December 2006

District Offices will be closed

The offices of the Midwest District will be closed on December 25th and 26th for Christmas and on January 1st for New Year’s Day. Also in January, the offices will be closed for Martin Luther King Day on January 15th.

District Office will close early on December 11th

The District Offices in Burr Ridge will close at 1:00pm on Monday, December 11th to allow the entire staff to attend the annual holiday lunch.

Two Councils will meet in January

The Mission and Ministry Council will meet on January 25th and the District Council will meet on January 26th. Both meetings will be at the Burr Ridge office. The joint council dinner/meeting will be on the evening between the two scheduled meetings.

Five Brothers will be beatified

On November 14th the Commission of the Congregation of the Causes of the Saints examined the cause of five Brothers martyred in Lorca, diocese of Cartagena. The examination was positive for Brothers Ovidio Bertran, Hermenegildo Lorenzo, Luciano Paolo, Estanislao Victor and Lorenzo Santiago. Now only the proclamation of the decree of the martyrdom is needed. The ceremony of beatification including more than 500 martyrs will be held in 2007, although no date has yet been announced.

Advent booklets have been mailed

The Advent booklet, “Season of Hope” by Maureen Kelly has already been mailed to everyone. It is a collection of Scripture reflections and prayers for each day of the Advent season. Anyone who did not receive a copy may request one from Charlene.

Brother James Miller Day materials available

Those ministries that plan to mark the 25th Anniversary of the death of Brother James Miller might be interested in some of the materials available to mark the February 13, 2007 memorial. The district planning committee chaired by Brother Robert Smith has delivered posters and prayer cards to the Burr Ridge office. The posters and the cards use the icon image of him that appears on the Midwest District web page under “In the News” for November 2006. The posters are 17” by 26 ½” and the cards are 4” by 5 ¼”. The cards can be used for Board members, student retreats, social justice committee members, and any Lasallian groups to raise awareness about Brother James Miller and to remember his life and works. Those who would like to order copies may contact Charlene Hermann for copies.

Brother Nicolas Capelle published a Lasallian book

Brother Nicolas Capelle, Visitor of the Region of France, has published Je Veux Aller dans ton École, (I Want to go to Your School). Subtitled “Lasallian Pedagogy in the 21st Century,” the book was translated to English by Brother Jerzy Geppert and has a preface by Rigoberto Menchú, winner of the 1992 Nobel Prize for Peace. The text is available from Editions Salvator, Paris, 2006, ISBN: 2-7067-0463-2, email: for those interested.

National Vocation Awareness Week is in January

The Church in the U.S. will mark National Vocation Awareness Week from January 8 to 12, 2007. It begins with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Monday. Catholics are invited to renew their baptismal commitment and to pray for the strengthening of all vocations.

Brother Henry will reorganize the library

Brother Henry Baldwin has offered to reorganize the library at the District Office. Recently, new bookshelves were installed to prepare for the changes. This will be a much anticipated improvement for the available resources. Thank you, Brother Henry.

Brother Leo sent a thank you

Brother Leo Gilskey wishes to express his thanks for the many folks that sent him cards and notes of congratulations for his 90th birthday.

Directory Changes

  • Brother Dominic Ehrmantraut email: (page 27)
  • Christian Brothers High School: school phone (901)261-4900; school fax (901)261-4909; Brothers' community phone (901) 261-4970. (page 13)
  • Karen Powers, Medical Coordinator: phone/ fax are the same: (651) 690-5768.
  • Brother Patrick O’Brien - email: (page 48)
  • Brother Kevin Convey – District Office phone (630) 323-3725, ext. 224.
  • Thomas More Community, Winona – no longer exists (page 15)
  • Provincialate Community – add Brother Stephen Markham (page 14)
  • La Salle Community – add Brother Roderick Robertson (page 15)
  • Ross Nodurft – Harvey House phone – (708) 386-9634 (page 48)
  • Kathy Donohue – Harvey House phone – (708) 386-9634 (page 26)

Health Updates

  • Sister Ruth Schaff, OP, Co-Director of the Casa Benedicta Community at San Juan Diego Middle School had hip replacement surgery on November 14th.
  • Brother Edwin Dupré had surgery for a hip replacement on November 30th and is spending some time at a rehab center.
  • Brother John Johnston has begun the long process of preparation for chemotherapy. He is optimistic even with the normal fatigue at this stage. In mid-December Brother Alvaro, Superior General, and Brother Miguel Campos will visit him.
  • Brother Bernard Zacheis has been visiting an orthopedic surgeon for back and hip deterioration and pain.
  • Brother Richard Brady is back at his De La Salle Chicago community after a two week hospital stay for pneumonia. He fell after completing his duty as officer at a polling station on Election Day.
  • Our Brothers in nursing homes receive few visitors and sometimes mention a lonely and routine day. Christmas is a good time to visit them.

