobe. (Marist Evangelization Update, Dec. 2001)
EXPANDING THE BOARD The editors of Marists All are very pleased to
announce that Vincent Poisella (’57) has agreed to join the “editorial board” of
the newsletter. Vince has been quite generous in giving us his resume of Marist
and editorial experience. We would like to share it with you:
Vincent Poisella’s Resume:
St. Helena’s High School, 1953-57: The Wonder Years. James Thomas,
Stephen Martin, Larry Sullivan, Christopher, Stephen Damian, and the
wonderful group of young monks who inspired me to want to be like them.
(Editor of Cross-Crown, co-editor of Helenian)
Tyngsboro, 1957-59: Marist training in the French way (Pius Victor) and in the
New Age (David Kammer) with not much in between. (Ran the old letter press)
Poughkeepsie, 1959-62: Kieran, honey wine, George Sommer and Dr.
Schroeder, Aldo Tos, building Donnelly Hall with Nilus directing, the first lay
students. (Original staff of the Literary Journal; I named it The Mosaic!)
Esopus, 1962-63: learning to cook (and teach Latin!) along with Don Nugent
for 100 juniors, Denis, Edmund, Berky, Donald Richard.
Roselle Catholic, 1963-67: Claude dying in my arms, Jack Duggan, Norbert,
Mike McGonigle, Pat Gallagher, Sodality, Seton Hall for my Master’s in
English. (Advisor to the yearbook; Marist Sodality Newsletter)
Marist House, Laporte, Indiana, 1967-69: Eric Anderberg, Pat Gallagher,
John Brady. What an experience! Turned the town right side up or upside
down, depending on perspective; Vietnam, Civil Rights, Notre Dame. (Did the
news update to the Marist World on our progress)
Transition, 1969-70: Called to new vocation; said ‘goodbye’ to the Marists,
deeply grateful for the Marist Experience then and now; married Jane Evans in
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
4/12
the Brothers’ chapel at St. Helena’s. Declan mopped the floor to be clean for the
wedding! (School newspaper advisor at Pequannock Township High School)
Roller Coaster Ride (with abundant blessings) 1970-99: Three children,
Mark (Notre Dame), Eric (Castleton State, Vermont), Anne (Marist College);
English teacher, counselor, Guidance Director, Supervisor of Curriculum and
Instruction; involvement with New Jersey Counseling Association, President
’93. (Newsletter Editor for Local Educational Association, Newsletter Editor
for the NJ Counseling Association, the NJ Association for Ethical, Religious,
Spiritual Values in Counseling, Editor of Hopatcong district newsletter to
residents, as well as newsletter to the staff of the district)
Skidding to a stop (more blessings) 1999-01: Prostate cancer surgery
(successful), sixtieth birthday (successful), retirement from the Hopatcong
School District (successful … so far).
Redirection: Part time counseling and teaching at two local community
colleges, Sussex and Morris; volunteer work in church and community; Jane
still working as a high school librarian at Hopatcong High School. Involvement
with the Marist Family Institute of Spirituality, and now beginning to assist with
Marists All.
From DON MULCARE ('57): Marists All features letters that share memories,
tell stories, or provide news. This piece asks for advice. I summon the corporate
wisdom of the readership to help me think through an impending change in my
life. On 1 June 2003, after 34 years in a state institution, I will be out in the real
world. What will I do and where will I go? When you wonder which state
institution, you might think, "It's a prison or a mental hospital." You would be
close. All that really matters is that I will be pensioned off and on the streets
looking for an occupation. Back in my college days I became certified as a
secondary school teacher, but have never taught in high school. Maybe it is time
that I put my education and biology courses to work?
The readership of Marists All includes many present and retired secondary
school educators; what advice would they offer to a newly retired person who is
considering "secondary" education as a "second" career? I have been watching
freshmen come to the university from high schools and have wondered what is
going on. My plan is to reverse the trend and go from the university to the high
school to see what is happening to these students.
I realize that I will have to get in shape because I will have to spend hours on my
feet and will use my voice more extensively to communicate the wonders of
biology. Dealing with 14 to 18 year-olds will be a challenge. I have even
investigated a local Catholic high school, shadowing the science faculty for five
school days. I went with the debate team for a competition and judged three
rounds. The students were polite and attentive to their instructors. Although
some of the faculty members seemed to be as young as the students, other
faculty members were about my age, including retired public high school
teachers and a biochemist, with a Ph.D. and with connections to institutions like
Brown University and Providence College. I had a chance to contact some of
the readers of Marist All. Ray seems to be enjoying himself in a Catholic high
school after retiring from a public high school career. John, as a superintendent,
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
5/12
thought my background would be of use and perhaps in demand. With any luck
I will substitute teach in the near future to get a realistic view. I am excited
about the prospect.
Today one of my Gerontology students told me of a visit to Florida during which
someone asked her, "Why would you ever leave Massachusetts for Florida?"
Another person in the same discussion said, "Stay away from Arizona. It is so
hot that the roads melt in the summer and you can only go outside in the
morning or evening." So, readers of Marists All from Florida, Arizona,
Massachusetts and elsewhere, where is a great place to live and maybe teach in a
high school, and where is a place that you think we should all stay away from?
I had a chance to talk with Brother Joseph Belanger at the last two Marist Family
Institutes in Poughkeepsie about his trip to China as an English expert.
Fascinating. There are missionary groups that send people all over the world. I
have spoken with a Peace Corps recruiter. A return to a university faculty is not
out of the question, but it would have to be at a new location. I suppose Nancy
and I could rent out the house. What would we do with the cat?
I do not believe in retirement, and am ready for a new career. What did you do
or what would you do in this situation? If you have any answers to these
questions, I would love to hear from you. Perhaps we could get together at the
Marist Family Institute of Spirituality this July 11-14 at Marist College,
Poughkeepsie. God bless. (7 Staffon Road, Fairhaven MA 02719-4214; 508-
994-8605;
dmulcare@umassd.edu
)
VOLCANIC ERUPTION DEVASTATES MARIST SCHOOL IN GOMA,
CONGO
On February 12th we e-mailed the following message to GMC people. We
include it in this issue so that those receiving paper copies may be aware of the
Marist situation in Goma.
Brother Sean Sammon, S.G., has written an urgent letter to the brothers of the provinces
regarding the tragedies in Goma, Congo. We have a note from the province suggesting
that we might be interested in forwarding that letter to those on the Marists All list.
Sean himself has welcomed the idea. (We now share some of Sean's letter to us and
follow that with his letter to the brothers, cut somewhat to fit!).
"I was touched by your willingness to circulate the letter among the members of
Marists All, and I understand completely your policy of usually not doing so.
Blessings and love. Sean"
OFFICE OF THE SUPERIOR GENERAL 4 February 2002
Dear Brothers, The news coming out of Goma, Congo, on the night of January
17
th
, 2002, was chilling. The damage from the volcanic eruption was extensive.
In several districts neighborhoods were devastated with the exception of an
occasional house left intact. We can be thankful that more lives were not lost.
