MIDWEST MIDWEEK Brothers of Holy Cross Midwest Province - P.O. Box 460 Notre Dame, Indiana

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1 MIDWEST MIDWEEK Brothers of Holy Cross Midwest Province - P.O. Box 460 Notre Dame, Indiana October 14, 2015 Eulogy for Brother Bernard A. Klim October 8, 2015 / St. Joseph Chapel/ Notre Dame, Indiana The longer you live in a religious community, the more you see the amount of incredible talent the Lord has cobbled together for his purposes in that very community and for the good of the gospel. You don t necessarily see the whole thing at first when you enter. There are too many others you don t know yet. You have a sense of what you can do, how you can help, what you can provide. In fact, that is part of the motivation that originally brought all of us into the community. And most of us have probably served in one or maybe two assignments and known mainly the Brothers in those particular houses or ministries. And yet, beyond our province and those we personally know there are plenty of others equally talented and gifted Brothers in other houses, in the missions, and in the former Southwest and Eastern provinces now the Moreau Province. We do, though, eventually get a sense of some greater collective of who we are as a society because we hear of our history, hear of stories of other Brothers, and hear also of the variety of talent abounding in the whole Society of Brothers. Just as well, the longer we live in a religious community, the more we see how this incredible grouping of men, this collective talent, and yes, holiness itself, is manifest in our members, held together by God s own grace, and used for its mission and service to others. It isn t everyone doing the same work. It isn t a group of all similarly talented people. It is, in the long run, an amazing work in progress, a variety of skill, abilities, and giftedness. All this talent focused on getting the job done; each

2 providing a unique contribution few others can. There s a can-do sense in the collective. We can do that. There s an ad on T.V. I think it s for Staples that puts it that way. We can do that. There s a question posed. Do you have this or that; I need to do this can you help me with such and such? The voice-over then says: Yes, We can do that. The commercial then tells you to go to Staples and you ll get what you need and want. It will get done there. We can do that. In community, (unlike a stationery store which has only this and that)-- after a long time in the community and after hearing enough stories about members you have never even met, you really begin to take in the incredible array of collected talent waiting to help one another to get the job done. We see eventually how God has blessed us with one another for getting a common work done. We begin to appreciate more and more the remarkable members we have associated ourselves with in the greater community, the whole Society of Brothers in its entirety and in the whole of your religious life itself, the Congregation. From the administrator to the mechanic; from teacher to the cook; from department chair to the housekeeper. They all work together. They get the job done. We can do that. Balance the books; put the food on the table; paint the building; fix the leak; teach the class; keep the cars gassed; coach the team; mentor the young ones; record the grades; direct the play; set up for the celebration; take down the props, send out the thank you notes. We can do that. In community, then, everyone has a role and a significant contribution. And no one can or does it all. Poet and principal, singer and songwriter, craftsman and cook, contemplative and activist. They re all there right in our own Society of Brothers. All make it work. We can do that. And we do that, have done that, and more besides: wash and wax the cars; set out the laundry; pick up twigs, manicure the grounds; drive the Brothers to their doctors; put flowers on the table. We can do that Now, one who did that in marvelously unique and talented ways we honor today as we come to celebrate him in a last farewell

3 Bernard Adam Klim. His family called him Benny; we called him Bernie. Bernie Klim what a man. What a character. What a talent. We honor him publically, and in our hearts we find gratitude for having known him, some briefly, and some for longer stretches in Rome and Africa and in formation. We here in the States got to know Bernie best as he returned to us when his health care needs could no longer be sufficiently tended to in Africa. Sure, we can do that. We are blessed with so much in the States. Bernie Klim. His talent, his work, his witness and faith we call to mind today as we honor his life and yield his spirt-self back to his maker. One small part of some of Bernie s work, three pieces of his art, are on display up here appropriately before our own Saint Brother Andre s statue, who was yet another Brother, much like Bernie whose simple and profound self could hear, put into effect, and yield to the master s touch, confounding many. While beautiful and pretty amazing artistic skill is brought to life in these sculptures, Bernie s life is more than his talent and production. Far more. His friends and community in Uganda can best tell that story, from concept to design, building, and supervising the construction of a circular church to the making of a grotto; from a Bishop s house to a high school, he did it all. I can do that. And doing that was always for others in self-effacing and, yet, in incredible ways. From cooking stoves differently constructed that limited smoke for folks in the village to the International School and the Generalate, his work abounds. I can do that, his life said again and again. Everyone saw his talent, and those in authority, those with power and oversight, saw it too, seized it, and didn t let it go far from their charge at times. Everyone wanted Bernie for their projects and ideas, building and upkeep as well. Donatus Schmitz, William Geenen, Theophane Schmidt, Bonaventure Foley, Germain Marie LaLonde. They all saw it. They all wanted it for their works and obligations to the People of God. They wanted him because they knew he would make it happen. This unlettered man, pretty much orphaned as a child, limited schooling, eyes crossed at birth, dyslexic later was a wonder. He wowed them all. Eventually, though, he got to his long held dream the missions. John Gleason made that happen. Stories of his work and person will be told wherever he lived, worked, and prayed and most especially in Rome and Africa