Rest in Peace

  • Brother James Saiz de la Mora, 75, died on November 21st in Roseville, MN. The son of Ceferino Saiz de la Mora and Angela Perez, he was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1931. He received the habit in Cuba, made his first vows in Mexico City in 1950 and his final profession in Havana in 1957. He obtained an MA degree in 1967 from Saint Mary’s College in Winona and a Doctorate in Education in 1960 from the University of Havana. He taught in Cuba until the Brothers were forced to leave in 1961. Since then, he taught in Columbia, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico. From 1966 until 1997 he taught in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota, most recently at Cretin-Derham Hall from 1970 to 1982. He was a Pastoral Associate at two parishes in New York before his retirement in 1997. Survivors include two brothers and one sister, all of Miami, FL. Mass of Christian Burial was on November 27th at the Cretin-Derham Hall Chapel. Interment will be at a later date following cremation.
  • Sister Sharon McEnery, CSA, 76, sister of the late Brother Daniel McEnery and the former Brother Baldwin McEnery, died on Saturday, November 11th in Fond du Lac, WI. A Sister of St. Agnes for fifty-six years, she had been diagnosed with late stage multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. The Mass of Christian Burial was on November 15th with burial in Fond du Lac.
  • Bernice H. Peterson, 85, of St. Paul, MN, died on September 26, 2006. She was preceded in death by her husband James and her son Brother Leonard James Peterson. She was a loyal friend of the Brothers and faithfully cleaned the Brothers’ graves every Memorial Day. She is survived by her daughter Janet Peterson of White Bear Lake. Mass of Christian Burial was on September 29th at Holy Spirit Church with interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
  • Edward C. Slingerland, 67, of Lombard, IL, died suddenly on November 14th. He was a former Assistant Principal at Montini Catholic H.S. in the 1980s. Survivors include one brother and one sister. Mass of Christian Burial was on November 17th at Christ the King Church.
  • George A. McManaman, 70, brother of Brother Raymond, died in Waukegan, IL, on November 24th. Survivors include his wife Mary Frances, two daughters and two other brothers. Mass of Christian Burial was on November 30th at Queen of Peace Church in North Chicago with interment at Ascension Cemetery.
  • Ann Grover Dockter, 86, mother of Brother John Grover, died on November 23rd in Fargo, ND. Survivors include three other sons, one sister, one brother and several step-children. Her funeral was at St. Mary’s Cathedral on November 28th with interment at Sunset Memorial Gardens.

Congratulations to

  • Brother Robert Thomas, who received an award for excellence in Science Teaching from the University of Minnesota, College of Biological Sciences. The award recognized his “teaching, mentoring, skill and dedication, which have had a positive impact on his students.” His first year at De La Salle was 1968.
  • Brother Alan Parham, who was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi during a ceremony at Avila University on November 12th.
  • Brother Michael Kadow, who departed for Germany on November 10th on his way to Rome for the CIL program for mid-year Brothers.
  • Brother Louis DeThomasis, who will receive an honorary doctorate degree during the December 16th graduate student commencement ceremony at Lewis University.
  • Carmen Maria Cervantes, Director of Instituto Fe y Vida, who received the Archbishop Patrick F. Flores Award from the U.S. Bishops Conference at its mid-November meeting for her role in the development, publication and distribution of La Biblia Catolica Para Jovenes.

