Franciscan Outreach Association 

1645 W. LeMoyne Street, Chicago, IL 60622

Telephone (773)278-6724

 

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What's New Archives for 

August 6 to October 8, 2001

October 8, 2001 - The Brother in Brother Herb

        The following tribute to Brother Herb Rempe, OFM, our past Executive Director, is by Fr. Bill Spencer, OFM, the Pastor of St. Peter's Church in the Loop.  We're delighted to see such a wonderful tribute to a man we all love dearly. Its also a wonderful description of what it means to be a "brother" in the broad sense of the word. It captures that hard-to-define quality that characterizes Franciscan Outreach's programs that serve the poor and homeless. Here, with the permission of Fr. Bill, is the tribute that appeared in the St. Peter's Church bulletin:

       Brother Herb's current ministry is Director of the Friar's Legion (at St. Peter's Church in the Loop). His previous service to the Church has included stints as a bricklayer and maintenance engineer, Dean of Students at Our Lady of the Angels Franciscan Seminary, Residence Director and staff member at Quincy University as well as Director of Franciscan Outreach Association. 

       What most friars will remember most about Brother Herb's ministries, however, is the fifteen years he spent as Treasurer of the Sacred Heart Province. All of that says at least some of what he has done with his years as a Franciscan. 

       His title best identifies who he has been through those years. Br. Herb has, first and foremost, been a brother to us and to all he's met. His wonderful blend of fiscal expertise and fraternal sense not only got the Province in good financial condition, but also made it a pleasure "to do business" with him when he was the Provincial Treasurer. His laughter and loving service have made life a lot better for a lot us us in a lot of ways through the years. 

       Just as there's little doubt about which teams this Nebraska native will root for, there's never a doubt about where Br. Herb's heart lies. Whether its a public statement at a Provincial meeting or the quiet care he shows someone in need, its quite clear that the Gospel is always his priority and his brothers are usually his joy. 

       The friars of the Sacred Heart Province acknowledge the kind of brother we have in Br. Herb when we elected him to the Provincial Council for more terms than any other friar has served in the history of our Province. The recognition we offer Br. Herb today isn't quite so grand, but it is just as heartfelt. 

       September 28th is Br. Herb's birthday. Happy Birthday, Br. Herb. We're glad you're here!

       At Franciscan Outreach, we try to be a "brother" to the poor and homeless. Loving service, sound financial management, public statements, quiet care show where our heart lies. The Gospel is our priority and our poor and homeless brothers (and sisters!) are our joy! We hope that you can join with us in being a brother, sister, mother and father to the poor. 

October 1, 2001 ~ Visits with the nurse at the Marquard Center

On Wednesdays when we have a lot of our guests at the Marquard Center during the day for case management services, we also have a nurse present. The nurse comes to us through Chicago Health Outreach, a program of Heartland Alliance. Sometimes one nurse comes; other times there are two.

Since January, there have been at least 228 visits between a nurse and one of our guests. Some of the topics that our guests talk to the nurse about have been:

foot pain

back pain

asthma

eye injury referral

lump in breast

rash

flu

blood pressure check

diabetes

cold

arthritis

toothache

allergies

Hepatitis vaccine

shoulder injury

infection

lab results

sprained ankle

     Many of the visits involved a referral to another health care provider. Some involved simply the giving of information. Others involved a simple medical procedure such as checking blood pressure. Similar visits occur at the shelter every week between guests there and volunteers from RUSH Medical Center.  

     These visits are often the first step that our guests take in finding necessary medical care. Its just one more way we try to help our guests find whatever it takes to build a better life for themselves.      

Special Deal ... Just for  web donors! Send us your tax rebate and receive a free Franciscan Outreach polo shirt! To participate you must make a donation on-line in the amount of $300 or more. This offer good while supplies last or until November 1, 2001. For more info, e-mail Diana, or just click below to get to our donations page - be sure to include your mailing address and an email about the size shirt you'd like.

For the week of September 24, 2001 ~ Office volunteers needed!  Update - See our Volunteer in the Office page.

For the week of September 17, 2001 - Pray for peace and justice

     The events in New York and Washington last week have shocked and saddened all of us here at Franciscan Outreach. What is especially disturbing to some of us is the threat of the escalation of the violence. There is a saying in some circles that goes:

If you want peace, work for justice.

Others approach the issue from the other direction and say:

If you want justice, work for peace.

Perhaps both sayings hold a little bit of truth. It is challenging to find a way for both peace and justice to be achieved. Yet we cannot give up hope that God, who loves all his children, whether Christian, Muslim, or Jew, can help us find a way to have both peace and justice. 

     Many of the guests here at Franciscan Outreach are like those who have been through a war: witnesses to violence, orphaned in one way or another, without a place to call home, and afraid to struggle for a better life because of the trauma they have been through. Healing is a long, long process that takes all our efforts.

     Please, pray for a way for both peace and justice to be realized without the escalation of the current violence.  

For the week of September 10, 2001 - Mark your calendars for our 25th Anniversary Dinner!