An eruption of the volcano that occurred several years ago claimed more than
2000 lives. This time the lava flows spared human lives but destroyed not only
everything in their path, but also became the trigger for several explosions.
The Marist Brothers College of Mwanga and the brothers’ community residence
were greatly affected. Except for eleven classrooms and two offices the loss was
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
6/12
complete.
Brother Richard Mutumwa, the Superior of the District, was out of the area
when the volcano erupted but cancelled his planned activities to rush back to
Goma. We asked him to guide those of us in the General Administration that we
could be present in ways that would offer relief. Richard asked that Brother
Théoneste Kalisa, a member of the General Council, be made available to assist
them in the task of planning relief efforts.
The General Administration discussed three proposals developed by the District
Council and finally agreed to be involved in helping our brothers raise funds
necessary to support one of those proposals, a tent school to be set up quickly to
help ensure that the students, at least 700 served by our Brothers, would have a
chance to complete their academic year.
But brothers, I write this evening to ask your assistance in funding the Tent
School Project that our brothers plan to set up. Three rationales support
establishing this project:
1. To provide the students enrolled in the diocesan-owned but Marist-
administered and staffed school with the possibility of finishing their current
scholastic year.
2. To bring some hope into the lives of the young people affected by this
natural disaster and, thus, witness to the mercy of God and act in keeping with
our charism.
3.
To assist the local Church by continuing to be an effective apostolic
presence in Goma during a period subsequent to the volcanic eruption.
I also agreed to work personally to organize help for the families of our brothers
affected directly by this natural disaster. Many were without a place to live. I
plan assistance from the General Administration coupled with efforts our
brothers themselves will make to assist the families.
A few additional facts that will help us understand the nature and scope of this
proposed program, which involves setting up a fully functioning school that
would be housed in tents. Such structures will allow us to get to work
immediately, and thus significantly limit the length of time students will be out
of school as a result of the eruption. The program will have some initial funding
from an Italian based agency, but we Marists will carry the bulk of the project’s
costs. I have listed below the cost of each aspect of the program as estimated by
the Council of our brothers in Congo. The total to be provided by Marists is
$170,400.
All funds for this program that have their source with the Marist Brothers will be
coordinated and administered through our International Solidarity Bureau (BIS)
under the direction of Brother Allen Sherry. As has been our practice in recent
years, all funds will be released in phases, providing ample time for reporting the
actual usage of the monies given.
So, brothers, I ask you to consider this request for financial assistance in a
prayerful way, and urge you to be as generous as you can. We are in solidarity
with our brothers in Congo in prayer already. Helping financially will be
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
7/12
another strong sign of our commitment to the spirit of solidarity that has grown
and flourished in our Institute in recent years.
Thank you for whatever help you may be able to provide toward the Tent School
Project. May the qualities we so cherish in Mary—courage in uncertain times, a
radical openness to God’s will, and an ability to bring Jesus to our world in plain
and simple ways—be evident in each of us. Blessings and affection Brother
Sean Sammon, FMS, Superior General
The letter is followed by a chart of projected expenses, showing that $170,400
must come from Marist sources; that amount is mainly for the tents, desks,
textbooks and other student needs.
P.S. We understand that contributions, clearly marked for Goma, may be sent to
Br. Hugh Turley at 4200 West 115th Street, Chicago IL 60655; 773-881-5343;
maristbr@aol.com
From BR. FRANCISCO CASTELLANOS ('51): I am Brother Francisco,
better known as "Franco" to most of the Brothers in the States. After 15 years
working in Japan, I taught at Marist High School in Chicago. Then I went to
Spain where I served in various ministries from community superior to school
secretary. Now I am at the General House in Rome, doing translation and
secretarial work for the Institute. I have been here for the last four years. I send
best wishes to all the persons who might remember me and also to all the
participants in this interesting newsletter project. (Piazza M. Champagnat, 2;
C.P. 10250; 00144, Rome, Italy;
fjcastellanos@hotmail.com
)
From JOE STRANG ('53): As I am receiving the newsletter by e-mail, perhaps
a few bucks can be saved by not sending me the paper copy. I am beginning my
fourth year at Heald College in Salinas, California. I teach four sections of
Communications, am chair of the General Education Department, and am about
to become a teacher mentor. One of my fondest memories of St. Joseph's
Novitiate is sitting with Leo Richard and watching the Master of Novices,
Brother Pius Victor, sit unflinchingly as a fly crawled across his face. Leo and I
could not stop laughing. We were both asked to leave the hall. My new e-mail
address is:
joe_strang@heald.edu
. (Box 857, Pacific Grove CA 93950; 831-375-
8672)
THE 8
th
ANNUAL MARIST FAMILY INSTITUTE OF SPIRITUALITY
will be held at Marist College in Poughkeepsie from Thursday evening to
Sunday after lunch, July 11
th
to 14
th
, 2002. The theme for this year's gathering
is:
Responding to the Will of God.
The cost for room and 9 meals is $350 for a double or $230 for a single. To
assure a place you must do the following before Tuesday June 11
th
, 2002:
1. Send a deposit of $100 by writing a check to Larry Keogh and sending it to:
LARRY KEOGH, 17125 W. 145
th
St., Lockport IL 60441, 815-838-1570,
ldkjmk@aol.com
.
2. Inform Larry if you will (a) Bring your own bed linens & towels, or (b) Need
to have linens supplied. There is no difference in price if you being your own
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
8/12
bed linen and towels. The advantage is that yours are much, much better!
3. Veterans suggest that you also bring hangers and soap.
For further information please contact: Pat or Gene Zirkel, Six Brancatelli, W.
Islip NY 11795; 631-669-0273;
genezirk@optonline.net
From JOHN SHEEHAN ('65): Good heavens, Dave/Joe, Judy/Martha!
Doesn't anyone in your family keep the same name? It's like a Russian novel!
This is just a quick note to give you my new address. This is not for the
newsletter (Ed: Permission sought and granted). However I have a memory or
two myself! I remember back in the mid-80s when I was struggling to learn
DOS and such that I learned about Bulletin Boards. Complicated things they
were, full of codes to be kept straight and it occurred to me that it might be an
idea for the monks to pursue - as a way of keeping everyone in touch. I know I
spoke to someone at Marist about it (it was long before email!). I tried and
failed to set up a test BB (the only hit on it was my own, and I got tired of
answering my own queries). When AOL invented the chat room, I tried again.
In the hours that I sat around waiting for a monk or an alumnus to stumble onto
the room, I only had one person "come in", and that was a man who had been a
student of the monks in Chicago. He started asking me about different teachers
he had had, but - hey, I was in the other province - I recognized a few of the
names and remembered one or two faces, but I was of little or no help.
However, there we were, in an AOL chat room, two faceless strangers who share
a small part of their formative years, two products of a common heritage, two
total strangers who had something to "chat" about for more than an hour. Do I
remember his name or who the brothers were that we spoke of? Of course not.
That information resides in my brain next to "ten swell things you can do now
that you understand the co-secant!"