Birthdays

January

3Stephen Markham

Leonard Stoffel

7Jeffrey Gros

10Mark Gubbels

14Raphael Mascari

15Alan Parham

19Andrew Jacobson

20Justin Lucian

21Leon Leba

Michael Schain

26Kevin Fitzgerald

29Cyril Pahl

Robert Staub

February

1Regis Morgan

11Thomas Harding

14Thomas Houde

15Arnold McMullen

Stephen Rusyn

17Patrick Conway

Norman Wray

19Edward Salgado

20Edmund Siderewicz

23Cathie Swanson

24Edward Mason

Damian Steger

25Nicholas Geimer

Lawrence Humphrey

28Roderick Robertson

March

3Bob Dressel

4Michael Lee Anderson

Finbar McMullen

5Bernard Brungardt

9Michael Quirk

12Charles Burke

Heather Melgosa

13Pat Bader

14Patrick O’Brien

17Christopher Buck

18Michael Schmelzer

20John Blease

Peter Hannon

Matthew Joram

21Richard Geimer

Owen Meegan

Robert Veselsky

Joel Kreitzberg

22Michael Flaherty

23Jose Ugarte Lizarazo

26Basil Rothweiler

28Robert Werle

31Thomas Hetland

Death Anniversaries

Please keep the following Brothers in your prayers:

January

1JOHN MARK (Ambrose Conway), 1977

WILLIAM RHODY, 2004

3Hilary Francis (Basil DeRoche), 1958

Ireneus Richard (Francis Beck), 1968

Justin Pascal (Edward Seifert), 1991

BENEDICT LIDINSKY, 2004

4Isfrid ANSELM (Elmer KLEINKNECHT), 1976

8Adrian Philip (James O’BRIEN) 2001

9Joannis Gabriel (Charles Quinlan), 1952

10NARCISSE JOHN (Adrien Meynadier), 1984

11Henry Stephen (Joseph Glockle), 1968

12Jeremiah ARTHUR (John HIGGINS), 1973

Cyril Columban (Cyril Conroy), 1993

14Ignatius LEO (William O’DONNELL), 1994

17JUDE HEGGY (William Howard), 2003

JOSIAH LEANDER NOONE (Thomas Joseph) , 2005

18LOUIS De La Salle (Ambrose SEILER), 1972

Feast of Brother Jaime Hilario Barbal

19Thomas Clark, 1995

19GEORGE PAHL (Francis K.), 2003

22CORNELIUS LUKE (John Pryor), 1990

23CAESARIUS of Mary (Daniel O’BRIEN), 1982

24Ignatius RAYMOND (Vincent MOHRMAN), 1987

25Hermes ALBERT (Harold RILEY), 1985

26Kiaran DANIEL MCMULLAN (Edward James), 2003

28James ATHANASIUS (Edward TOOLIS), 1985

JAMES (Robert William) ABELL, 2002

29Joseph Antoninus (Joseph Windle), 1961

30Feast of St. Mutien Marie Wiaux

February

1Lawrence David (Francis Bickett), 1955

Jerome Anthony (Edwin Devitt), 1972

2Romuald Hosea (Joseph Meyer), Visitor General, 1955

MARK LAMONT, 2004

3Hilary Eugene (Joseph Prenovost), 1960

4Ildefonsus Paulian (Gerard Flynn), 1951

6Jovian Patrick (James McHugh), 1963

JOSEPH Walter (Douglas Vincent), 1991

James Albert (Elbert Oelkers), 1993

9Feast of St. Miguel Febres Cordero

11Liguori James (Harold LaMarche), 1962

12Denis of Jesus (Alphonsus De Schepper), Vicar General, 1971

Herbert PATRICK (Henry SAVAGE), 1973

13Leo William (JAMES MILLER), 1982

14Terence Neil (John McGlennon), 1993

15Joakim Sylvester (John O’Connell), 1963

Lewis Philip (Louis Reif), 1968

(more)

