TexLaMex, November 2006, Page 6     Flat Stanley goes to Rome!!

 

Father John Korcsmar flew up to Manchester, NH to visit the Sisters of Holy Cross in that region.  They have a number of apostolic efforts that need to be highlighted in the pastoral plan for the Summit on Holy Cross Hispanic Ministry in March 2007.

Sister Carole Descoteaux, CSC is the regional superior and showed John around.  On the first day, he met with Carol and Brother Paul Crawford, OFM. Cap., who works at Catholic Charities.  He learned some of the history of the place, as well as some of the different needs and programs.
Sr. Carol and Bro. Paul closely examine the recent issue of TexLaMex.  They are anxious for it all over the world!!!!
   
John and Carol on the top floor of the building where Bro. Paul offices.  The building used to be a very nice hotel.  It was JFK's headquarters when he ran in the New Hampshire primary.

You can see the buildings which had been the mills--the world's largest at one time.
   
John gave a talk on the history of Hispanic ministry in Holy Cross to the Sisters at the Holy Cross Health Center.  The sisters who were able to come came to the chapel.  The others watched in their rooms on the in-house television.

The Sisters were very happy that a Holy Cross priest visited them.  One of the elderly sisters (99 years old) told John: "We are Holy Cross.  That means you belong to us, and we belong to you!!!"
   
Sister Pauline L. LeBell, CSC in the hospital where she works at the information desk.  Sister took a couple of weeks off, and it took them a while to get back to normal when she returned.  She is an important part of the hospital!!  It doesn't run smoothly, and people do not get to where they need to get to when she is not there.
   
Normally we have not mentioned much about food in these pages for a loooong time.  However, John and Carol shared a very interesting dinner at Gaucho's a Brazilian restaurant.  It is an all-you-want-to-eat place, where the waiters keep bringing more meat.  It was always on a skewer, and they cut off as much as you wanted.  You had a little coasted, red on one side ("No more meat for now" and green ("Bring me more meat!!!) on the other.
   
Among the seafood and meats that John and Carol had:

chicken sausage, filet mignon, flank steak, pork loin, prime rib, lamb, salmon, short beef ribs, pork ribs, chicken.

They did NOT have any chicken hearts.
   
On Wednesday morning, Sr. Carol and Fr. John visited people at Saint Augstin Parish.  From left to right, Sr. Luz Cervantes, MSC, Shirley Brien (a Holy Cross Associate), Carmen from the parish, Fr. Grudak, OFM Cap, the pastor, and John.
   
Sister Betty, CSC, the principal of St. Benedict's Academy, a regional primary Catholic school.
   
Sr. Francis who works at the Beech Street Community Center, an elementary public school with students from many, many nations.  They have over 60 languages and dialects in the school
   
Brendon McCafferty is a very energetic and energizing assistant principal in the school.
   
Now you're talking Father John's language!!!!
   
John talked with two Holy Cross Associates and two of the Sisters of Holy Cross about the Hispanic ministry Summit.

 

The trip to Manchester, NH was very interesting and very worthwhile.
 
First of all, the Sisters of Holy Cross have a very vibrant Holy Cross community with a variety of apostolic works there.  The Sisters were very happy to see a Holy Cross priest.  John felt very welcome and very much at home.
 
The Sisters had to close what had been their pride and joy, Notre Dame College.  The college played a very important role and was very visible in Manchester.
 
However, one could say that Divine Providence opened another door when this happened.  The Sisters are still very much involved in education.  One Sister, Sr. Betty Ray, is the principal of a regional Catholic elementary school that serves a number of parishes.  Sr. Frances Lesard and Sr. Carol work in a multi-ethnic school with many poor refugees and immigrants.  Sr. Francoise Demers works as Director of Academic Advising at Hesser College, a proprietary two-year college that serves many poor students and gives them a start at higher education.  Sr. Francis is so well known that her name is in big letters on her door, and her title is in very small letters--they know HER!!  She also was not afraid to go looking for one of the students who was not showing up for class.  She marched into the dorm, knocked on the door, and woke up the poor student who was asleep under his covers!!!  The Sisters work hard at making education possible for many poor people.  Fr. Moreau is surely proud of their efforts of taking care of the pupils who have the least advantages.
 
Sr. Maria Luz Cervantes, MSC and Shirley Brien work in a very poor parish where the Capuchins are at.  They are very active and very collaborative in a very poor, but welcoming community.
 
At the Holy Cross Health Center (where the infirm and retired sisters live), the Sisters make a concerted effort to hire minority women who can be licensed nurses aides, with the hope that they can go on for more education.
 
Sr. Pauline L. LeBel is probably the best known person at the Catholic Medical Center.  She works in the information booth and spends her days explaining to people where they need to go for various procedures.  She also does a lot of translating for the Spanish-speaking.

The Sisters of Holy Cross also have people working in Florida.  Their work might not be thought of as Hispanic ministry, but Sr. Pam Nolan works in immigrant concerns and housing for immigrants, and Sr. Claire LeBeouf works in a center for homeless women, most of whom are immigrants.

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