Where was I? Oh, yes. So, I had invented all by myself the idea of the Marist
Chat Room. I wish you could have seen it - I decorated the room with chintz
and ball fringe. I realized that I had a nice idea but no way of promoting it. So,
I abandoned it (actually I leased it out to a group trying to revive disco, so I got
my investment back). Then you, David (or whatever your name is!), sent me
Issue #1 of the hand-typed, 12 point-pica, ugliest-typeface-in-the-world of
Marists All. I remember saying to myself, "This is great, but the guy has GOT
to get a better typewriter!" And what slayed me was that it never did change,
except for once when you were on vacation or something and someone else
typed it on a different machine. So, here we are at Issue …, 67 is it already? We
are online, no stamps, no going to the mailbox in the rain, no having to go find a
pen in the junk drawer to sign the letter. You have invented a nearly perfect
communications device of which you and Gus and all the others can be so justly
proud. Of course, I still have written only one real letter to Marists All. Like so
many of us, I just can't come up with something to say.
Perhaps next time I'll tell you about the funny things that Gus said while driving
the bus to Camp Marist, or about how Pat Collins could do a perfect imitation of
John Berchmans, or the day when Fred Greifenstein chased the Mole around the
ball fields of Esopus for an hour. I might get inspired to remember the time I
stole a cigarette off Berky's desk (I promise I'll quit next week, honest!), or the
expression on Bob Joyce's face when I struck him out in a baseball game (we
both knew I couldn't pitch). Then I might remember the time at the
Scholasticate when Brother Hugh threw us our first cocktail party (I promise I'll
quit next week, honest!). Maybe I'll even tell the lurid tale of Sean Sammon's
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
9/12
patented method for removing stubborn peanut butter off utensils because the
scullery dishwasher hated peanut butter. Okay, I'll give you a hint: "Irish setters
have long tongues." Who knows what I might actually remember when I sit at
the old keyboard and write more than just a quick thirty-second email to tell you
that yes, in fact, I have changed my address, phone number and my email
address, so here they are. (Actually, it is a new keyboard as the cat peed on the
old one).
So, when you have to lament the fact that so few are writing to your fine
publication, it's because it is so difficult to find the time. I barely have time to
let people know that I have a new address. But the real reason I haven't written -
this is SO personal, I hope you won't tell - is because Gus himself was my
writing teacher in Esopus, and I don't want him to know that I could never
remember when to start a new paragraph. (Ed: the original was a run-on article
with no paragraphing; we just had to touch it up!) Anyhow, here is the
information you asked for. It has a hidden character embedded in it, known only
to me, so if my name and address show up in a mass mailing about replacing my
old worn-out windows with new, vinyl-clad windows that are easy to clean, I'll
know that you gave them my information, David. And if that happens, I'll send
a virus to your old typewriter and stop you dead in your tracks. Now, if I can
just remember where I left my meds. (5A East Lake Road, New Fairfield CT
06812; 203-312-0177;
bigjohn393@earthlink.net
)
A STORY that touches CCHS Lawrence
by David Kammer
A prominent and very active resident of our retirement community of over 600
homes here in Florida died recently at age 75. He had been president of the
homeowners association, founder and president of the veterans' organization
here, and later its chaplain. Apparently he related well with the local parish and
pastor of Sacred Heart. I recognized him but did not know him or know about
him. His obituary revealed that he had gone off as an eighteen-year-old to the
Battle of the Bulge, winning a Purple Heart. Then, it said, he became a
Maryknoller, serving in Tanzania for twelve years and several more years in
Somalia. He volunteered as a chaplain in the Vietnam affair where he won
another Purple Heart. And for a time he was a chaplain at West Point. He left
the active ministry, married, adopted his wife's three children, then 9, 11, and
13. He lived and worked in Georgia in civil and human services. In retirement
here in Florida it seems that this whole story was known to some people but not
to Judy and me, nor to many others. But on an easel with family photos
prominently displayed at the funeral were two large photos, one of a man in
clergy suit with Roman collar and another of an Army officer in uniform. At the
Memorial Mass a Maryknoll classmate said that at an unusual level Jim
embodied the motto: "For God and Country." It turns out that Jim was from
Lawrence, Massachusetts, attended CCHS with the Marist Brothers for two
years, went to work when his father died, finished his diploma at Lawrence
High, and went off to war in 1944! I found out about this latter part of the story
by talking with his sister at a reception after the memorial Mass. Wish I had
known him. We would have had much to talk about. His full name: Jim
Bradley.
DECEASED Brother Roy Mooney ('52) died Wednesday, April 3rd, at 2:30
a.m. after having been moved to hospice care just the evening before. For some
time Roy had been suffering from a cancer which eventually spread; a brain
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
10/12
tumor developed. In early 1999 Roy returned from Italy where he had been
leading renewal sessions at Manziana for six years. Earlier he had been
provincial of the Poughkeepsie province. On returning from Italy Roy worked
in guidance at Roselle Catholic in New Jersey at first, but it was not long before
he experienced symptoms of his sickness. Brother Don Neary, provincial, in a
notice to the Brothers of the provinces acknowledged the wonderful brotherly
love shown to Roy by his community. "To Vincent Damian, Raoul Molnar and
Owen Ormsby -- over these past two months you have truly lived the words of
Saint Marcellin in his spiritual testament: 'May it be said of the Little Brothers of
Mary as of the first Christians: See how they love one another.' On behalf of all
of the Brothers, thank you for your love, care, and concern for Roy and for
modeling Jesus' love for us."
From DOM CAVALLARO ('51): On the Occasion of Roy's Passing
Recently, Andy Rooney of CBS's "60 Minutes" program, noted all the
euphemisms we use for death, and as usual he got a chuckle from a few people,
but his point is well made. When I attended Marist College, Dr. Schroeder, our
English prof at the time, didn't know how to deal with the death of one of the
monks. He noted the upbeat character of the brothers after the burial service and
found it difficult to reconcile his understanding of such situations. He
announced that observation in class and told us that his solution in such
situations lay in the fact that the sorrow needed an outlet. He found that in our
apparent cheerfulness. When I received the notice of Roy's death, I began to
remember fondly the many times Roy made us laugh at the seriousness of
'religious life.' Yesterday's gospel, the first Sunday following Easter, was even
more meaningful and brought another smile to my face as I thought of Roy.
Christ appearing to his disciples, noting their disbelief, announced to them in
person, the joy of the Resurrection and the fulfillment of their 'faith.' Naturally,
we linger and reminisce. Our hearts travel inexplicably to our throats, and our
eyes fill. Yet our joy for our brother is unbounded as he joins his family in
glory! Call it what you will, but let us rejoice. (171 Winchester Road, Northfield
MA 01360; 413-498-2129; foetoe@attbi.com)
From DICK BRANIGAN ('50): Your Marist Heritage website is a tribute to all
those before us who built and razed and built again. We owe a ton to those who
gave so much. Thanks for this great look into our past. It is an archival
triumph.
I was Br. Stephen Aloysius ('50) when Brother Nilus was pouring concrete
pillars for the new chapel on the Poughkeepsie grounds. Larry Haggerty (Br.