Our 25th Anniversary Dinner will be held on 

Monday, October 29, 2001 

at the 

Union League Club in Chicago.

Cocktails will be at 6:00 p.m., Dinner at 7:00.

     We have two speakers this year:

Harry Porterfield, 

of Channel 7 News. 

Mr. Porterfield interviewed Fr. Phil Marquard 

for his "Someone you Should Know" program. 

Fr. John Doctor, OFM, 

the Provincial of the Sacred Heart 

Province of Franciscans. The Sacred Heart Province

 supported Franciscan Outreach from the beginning 

and continues to send friars and support.

     We have at least one door prize: 

two round trip tickets on 

Southwest Airlines.

 You must be present to win!

     As always, your donation for the price of the dinner ticket helps support our ministry here at Franciscan Outreach. 

Do you know anyone who would like to sponsor part of the cost of the dinner? Contact Diana for more info on sponsorships. 

     Invitations won't be in the mail for another month - so write it in your calendar today! 

For the week of September 3, 2001 - Help the homeless by surfing the net!

      Help spread the word about Franciscan Outreach!  We'd like to have lots of ways for people to find the Franciscan Outreach web page. Advertising and high priority listings on search engines are expensive, but links from other sites to us will help spread the word at no cost. 

     As you surf the net, watch for pages that allow other organizations to place a link on their site. The link would go from their site to our site. 

     Look for sites that are related to:

• homelessness 

• Franciscans 

• Catholics 

• social services 

• hunger 

• volunteering

• other topics that might draw viewers who are interested in FOA 

       AND that allow other organizations to place a link on their site.  

     If you find a site like this, email us with the site address. We'll then contact the site to ask if we can add our link to their page. 

     You'll be helping to

• raise awareness of homeless issues 

• make it easy for others to help the homeless

• find volunteers and donors who help make our good work possible 

     If you find any sites or have any questions, email Diana

For the week of August 27, 2001 - A printable "Prayer of St. Francis" card for you!

     The Prayer of St. Francis, also known as "A Simple Prayer" or the Peace Prayer, is loved by many persons throughout the world. You can choose from:

• a full color version, which might take a long time to load on some computers which might take a long time to load on some computers

• a text only version 

     If you have a printer attached to your computer, you can print it out for your personal use. The text of the prayer is not copyrighted, but the full color version is copyrighted by Franciscan Herald Press. 

     Although it was not actually written by St. Francis of Assisi, it certainly reflects his spirit. It also reflects the spirit of what we do here at Franciscan Outreach. We bring hope where there is despair, light where there is darkness, and joy where there is sadness. We console, understand, love, and give. We, along with all those who support our work, are instruments of God's peace in the lives of the homeless and poor of Chicago.

For the week of August 20, 2001 - Art Therapy sessions for the homeless to begin soon!

     We are pleased to announce the beginning of a pilot project in which Bro. Joe Manning, OFM, will be hosting Art Therapy sessions for guests at the Marquard Center on Wednesdays.  Bro Joe, a friar of the Sacred Heart Province, has a Master's Degree in Art Therapy and has worked with a variety of clients. 

     Art therapy can help our homeless guests by:

• building up self-esteem of our guests

• allowing them to express their feelings in a non-threatening situation 

• increasing social interaction between our guests and each other and our guests and staff

• overcoming the isolation many of our guests feel

• building confidence in their creative abilities 

• recognizing their individuality and creativity

• accentuating their dignity as thinking, feeling, members of our community

• encouraging them to open up to us and be more willing to engage in case management services

     We have no funding set aside for these classes, but are hoping that someone might be able to underwrite their small cost. As a friar, Bro. Joe isn't charging much, but he does need to cover some of his expenses. If you can help us finance this new way of reaching out to our guests, email Diana or call her for more details.

   We have received some of the art supplies we need from members of our staff (crayons, markers, colored pencils), but we are still in need of the following: Update as of January 18 - We have everything we need. Thanks!

tempera paints

watercolor paints

finger paints

scissors

glue

tape

paper (construction, watercolor, finger-painting, 

card stock, sketch pads, tissue paper)

clay (self hardening)

plasticine

modeling tools

stickers

feathers

pipe cleaners

sparkles/sequins

pastels (oil and chalk)

pencil crayons

black markers (fine, thick)

erasers

paperware (cups, plates, bowls)

recycled household products (margarine containers, 

jam jars, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, etc.)

If you have any of these email Carin (include your phone number) or call her to donate them.

For the week of August 13, 2001 ~ "Are you associated with the Franciscans in...?"

    There is an old joke that goes something like this: "There are two things that God doesn't know: What a Jesuit will be thinking next and how many different groups of Franciscans there are." 

     The truth is, there are a lot of Franciscans in the world. All of them have their roots in the three orders started by St. Francis of Assisi in the late 1200's. 