4 But it was we at Columba Hall who saw and witnessed his last days, and blessed we were for one more example of how to let go and how to go home to God when our time has come. The smile, the charm, the quiet dignity. Making flower arrangements, designing our own little Zen garden behind Columba. Put no head above your own, one of his Zen teachers said. I live in the present; I don t need to reject anything, Bernie would say as challenging times came and his health consistently declined. In his return to the States and the limited ways of a community house, he had to adjust to everything and never go back to his beloved Africa. ( No Bernie, you can t burn candles in the house. No Bernie, you can t burn incense either. ) And, wow, the changes he had to make. He was grabbed by the nap of his neck, placed among us, never to return to Africa. Change of climate, change of food, change of work, change of projects and tools, change of friends,and change, pretty much, of even the clothes on his back. In the midst of it all, in his new environment, he consistently longed for beauty and the opportunity to create. He made flower arrangements for his room, little water falls with miniature motors to soothe the ear and spirit, bamboo shoots with plastic flowers springing from them. With our dry and humidity-less heat in Columba, he made his own humidifier for his room from an old stove pipe, a cardboard box, a pan for water and a cloth to catch the blowing air from our own system. He put out a box for donations from us as he continued to support young men whose skills he knew and who could not make it without his donations. And still, even in the hospital, when pretty much flat on his back and considerably limited, his yen for beauty continued especially his antiseptic room. Upon leaving from a visit, he d say, Joe, bring me a flower. And about his love of Zen. There is a statue here he had commissioned from Africa. You can see it up front among just three of his many art works that grace the Village. And look at what that piece of art says. He conceived it, commissioned it, loved it. There is Jesus on the cross, heart pierced, limbs nailed, head crowned with thorns and still, with one hand loose, is gently and tenderly embracing the head of a monk at his feet, a Buddha, a man at prayer, someone simply sitting and consciously breathing at the feet of the master now nailed to a cross. As simple as that, a man, any man, breathing in-breathing out no words, just that. Simple, yet remarkably profound

5 Bernie loved this statue. It said so much to him. He had gotten to the point in his life where only silence and wordless meditation became the core substance of his prayer. The ancient, Catholic, contemplative tradition of Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Thomas Merton, and modern day John Main, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating was his. Centering prayer, love of the mantra, (also similar to the rosary in our own tradition), along with the Eucharist, became Bernard Adam Klim s his main source of spiritual connection. And he perfected it. He was the genuine article when it came to meditation and how that contemplative prayerform can bring one to God. Finally, and perhaps much more importantly, beyond his art, his work, and his teaching of building skills to youth, and service to the community at large, there was his spirit. This, I believe was the most fully expressed and most important gift Bernie gave us. He showed us how to die. It s O.K. Brother. It s all O.K. Theilhard de Chardin himself said it best. O Energy of my Lord give me something even more precious than the grace which all the faithful beg from You. It is not enough that I die in communion. Teach me communion in dying. Lord, help us to learn that as well. How many times he repeatedly told me in the midst of some setback in chemo, in the midst of so many trips to the E.R. It s O.K, Joe. It s O.K. Brother. His equanimity amazed me. It amazed everyone. Even in his last dramatic and challenging trip to the hospital emergency room, after a pretty rough go of it, the nurses said they wanted to keep him he was so cooperative generally and especially in some pretty challenging times. And why? Why would they want to keep him? I can only offer what I saw, and I think what we all saw as well. It was his love and desire for the direct experience of God, his living free of ego and the necessity to accomplish. His very life said all this need not be complicated nor impossible. His acceptance of it all was disarming and amazing. It became a powerful witness to how a human being can live life fully, enjoy it all, and face death with arms wide open. He himself said as you can read in his obituary, What little I had, I give it all. It wasn t complicated

6 In this religious life of ours, in everyone s religious life, beyond our work and our ministry, it is God whom we seek, it is the Lord we wish to see. And especially now as the years grow on for most of us and time becomes limited, we long to see your face, O Lord. I close with two borrowed quotes which, I think, capture Bernie s paramount gift to us, his Brothers. The first is from a fellow missionary, Raymond Papenfuss, who thought this quote said so much about his good friend, Bernie Klim. The other is one which has stayed with me from my treasured days with our Sisters of the Holy Cross and their Health Care System. That ministry afforded me a privileged time learning how to actually try and be present at death either through hospice, or accident, or tragic trauma. As evidenced so simply yet profoundly by Bernie, the point is all gets reduced to pretty simple things when our particular sunset comes. Ray s quote from the Buddha says it this way: In the end only three things matter. How much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. The quote I found years ago says the same thing even more starkly: And In the end all that remains is the love you have given and the love you have received. All else is illusion. What little I have, I give it all, Bernie said on the celebration of his sixtieth. We saw that played out in your brief time with us, Bernie. Your Brothers thank you for your work, your life, and your witness. We can do that too. We will try. Br. Joseph McTaggart - 6 -