Brendan Lawrence) and I thought it would be a slick trick to climb up to the top
of one of those pillars that were being filled with wet cement and drop a
miraculous medal into the soup. We did, and a few years ago during our class
reunion in Poughkeepsie I revisited that pillar and did a lot of reminiscing.
Also in those earlier days John Callahan (he has since passed) and I poured an
exceedingly unlevel basement floor in the gate house. Why we were let loose on
that project I'll never know. I'm sure someone more professional has redone that
job. Those years at Marist College sing to me every time I start to feel
undervalued or unsure. Wouldn't trade 'em. (1814 Fairview Street., Oskosh WI
54901-2404; 920-233-2954;
branigan@uwosk.edu
)
From VINCENT POISELLA ('57): RESPONSE TO THE MARIST
EXPERIENCE
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
11/12
Those who have left canonical status within the Marist community have
responded to the Marist Experience in different ways. The contributors to
Marists All seem to ponder those years of formation with a spirit of camaraderie
and fraternity. The predominant image of those early days is positive:
relationships were formed, experiences were shared. In retrospect the memory is
idyllic; good times become the best of times. The negatives become minimized.
The connection with the Marist Family becomes a cause for pride. Indeed, the
values, the spiritual growth, and the social awareness developed in maturity are
traced back to the years in Marist formation.
Yet there are others who look back and shudder. The negatives take on a life of
their own. A bad experience, especially on departure, is exaggerated. The very
human errors made by the Marist decision-makers in those years are the wounds
that are later revealed as emotional scars not allowed to heal. Those who
suffered in those formative years, who left under dire circumstances, remember
those days in sadness, if not in anger. For them there is a hesitancy to become
reconnected to anyone that might stir up the memories. These responses have in
common a distortion that grows so far from the actuality of events. Forgiveness
comes hard when the images have grown so grotesquely.
Those negative images, however, if centered in a positive frame of reference, are
cured by time and prime the resurgence of interest in the Marist Family Picnic,
the Marists All newsletter, the Marist Family Institute of Spirituality,
involvement in the canonization of Champagnat, and the growth of Marist
College.
I contend that the cure for the sadness or anger is not unlike the process that has
enlivened those who have felt so positively over the years. Involvement
engenders once again a pride and sense of belonging. And so, those of us who
fondly remember the past humbly ask the others to join together with the Marist
Family today. Reality will resurface and chase away the ogres from the past that
haunt the present. (24 Brooklyn Mt. Road, Hopatcong NJ 07843; 973-398-5477;
vtpoisella@yahoo.com)
Marist Heritage Project Brian Desilets is asking for someone to help dig into
the Esopus archives for biographical information regarding the Brothers buried
in the Poughkeepsie cemetery. The Marist College archivist, John Ansley, has
stated that he could hire a Brother or two for a couple of weeks or so to archive
this information. They would learn a lot about making web pages. Contact
Brian at: 845-297-7499 or bdesilets2@aol.com.
EDITORS' NOTE:
About a year ago when we last reported on finances we had a balance of $1443.
Six issues later, after the expenses of this issue there will be a balance of $693.
That is enough for three more issues, each costing an average of $220. While
publishing the last five issues our income has been a total of $50!
Please help to support our effort to maintain close Marist ties. Share your
thoughts and your stories. Write to:
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
12/12
Gus Nolan, 50 South Randolph Avenue, Poughkeepsie NY 12601;
gusnolan@aol.com
Vincent Poisella, 24 Brooklyn Mt. Road, Hopatcong NJ 07843;
vtpoisella@yahoo.com
David Kammer, 476 LaPlaya, Edgewater FL 32141;
kammer@mpinet.net
in Maine after May 30
kammer@tds.net
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
1/12
ISSUE # 67
April 2002
From Bro. Ben Consigli, Vice Provincial of the Esopus Province.
I just wanted to pass on the news that Br. James Damian Brady '40,
passed away this morning, April 16.
The wake and funeral mass will take place on Thursday, April 18 at Saint
Richard Church in Miami.
On Saturday, April 20, at 11:30AM, there will be a prayer service in the
Chapel in Esopus followed by the burial.
From FRANCIS X. (Barney) SHERIDAN ('55): ‘My Cousin Vinny’
POISELLA urged me to write for the newsletter, so I will. Personal notes: I
retired from social work and now work as a hospital chaplain at Cabrini Medical
Center, also interning at Beth Israel, where classmate Brother JAMES ADAMS
is a full-time chaplain. My wife Anne is about to retire from the NYC Board of
Ed. Son ROBERT, his wife CAROLE and their one-year-old LUCAS
FRANCIS XAVIER live in the Bronx. Daughter ROSEMARY is getting her
Masters in England. Writing this time, however, I want to go beyond the
personal notes to write about DMORT, the World Trade Center morgue on First
Avenue and 30th Street.
As a volunteer Red Cross chaplain, I have had the opportunity to meditate on the
reality of the 9/11 tragedy as I do shifts at the morgue. There are 2830 people
missing/dead from 9/11. However, there are more than 15,000 body parts at
DMORT. Every one is tested for DNA and matched against a database. The
base line information is from previous DNA testing, or testing on the missing
person’s hairbrush, toothbrush and such, or from genetic testing of the missing
person’s parents/children. Further sources of identification include finger
printing and dental records. Investigation of clothing, rings, identification cards
in wallets provides collateral information. Members of service (police, firemen,
and paramedics) are easier to identify due to better records. Civilians are more
difficult, and foreigners are most difficult. It is assumed that someday there will
have to be a common burial of unidentified remains.
The actual examination tables are set up in a large enclosed space half way
between the FDR and First Avenue. Remains are somewhat mummified, of a
grey/brown color; they weigh about 1/3 of the person’s weight due to
dehydration. A forensic anthropologist, police property detectives, and a
medical examiner function in that space. A large number of detectives are also
licensed morticians by training. DNA samples are taken for testing here. In
other labs finger print and dental detectives do their work. The officers are
extremely professional and much admired. Their work is very wearing. As
tough as the work is, the environment seems more sterile than the temporary
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
2/12
morgue at ground zero or at the land fill site on Staten Island where detectives
sift the WTC debris for human remains.
DMORT includes Memorial Park, a large white tent a few stories high that can
be seen from the FDR Drive around 30th Street. It stands on an asphalt field.
The loading doors of 18 refrigerated trailers stick through the walls of the tent.
Flowers and flags are the only decorations. One trailer is empty and two trailers
are used for remains from the airbus tragedy that took place in Queens in
November 2001. Of the 15 WTC trailers two are used for remains identified
from members of service; they have a fairly fast release time to families and
burial. The other 13 trailers contain remains of civilians, with most parts
unidentified. They are getting close to the bottom of ground zero; there probably
will not be a great number of new findings.