16Jarlath De La Salle (Michael Marron), 1979

17J. Ambrose GROBLE (GEORGE Felix) 1999

19Jude Vivian (John Kovac), 1965

21Lawrence Walter (Leo Ging), 1959

22Benignus LEWIS (Paul HOLMES), 1972

Ildephonsus THEODORE (Marcellus VOELKER), 1974

23Leonidas FELIX (Lester BUTZMAN), 1975

Leonorian RAYMOND (Clifford PLAISANCE), 1985

26PAUL OSTENDORF, 2001

March

2JOSEPH JOYCE (Joseph Eustace), 1998

3Leopold Julian (James Dodd), 1974

6Galo Ladislao (Sixto Ordonez), 1971

8Lawrence Sixtus (Joseph Dalton), 1953

9Junius Paul (William Sweeney), 1961

11K. Bernardine (ALBIN KUZMINSKI), 2001

12JAMES Lewis (William O’NEILL), 1989

13EMUND WHALEY (Daniel Gregory), 2003

15Honore Julien (Ernest Bruel), 1951

KEVIN Alexis (Vincent MARLEY), 1980

16Harold Gerald (THOMAS MURRAY), 1990

17Lorian Sixtus (WILLIAM GIBSON), 1988

THOMAS SMITH, 2000

20LAWRENCE Edward (Bernard Austin) O’MALLEY, 1998

22Justus Mark (James Ryan), 1950

27LEO Fabius (Francois Xavier FORGETTE), 1997

30Henry Ernest (Donald Archambeault), 1963

31Eliphus Victor (Myles Sullivan), Assistant to Superior General, 1962

Please refer to In Your Charity Pray for Your Brothers (edited by Brother Hilary Gilmartin in 1990) for more complete information on the Brothers listed and for complete listings of Brothers of the Midwest District who died prior to 1950.

Christian Brothers Midwest District Newsletter

Health Tips, December 2006

OH RATS (and mice and hamsters)!!

We need to thank the laboratory rodents that help the USDA Agricultural Research Service find new nutrition benefits. Read on…

Rats who ate the equivalent of one cup of blueberries a day or the equivalent of one pint of strawberries per day experienced better brain function. This was measured by the rats’ ability to find or remember certain features in their environment. For humans, this research would indicate that the addition of strawberries and blueberries may help slow the decline in learning and memory that often accompanies aging. So, choose your fruits wisely!!

Mice who received a compound extracted from blackberries experienced a reduction in the number and size of skin tumors. Additionally, mice with decreased immunity experienced a reduction in the growth of lung tumors and the spread of cancer to other organs. This compound has been identified as cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G). It seems to interfere with genes that are associated with cancer-promoting agents. Sounds promising!!

Hamsters were busy for 6 months eating ground walnuts in their feed. They each had the equivalent of 3-8 handfuls of walnuts daily. Researchers found the hamsters had lower levels of endothelin in their arteries. Endothelin is a protein that helps regulate blood pressure but it also causes inflammation and plaque deposits in the blood vessels. This process contributes to heart disease, which we obviously try to avoid. So, enjoy your walnuts… preferably alone and not in the middle of a chocolate chip cookie!!

Pat Bader APRN, BC

Reference: USDA Agricultural Research Service

Saint Mary’s Press Lasallian Education Fund

Christian Brothers of the Midwest District

Funding Criteria

Grants will be awarded to organizations or individuals needing financial assistance in advancing human and Christian education, especially for the economically poor and socially marginalized, in the Lasallian tradition.

In selecting projects for funding, the Committee will include in its deliberations whether the request

  1. reflects the purpose of the fund, (note: Lasallian Education Fund grants will not be awarded for the purchase of equipment, or for construction, or for other capital expenditures),
  2. demonstrates a human and Christian Lasallian educational focus having specific goals and objectives,
  3. shows evidence of need for financial support,
  4. contains an itemized budget of expenditures,
  5. includes the time frame for initiation and duration for the expenditure of the grant,
  6. has a clear and objective method for evaluating the effectiveness of the project,
  7. contains a statement of endorsement from the agency (diocese, religious order, other organization) sponsoring the ministry,
  8. specifies a method of transferring money from the Lasallian Education Fund to the organization requesting the funds.

Each of these eight points should be clearly addressed in the application which is not to exceed five pages.

Preferences will be given to projects that focus on religious education and advance catechetics and evangelization of Catholic youth and to requests from Saint Mary’s Press of Minnesota that meet the criteria and are for projects beyond the scope of normal development and operating expenses of the Press.

All proposals and support materials must be received at Christian Brothers Provincialate by January 31, 2007 for grants to be awarded in March 2007.

Proposals should be sent to

SMP Lasallian Education Fund

Christian Brothers Provincialate

7650 South County Line Road

Burr Ridge, IL 60527-4718