     Here's how Franciscan Outreach fits into the family tree. We were started by Fr. Phil Marquard, OFM, who was a friar in the Sacred Heart Province of the Order of Friars Minor. This Province is one of several in the United States and is based in St. Louis. The friars who are associated with us now are also part of this Province. These friars are: 

       Fr. Larry Janezic, OFM, Executive Director   

       Bro. Leon Beranek, OFM, Business Manager

       Fr. Paul Gallagher, OFM, Director of Volunteers 

       Bro. Herb Rempe, OFM, member of the Board of Directors

       Fr. Jim Hoffman, OFM, member of the Marquard Society  

     Although we have a close connection with the Province, we are a separate corporation. All donations you make to us go only to our ministry here at the outreach. 

     The Sacred Heart Province, in fact, supports our ministry by allowing the friars to work for much less than their positions would normally pay and by sending us regular cash donations. St. Peter's Church, in downtown Chicago, also sends us regular donations from its poor box. 

     Friars from throughout the Province support us in many ways, such as volunteering with us, bringing school groups to volunteer, taking up collections for us, and simply praying for us. You can read more about the Province on its website at www.thefriars.org. 

     The "OFM" after the names of the friars stands for "Order of Friars Minor," which is the first order that St. Francis of Assisi started. There are several branches of the First Order, including 

Capuchins ("OFM Cap."), Conventuals ("OFM Conv."), and regular OFM's. The friars of the Sacred Heart Province are not Capuchins or Conventuals but simply "OFM."

     There is also a close connection between Franciscan Outreach and the Secular Franciscan Order. When Fr. Phil started this ministry to the poor in Chicago, part of his motivation was to harness the enthusiasm and desire to help the poor of the many Secular Franciscans he counseled. 

     Secular Franciscans are part of the third order that St. Francis started. They used to be called "Third Order Franciscans."  Secular Franciscans are not vowed religious but persons who make a profession to live the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis. The Secular Franciscans that are associated with Franciscan Outreach today are:

       Ray Behrendt, SFO, President of the Board of Directors

       Diana Faust, SFO, Director of Development

       Jean Conklin, SFO, Director

       Marianne Flesher, SFO, Director

       Bob Proctor, SFO, Director 

     In addition, many Secular Franciscans support Franciscan Outreach through volunteering or donations. To learn more about the Secular Franciscan Order, check out its website at http://www.nafra-sfo.org/ or read an article by Diana Faust, our Assistant Executive Director and Director of Development about  the Secular Franciscan Order.  The website for the SFO region that covers Chicago, Rockford and Kankakee is www.ifsfo.org.

     Another link to the Franciscan family is through Sr. Pamela Falter, OSF, who is our Director of Case Management Services. She and Sr. Connie Probst, OSF, a member of our Board of Directors, are members of the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also from the St. Louis area. Franciscan sisters of all varieties (except Poor Clares) are also members of the the third order the St. Francis started. They are in the branch of the third order called "Third Order Religious." Also included in this branch are Franciscan brothers and priests who aren't OFM's.

     If you've been counting you may have noticed that I talked about the First Order and the Third Order. So what happened to the second? The second order that St. Francis started is commonly called the Poor Clares, after St. Clare of Assisi. At least one Poor Clare community supports Franciscan Outreach through donations and prayer.

     All these connections explain the structure of Franciscan Outreach. Yet there is another link that goes deeper. In the heart of all that we do is the Spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, who shook the world with his radical poverty and love of creation. 

     What we get from you, our donors, we give to the poor through our programs. Whenever St. Francis had anything extra, whether it was clothing or food, he gave it to someone who was hungry or cold. Like St. Francis, we don't store up our resources but continually spend them for the benefit of our homeless brothers and sisters, each of whom is loved by the Most High and Glorious God. This puts us on the edge sometimes, but we'd rather live on a thin margin and pray for your help than gather excessive resources and fear the future

For the week of August 6, 2001 ~ Status of Eminent Domain action against the Shelter

What's the latest on the eminent domain proceeding by the City of Chicago against our shelter at California ads Harrison?

     The City of Chicago has put a hold on its efforts to acquire the land on which our shelter is built. They official word is that the property values in the area rose so fast that they were not able to purchase land for all phases of the industrial development before the whole budgeted amount was spent. Accordingly, while the eminent domain action has not been cancelled, it is not moving forward right now.  

     Yet in the last year, we have spent considerable time developing a vision for what we would like to see in a new facility. One thing has become quite clear: there is still much we can do to reach out to our guests with an offer of case management services. 

     Also, there are many agencies that would like to collaborate with us if we only had the space for them to meet with our guests. We hope to move forward with some of these goals as soon as we can.  

     We are looking for space near our shelter in which we could offer more services to our guests.  In general, we'd like to have a facility in which our case managers could meet with our guests and host collaborative programs that would help them move beyond their present circumstances. We would also like to have a place for a limited number of guests to stay with us, rather than on the street, during the day. We are in the process of trying to formulate specific goals  for this new project, determine the staffing requirements, integrate it with our current programs, and identify sources of funding. 

     Keep us in your prayers as we try to develop a program expansion that will help more of our guests build a better life fro themselves. 

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