At each delivery of civilian remains the chaplains say a prayer. When the
remains of members of one of the services arrive, there is a short ceremony
where all police officers, correction officers, fire fighters, and others on the site
line up to receive the remains. The chaplain says a short prayer and a flag-
folding ceremony takes place. If the remains of a member of service have been
identified over at the temporary morgue at ground zero, members of the home
unit are notified ahead of time and are often present to meet the remains. Part of
the chaplain’s function is to be present for these folks also. Since 9/11 there
have also been volunteer Jewish ‘shomers’ (vigil keepers) on duty 24/7, praying
constantly. They are very inspiring.
What does it all mean? Well, I hope the presence of chaplain and shomers in the
midst of such evidence of terrorism and death is a continuing sign of the
sacredness of the human body. And I hope the work of many caring people
results in closure of the painful journey for many families.
Sometimes it’s easier to block out 9/11 as a past historical event. However, the
truth is we have been changed. We can’t avoid facing the horror of the tragedy.
We have to explore the mystery of the presence of God in the experience of the
WTC. Sometimes I just walk back and forth in Memorial Park and
meditate/pray, as we did this summer in the cemetery in Esopus. Tonight I went
onto the roof of our building here in Manhattan and gazed at the two blue pillars
of light shining into the sky from ground zero, a sign of remembrance and
rebirth in the heavens. It's like a prayer reaching up. Father Mychel Judge, the
Franciscan priest, Fire Department chaplain who died at the WTC, used to say
this prayer: "Lord, take me where you want me to go. Let me meet the people
you want me to meet. Help me say the things you want me to say. And then,
Lord, keep me out of your way." (626 East 20th St. #9A, New York NY 10009-
1515; 212-529-2257; fxsheridan@rcn.com)
From BR. HANK HAMMER ('75): I would like to have my name and email
address included on the Marists All web site. My preferred email address is
hankhammer@hotmail.com
. I am attaching a copy of Marist Evangelization
Update. If there is anything there that you want to use in Marists All, feel free to
do so. If anyone would like to be put on the email list for the Marist
Evangelization newsletter, please contact me.
Marist Evangelization is the broad term we are using to describe our work with
Marist schools and Marist youth. In the schools we are looking closely at what it
means to be Marist and Catholic today. We spend quite a bit of time looking at
the Marist heritage and charism and how it is shared and lived out by the men
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
3/12
and women who minister in Marist schools. With the kids we are trying to build
an identity of what it means for a young person to be "Marist" and how she or he
would live a life as a Marist Youth. It is very exciting and energizing work.
Thanks for all the work you and your team put into Marists All. What I do with
Marist Evangelization is only possible because of the work that all of you have
done before me. I am humbled and grateful. (10114 South Leavitt Street,
Chicago IL 60643; 773-239-4116)
MARIST BROTHERS celebrate 50 Years in KOBE The 2001-2002 school
year marks the 50
th
anniversary of Marist Brothers International School in Kobe,
Japan. After the 1995 earthquake we existed in temporary classrooms for some
time. In 1998 a beautiful new MBIS was opened. Brothers Joseph Yoshida,
Augustine Landry, and Ramon Bereicua make up the Marist Brothers’ presence
in Kobe. Gus and Joseph are members of the school's board, with Gus serving
as its chairman. Last August Br. Hank Hammer traveled to Kobe to present
workshops to the entire faculty. The spirit of Marist Education is alive and well
in Kobe. (Marist Evangelization Update, Dec. 2001)
EXPANDING THE BOARD The editors of Marists All are very pleased to
announce that Vincent Poisella (’57) has agreed to join the “editorial board” of
the newsletter. Vince has been quite generous in giving us his resume of Marist
and editorial experience. We would like to share it with you:
Vincent Poisella’s Resume:
St. Helena’s High School, 1953-57: The Wonder Years. James Thomas,
Stephen Martin, Larry Sullivan, Christopher, Stephen Damian, and the
wonderful group of young monks who inspired me to want to be like them.
(Editor of Cross-Crown, co-editor of Helenian)
Tyngsboro, 1957-59: Marist training in the French way (Pius Victor) and in the
New Age (David Kammer) with not much in between. (Ran the old letter press)
Poughkeepsie, 1959-62: Kieran, honey wine, George Sommer and Dr.
Schroeder, Aldo Tos, building Donnelly Hall with Nilus directing, the first lay
students. (Original staff of the Literary Journal; I named it The Mosaic!)
Esopus, 1962-63: learning to cook (and teach Latin!) along with Don Nugent
for 100 juniors, Denis, Edmund, Berky, Donald Richard.
Roselle Catholic, 1963-67: Claude dying in my arms, Jack Duggan, Norbert,
Mike McGonigle, Pat Gallagher, Sodality, Seton Hall for my Master’s in
English. (Advisor to the yearbook; Marist Sodality Newsletter)
Marist House, Laporte, Indiana, 1967-69: Eric Anderberg, Pat Gallagher,
John Brady. What an experience! Turned the town right side up or upside
down, depending on perspective; Vietnam, Civil Rights, Notre Dame. (Did the
news update to the Marist World on our progress)
Transition, 1969-70: Called to new vocation; said ‘goodbye’ to the Marists,
deeply grateful for the Marist Experience then and now; married Jane Evans in
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
4/12
the Brothers’ chapel at St. Helena’s. Declan mopped the floor to be clean for the
wedding! (School newspaper advisor at Pequannock Township High School)
Roller Coaster Ride (with abundant blessings) 1970-99: Three children,
Mark (Notre Dame), Eric (Castleton State, Vermont), Anne (Marist College);
English teacher, counselor, Guidance Director, Supervisor of Curriculum and
Instruction; involvement with New Jersey Counseling Association, President
’93. (Newsletter Editor for Local Educational Association, Newsletter Editor
for the NJ Counseling Association, the NJ Association for Ethical, Religious,
Spiritual Values in Counseling, Editor of Hopatcong district newsletter to
residents, as well as newsletter to the staff of the district)
Skidding to a stop (more blessings) 1999-01: Prostate cancer surgery
(successful), sixtieth birthday (successful), retirement from the Hopatcong
School District (successful … so far).
Redirection: Part time counseling and teaching at two local community
colleges, Sussex and Morris; volunteer work in church and community; Jane
still working as a high school librarian at Hopatcong High School. Involvement
with the Marist Family Institute of Spirituality, and now beginning to assist with
Marists All.
From DON MULCARE ('57): Marists All features letters that share memories,
tell stories, or provide news. This piece asks for advice. I summon the corporate
wisdom of the readership to help me think through an impending change in my
life. On 1 June 2003, after 34 years in a state institution, I will be out in the real
world. What will I do and where will I go? When you wonder which state
institution, you might think, "It's a prison or a mental hospital." You would be
close. All that really matters is that I will be pensioned off and on the streets
looking for an occupation. Back in my college days I became certified as a
secondary school teacher, but have never taught in high school. Maybe it is time
that I put my education and biology courses to work?
The readership of Marists All includes many present and retired secondary
school educators; what advice would they offer to a newly retired person who is
considering "secondary" education as a "second" career? I have been watching
freshmen come to the university from high schools and have wondered what is
going on. My plan is to reverse the trend and go from the university to the high
school to see what is happening to these students.
I realize that I will have to get in shape because I will have to spend hours on my
feet and will use my voice more extensively to communicate the wonders of
biology. Dealing with 14 to 18 year-olds will be a challenge. I have even
investigated a local Catholic high school, shadowing the science faculty for five
school days. I went with the debate team for a competition and judged three
rounds. The students were polite and attentive to their instructors. Although
some of the faculty members seemed to be as young as the students, other
faculty members were about my age, including retired public high school
teachers and a biochemist, with a Ph.D. and with connections to institutions like
Brown University and Providence College. I had a chance to contact some of
the readers of Marist All. Ray seems to be enjoying himself in a Catholic high
school after retiring from a public high school career. John, as a superintendent,
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
5/12
thought my background would be of use and perhaps in demand. With any luck
I will substitute teach in the near future to get a realistic view. I am excited
about the prospect.
Today one of my Gerontology students told me of a visit to Florida during which
someone asked her, "Why would you ever leave Massachusetts for Florida?"
Another person in the same discussion said, "Stay away from Arizona. It is so
hot that the roads melt in the summer and you can only go outside in the
morning or evening." So, readers of Marists All from Florida, Arizona,
Massachusetts and elsewhere, where is a great place to live and maybe teach in a
high school, and where is a place that you think we should all stay away from?
I had a chance to talk with Brother Joseph Belanger at the last two Marist Family
Institutes in Poughkeepsie about his trip to China as an English expert.
Fascinating. There are missionary groups that send people all over the world. I
have spoken with a Peace Corps recruiter. A return to a university faculty is not
out of the question, but it would have to be at a new location. I suppose Nancy
and I could rent out the house. What would we do with the cat?
I do not believe in retirement, and am ready for a new career. What did you do
or what would you do in this situation? If you have any answers to these
questions, I would love to hear from you. Perhaps we could get together at the
Marist Family Institute of Spirituality this July 11-14 at Marist College,
Poughkeepsie. God bless. (7 Staffon Road, Fairhaven MA 02719-4214; 508-
994-8605;
dmulcare@umassd.edu
)
VOLCANIC ERUPTION DEVASTATES MARIST SCHOOL IN GOMA,
CONGO
On February 12th we e-mailed the following message to GMC people. We
include it in this issue so that those receiving paper copies may be aware of the
Marist situation in Goma.
Brother Sean Sammon, S.G., has written an urgent letter to the brothers of the provinces
regarding the tragedies in Goma, Congo. We have a note from the province suggesting
that we might be interested in forwarding that letter to those on the Marists All list.
Sean himself has welcomed the idea. (We now share some of Sean's letter to us and
follow that with his letter to the brothers, cut somewhat to fit!).
"I was touched by your willingness to circulate the letter among the members of
Marists All, and I understand completely your policy of usually not doing so.
Blessings and love. Sean"
OFFICE OF THE SUPERIOR GENERAL 4 February 2002
Dear Brothers, The news coming out of Goma, Congo, on the night of January
17
th
, 2002, was chilling. The damage from the volcanic eruption was extensive.
In several districts neighborhoods were devastated with the exception of an
occasional house left intact. We can be thankful that more lives were not lost.
An eruption of the volcano that occurred several years ago claimed more than
2000 lives. This time the lava flows spared human lives but destroyed not only
everything in their path, but also became the trigger for several explosions.
The Marist Brothers College of Mwanga and the brothers’ community residence
were greatly affected. Except for eleven classrooms and two offices the loss was
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
6/12
complete.
Brother Richard Mutumwa, the Superior of the District, was out of the area
when the volcano erupted but cancelled his planned activities to rush back to
Goma. We asked him to guide those of us in the General Administration that we
could be present in ways that would offer relief. Richard asked that Brother
Théoneste Kalisa, a member of the General Council, be made available to assist
them in the task of planning relief efforts.
The General Administration discussed three proposals developed by the District
Council and finally agreed to be involved in helping our brothers raise funds
necessary to support one of those proposals, a tent school to be set up quickly to
help ensure that the students, at least 700 served by our Brothers, would have a
chance to complete their academic year.
But brothers, I write this evening to ask your assistance in funding the Tent
School Project that our brothers plan to set up. Three rationales support
establishing this project:
1. To provide the students enrolled in the diocesan-owned but Marist-
administered and staffed school with the possibility of finishing their current
scholastic year.
2. To bring some hope into the lives of the young people affected by this
natural disaster and, thus, witness to the mercy of God and act in keeping with
our charism.
3.
To assist the local Church by continuing to be an effective apostolic
presence in Goma during a period subsequent to the volcanic eruption.
I also agreed to work personally to organize help for the families of our brothers
affected directly by this natural disaster. Many were without a place to live. I
plan assistance from the General Administration coupled with efforts our
brothers themselves will make to assist the families.
A few additional facts that will help us understand the nature and scope of this
proposed program, which involves setting up a fully functioning school that
would be housed in tents. Such structures will allow us to get to work
immediately, and thus significantly limit the length of time students will be out
of school as a result of the eruption. The program will have some initial funding
from an Italian based agency, but we Marists will carry the bulk of the project’s
costs. I have listed below the cost of each aspect of the program as estimated by
the Council of our brothers in Congo. The total to be provided by Marists is
$170,400.
All funds for this program that have their source with the Marist Brothers will be
coordinated and administered through our International Solidarity Bureau (BIS)
under the direction of Brother Allen Sherry. As has been our practice in recent
years, all funds will be released in phases, providing ample time for reporting the
actual usage of the monies given.
So, brothers, I ask you to consider this request for financial assistance in a
prayerful way, and urge you to be as generous as you can. We are in solidarity
with our brothers in Congo in prayer already. Helping financially will be
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
7/12
another strong sign of our commitment to the spirit of solidarity that has grown
and flourished in our Institute in recent years.
Thank you for whatever help you may be able to provide toward the Tent School
Project. May the qualities we so cherish in Mary—courage in uncertain times, a
radical openness to God’s will, and an ability to bring Jesus to our world in plain
and simple ways—be evident in each of us. Blessings and affection Brother
Sean Sammon, FMS, Superior General
The letter is followed by a chart of projected expenses, showing that $170,400
must come from Marist sources; that amount is mainly for the tents, desks,
textbooks and other student needs.
P.S. We understand that contributions, clearly marked for Goma, may be sent to
Br. Hugh Turley at 4200 West 115th Street, Chicago IL 60655; 773-881-5343;
maristbr@aol.com
From BR. FRANCISCO CASTELLANOS ('51): I am Brother Francisco,
better known as "Franco" to most of the Brothers in the States. After 15 years
working in Japan, I taught at Marist High School in Chicago. Then I went to
Spain where I served in various ministries from community superior to school
secretary. Now I am at the General House in Rome, doing translation and
secretarial work for the Institute. I have been here for the last four years. I send
best wishes to all the persons who might remember me and also to all the
participants in this interesting newsletter project. (Piazza M. Champagnat, 2;
C.P. 10250; 00144, Rome, Italy;
fjcastellanos@hotmail.com
)
From JOE STRANG ('53): As I am receiving the newsletter by e-mail, perhaps
a few bucks can be saved by not sending me the paper copy. I am beginning my
fourth year at Heald College in Salinas, California. I teach four sections of
Communications, am chair of the General Education Department, and am about
to become a teacher mentor. One of my fondest memories of St. Joseph's
Novitiate is sitting with Leo Richard and watching the Master of Novices,
Brother Pius Victor, sit unflinchingly as a fly crawled across his face. Leo and I
could not stop laughing. We were both asked to leave the hall. My new e-mail
address is:
joe_strang@heald.edu
. (Box 857, Pacific Grove CA 93950; 831-375-
8672)
THE 8
th
ANNUAL MARIST FAMILY INSTITUTE OF SPIRITUALITY
will be held at Marist College in Poughkeepsie from Thursday evening to
Sunday after lunch, July 11
th
to 14
th
, 2002. The theme for this year's gathering
is:
Responding to the Will of God.
The cost for room and 9 meals is $350 for a double or $230 for a single. To
assure a place you must do the following before Tuesday June 11
th
, 2002:
1. Send a deposit of $100 by writing a check to Larry Keogh and sending it to:
LARRY KEOGH, 17125 W. 145
th
St., Lockport IL 60441, 815-838-1570,
ldkjmk@aol.com
.
2. Inform Larry if you will (a) Bring your own bed linens & towels, or (b) Need
to have linens supplied. There is no difference in price if you being your own
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
8/12
bed linen and towels. The advantage is that yours are much, much better!
3. Veterans suggest that you also bring hangers and soap.
For further information please contact: Pat or Gene Zirkel, Six Brancatelli, W.
Islip NY 11795; 631-669-0273;
genezirk@optonline.net
From JOHN SHEEHAN ('65): Good heavens, Dave/Joe, Judy/Martha!
Doesn't anyone in your family keep the same name? It's like a Russian novel!
This is just a quick note to give you my new address. This is not for the
newsletter (Ed: Permission sought and granted). However I have a memory or
two myself! I remember back in the mid-80s when I was struggling to learn
DOS and such that I learned about Bulletin Boards. Complicated things they
were, full of codes to be kept straight and it occurred to me that it might be an
idea for the monks to pursue - as a way of keeping everyone in touch. I know I
spoke to someone at Marist about it (it was long before email!). I tried and
failed to set up a test BB (the only hit on it was my own, and I got tired of
answering my own queries). When AOL invented the chat room, I tried again.
In the hours that I sat around waiting for a monk or an alumnus to stumble onto
the room, I only had one person "come in", and that was a man who had been a
student of the monks in Chicago. He started asking me about different teachers
he had had, but - hey, I was in the other province - I recognized a few of the
names and remembered one or two faces, but I was of little or no help.
However, there we were, in an AOL chat room, two faceless strangers who share
a small part of their formative years, two products of a common heritage, two
total strangers who had something to "chat" about for more than an hour. Do I
remember his name or who the brothers were that we spoke of? Of course not.
That information resides in my brain next to "ten swell things you can do now
that you understand the co-secant!"
Where was I? Oh, yes. So, I had invented all by myself the idea of the Marist
Chat Room. I wish you could have seen it - I decorated the room with chintz
and ball fringe. I realized that I had a nice idea but no way of promoting it. So,
I abandoned it (actually I leased it out to a group trying to revive disco, so I got
my investment back). Then you, David (or whatever your name is!), sent me
Issue #1 of the hand-typed, 12 point-pica, ugliest-typeface-in-the-world of
Marists All. I remember saying to myself, "This is great, but the guy has GOT
to get a better typewriter!" And what slayed me was that it never did change,
except for once when you were on vacation or something and someone else
typed it on a different machine. So, here we are at Issue …, 67 is it already? We
are online, no stamps, no going to the mailbox in the rain, no having to go find a
pen in the junk drawer to sign the letter. You have invented a nearly perfect
communications device of which you and Gus and all the others can be so justly
proud. Of course, I still have written only one real letter to Marists All. Like so
many of us, I just can't come up with something to say.
Perhaps next time I'll tell you about the funny things that Gus said while driving
the bus to Camp Marist, or about how Pat Collins could do a perfect imitation of
John Berchmans, or the day when Fred Greifenstein chased the Mole around the
ball fields of Esopus for an hour. I might get inspired to remember the time I
stole a cigarette off Berky's desk (I promise I'll quit next week, honest!), or the
expression on Bob Joyce's face when I struck him out in a baseball game (we
both knew I couldn't pitch). Then I might remember the time at the
Scholasticate when Brother Hugh threw us our first cocktail party (I promise I'll
quit next week, honest!). Maybe I'll even tell the lurid tale of Sean Sammon's
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
9/12
patented method for removing stubborn peanut butter off utensils because the
scullery dishwasher hated peanut butter. Okay, I'll give you a hint: "Irish setters
have long tongues." Who knows what I might actually remember when I sit at
the old keyboard and write more than just a quick thirty-second email to tell you
that yes, in fact, I have changed my address, phone number and my email
address, so here they are. (Actually, it is a new keyboard as the cat peed on the
old one).
So, when you have to lament the fact that so few are writing to your fine
publication, it's because it is so difficult to find the time. I barely have time to
let people know that I have a new address. But the real reason I haven't written -
this is SO personal, I hope you won't tell - is because Gus himself was my
writing teacher in Esopus, and I don't want him to know that I could never
remember when to start a new paragraph. (Ed: the original was a run-on article
with no paragraphing; we just had to touch it up!) Anyhow, here is the
information you asked for. It has a hidden character embedded in it, known only
to me, so if my name and address show up in a mass mailing about replacing my
old worn-out windows with new, vinyl-clad windows that are easy to clean, I'll
know that you gave them my information, David. And if that happens, I'll send
a virus to your old typewriter and stop you dead in your tracks. Now, if I can
just remember where I left my meds. (5A East Lake Road, New Fairfield CT
06812; 203-312-0177;
bigjohn393@earthlink.net
)
A STORY that touches CCHS Lawrence
by David Kammer
A prominent and very active resident of our retirement community of over 600
homes here in Florida died recently at age 75. He had been president of the
homeowners association, founder and president of the veterans' organization
here, and later its chaplain. Apparently he related well with the local parish and
pastor of Sacred Heart. I recognized him but did not know him or know about
him. His obituary revealed that he had gone off as an eighteen-year-old to the
Battle of the Bulge, winning a Purple Heart. Then, it said, he became a
Maryknoller, serving in Tanzania for twelve years and several more years in
Somalia. He volunteered as a chaplain in the Vietnam affair where he won
another Purple Heart. And for a time he was a chaplain at West Point. He left
the active ministry, married, adopted his wife's three children, then 9, 11, and
13. He lived and worked in Georgia in civil and human services. In retirement
here in Florida it seems that this whole story was known to some people but not
to Judy and me, nor to many others. But on an easel with family photos
prominently displayed at the funeral were two large photos, one of a man in
clergy suit with Roman collar and another of an Army officer in uniform. At the
Memorial Mass a Maryknoll classmate said that at an unusual level Jim
embodied the motto: "For God and Country." It turns out that Jim was from
Lawrence, Massachusetts, attended CCHS with the Marist Brothers for two
years, went to work when his father died, finished his diploma at Lawrence
High, and went off to war in 1944! I found out about this latter part of the story
by talking with his sister at a reception after the memorial Mass. Wish I had
known him. We would have had much to talk about. His full name: Jim
Bradley.
DECEASED Brother Roy Mooney ('52) died Wednesday, April 3rd, at 2:30
a.m. after having been moved to hospice care just the evening before. For some
time Roy had been suffering from a cancer which eventually spread; a brain
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
10/12
tumor developed. In early 1999 Roy returned from Italy where he had been
leading renewal sessions at Manziana for six years. Earlier he had been
provincial of the Poughkeepsie province. On returning from Italy Roy worked
in guidance at Roselle Catholic in New Jersey at first, but it was not long before
he experienced symptoms of his sickness. Brother Don Neary, provincial, in a
notice to the Brothers of the provinces acknowledged the wonderful brotherly
love shown to Roy by his community. "To Vincent Damian, Raoul Molnar and
Owen Ormsby -- over these past two months you have truly lived the words of
Saint Marcellin in his spiritual testament: 'May it be said of the Little Brothers of
Mary as of the first Christians: See how they love one another.' On behalf of all
of the Brothers, thank you for your love, care, and concern for Roy and for
modeling Jesus' love for us."
From DOM CAVALLARO ('51): On the Occasion of Roy's Passing
Recently, Andy Rooney of CBS's "60 Minutes" program, noted all the
euphemisms we use for death, and as usual he got a chuckle from a few people,
but his point is well made. When I attended Marist College, Dr. Schroeder, our
English prof at the time, didn't know how to deal with the death of one of the
monks. He noted the upbeat character of the brothers after the burial service and
found it difficult to reconcile his understanding of such situations. He
announced that observation in class and told us that his solution in such
situations lay in the fact that the sorrow needed an outlet. He found that in our
apparent cheerfulness. When I received the notice of Roy's death, I began to
remember fondly the many times Roy made us laugh at the seriousness of
'religious life.' Yesterday's gospel, the first Sunday following Easter, was even
more meaningful and brought another smile to my face as I thought of Roy.
Christ appearing to his disciples, noting their disbelief, announced to them in
person, the joy of the Resurrection and the fulfillment of their 'faith.' Naturally,
we linger and reminisce. Our hearts travel inexplicably to our throats, and our
eyes fill. Yet our joy for our brother is unbounded as he joins his family in
glory! Call it what you will, but let us rejoice. (171 Winchester Road, Northfield
MA 01360; 413-498-2129; foetoe@attbi.com)
From DICK BRANIGAN ('50): Your Marist Heritage website is a tribute to all
those before us who built and razed and built again. We owe a ton to those who
gave so much. Thanks for this great look into our past. It is an archival
triumph.
I was Br. Stephen Aloysius ('50) when Brother Nilus was pouring concrete
pillars for the new chapel on the Poughkeepsie grounds. Larry Haggerty (Br.
Brendan Lawrence) and I thought it would be a slick trick to climb up to the top
of one of those pillars that were being filled with wet cement and drop a
miraculous medal into the soup. We did, and a few years ago during our class
reunion in Poughkeepsie I revisited that pillar and did a lot of reminiscing.
Also in those earlier days John Callahan (he has since passed) and I poured an
exceedingly unlevel basement floor in the gate house. Why we were let loose on
that project I'll never know. I'm sure someone more professional has redone that
job. Those years at Marist College sing to me every time I start to feel
undervalued or unsure. Wouldn't trade 'em. (1814 Fairview Street., Oskosh WI
54901-2404; 920-233-2954;
branigan@uwosk.edu
)
From VINCENT POISELLA ('57): RESPONSE TO THE MARIST
EXPERIENCE
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
11/12
Those who have left canonical status within the Marist community have
responded to the Marist Experience in different ways. The contributors to
Marists All seem to ponder those years of formation with a spirit of camaraderie
and fraternity. The predominant image of those early days is positive:
relationships were formed, experiences were shared. In retrospect the memory is
idyllic; good times become the best of times. The negatives become minimized.
The connection with the Marist Family becomes a cause for pride. Indeed, the
values, the spiritual growth, and the social awareness developed in maturity are
traced back to the years in Marist formation.
Yet there are others who look back and shudder. The negatives take on a life of
their own. A bad experience, especially on departure, is exaggerated. The very
human errors made by the Marist decision-makers in those years are the wounds
that are later revealed as emotional scars not allowed to heal. Those who
suffered in those formative years, who left under dire circumstances, remember
those days in sadness, if not in anger. For them there is a hesitancy to become
reconnected to anyone that might stir up the memories. These responses have in
common a distortion that grows so far from the actuality of events. Forgiveness
comes hard when the images have grown so grotesquely.
Those negative images, however, if centered in a positive frame of reference, are
cured by time and prime the resurgence of interest in the Marist Family Picnic,
the Marists All newsletter, the Marist Family Institute of Spirituality,
involvement in the canonization of Champagnat, and the growth of Marist
College.
I contend that the cure for the sadness or anger is not unlike the process that has
enlivened those who have felt so positively over the years. Involvement
engenders once again a pride and sense of belonging. And so, those of us who
fondly remember the past humbly ask the others to join together with the Marist
Family today. Reality will resurface and chase away the ogres from the past that
haunt the present. (24 Brooklyn Mt. Road, Hopatcong NJ 07843; 973-398-5477;
vtpoisella@yahoo.com)
Marist Heritage Project Brian Desilets is asking for someone to help dig into
the Esopus archives for biographical information regarding the Brothers buried
in the Poughkeepsie cemetery. The Marist College archivist, John Ansley, has
stated that he could hire a Brother or two for a couple of weeks or so to archive
this information. They would learn a lot about making web pages. Contact
Brian at: 845-297-7499 or bdesilets2@aol.com.
EDITORS' NOTE:
About a year ago when we last reported on finances we had a balance of $1443.
Six issues later, after the expenses of this issue there will be a balance of $693.
That is enough for three more issues, each costing an average of $220. While
publishing the last five issues our income has been a total of $50!
Please help to support our effort to maintain close Marist ties. Share your
thoughts and your stories. Write to:
6/22/2021
Newsletter # 67
https://academic2.marist.edu/foy/maristsall/newsletters/newsletter67.html
12/12
Gus Nolan, 50 South Randolph Avenue, Poughkeepsie NY 12601;
gusnolan@aol.com
Vincent Poisella, 24 Brooklyn Mt. Road, Hopatcong NJ 07843;
vtpoisella@yahoo.com
David Kammer, 476 LaPlaya, Edgewater FL 32141;
kammer@mpinet.net
in Maine after May 30
kammer@tds.net