7 ZEAL - THE DESIRE TO MAKE GOD KNOWN, LOVED & SERVED Cathedral Irish Boost Habitat with Senior Build and Shack City The Charism of Option for the Poor in Action Indianapolis, IN Would you pay good money to sleep overnight outside in a cardboard box? In the last decade or so, forty to one hundred Cathedral High School students have done just that on a given Saturday evening each September. The senior officers who organize the event ask students to sign up, donate $20 or more to the cause, and appear in the courtyard at the school on Saturday just as the sun sets with their own cardboard shacks in tow. Through this annual event and others, supported by the school s Habitat High School Chapter, Cathedral typically raises $15,000 for the homeless, of which one-third comes directly from student donations and fundraising. The Shack City evening starts, according to campus minister Charlene Witka, with students constructing their homes for the night. They are served chili and crackers (with water) so they can experience what it is like to be in a soup line. This annual event at Cathedral High School is a derivative of similar events inspired by Habitat for Humanity. The activity helps student participants to experience some of the aspects of homelessness. Habitat for Humanity chapters - 7 -

8 across the country, through their mission and work, enable families with limited means to help construct and eventually become the owners of a substantial family dwelling. Charlene and her co-worker, Shannon Fox, have continued this Shack City tradition at Cathedral by supporting the senior officers each season in organizing the efforts of the class. The Senior Build, Charlene explained, is also part of this ministry by the students. It involves each senior class section taking a day to go to the current Habitat build in work clothes and assist with the actual construction. So the students are doing more than just camping out and raising money. At this year s Shack City event on September 26, as bedtime approached, guest speaker Bobby Haden spoke to students during the candle-light liturgy that served to close the evening s activities. Bobby blew the kids away with his witness, Charlene said. Then the students each retired to their improvised shacks for the night. Following a simple breakfast the next morning, they cleaned up the area and headed for home. This Shack City effort gives witness to the plight of the poor by enabling Cathedral seniors to identify with and experience the suffering of those in society who find themselves materially marginalized. Founder of the LA group, Cardboard Box Ministry and once a guitarist with the Ozzie Osbourne band, Bobby Haden used his speaking and his musical talents to - 8 -

9 help students appreciate his fall from grace into drug addiction and the spiritual experience that led to his renewal. I was digging through a dumpster for food one day, and a stranger stopped me, saying Pray in the name of Jesus, explained Bobby, and after that my life was never the same again. Bobby Haden now has a goal. He would like to create Cardboard Box Ministry groups in each State in the country by the year, A Haden event is planned in Indianapolis for December 19, EDUCATING HEARTS AND MINDS IN THE HOLY CROSS TRADITION Hoban Bros Share Chapel & Home with Ohio CSC A September Sunday at Three On September 20 th, the Ohio Brothers were welcomed once more to the new Chapel at Hoban for Mass in celebration of the annual Seven Sorrows feast. Since its dedication a year ago (and the local jubilees by Br. James Spooner and Br. Philip Smith there in May) the new Chapel has become an important part of community observances by NE Ohio CSCs. Another feature of Akron gatherings lately has been the home-cooked meal following Mass in nearby Hudson as provided by Phil Smith and Bob Livernois. We still need directions to your place, is a question that follows the blessing

10 But motivation is enhanced by knowing that something really good will be coming out of the kitchen. The Holy Cross community in northeast Ohio had previously met each September at Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Peninsula, Ohio, connecting the feast and parish. Peninsula was within easy reach from Hoban, Lakewood, and Gates Mills. Now that the Chapel at Hoban is more than ready the regional community focus has shifted. The next area gathering is planned for 4:00 pm October 25 th at Gilmour: A prayer service and dinner to celebrate 2015 as the Year of Consecrated Life. CROSSING BORDERS OF EVERY SORT The New Telepresence Lab at St. Edward High School, Lakewood, Ohio September 25, 2015 St. Edward High School Sponsored by the brothers of Holy cross St. Edward officially opened its new Cisco Telepresence Lab, a state-of-the-art technology that creates seamless opportunities for students and teachers to interact with peers in the educational community around the globe. Mr. Michael Perrins, St. Edward's Director of International Programs, is leading the curriculum development of the Telepresence Lab, and using his vast international network to connect Edsmen with educators and students to expand perspectives and opportunities. This week, the versatile space allowed students to connect with members of a model UN team in England on Tuesday afternoon, or be part of a Cleveland Clinic lecture on obesity and nutrition on Wednesday morning. St. Edward High School is grateful to Cleveland-based MCPc for their assistance in bringing this technology to the school, and is looking forward to the expansive opportunities for international engagement made possible by the new Telepresence Lab

11 CORPORAL WORK OF MERCY: FEED THE HUNGRY Hair Issues Brother Robert Jimenez In May of 2015 the Confirmation class of St. Francis of Assisi, Chicago, IL, decided that they wanted to help making money for the Brother Andre food pantry at St. Francis. They approached me and asked me if I was willing to shave my head. I stated that as long as it was for a good cause. I challenged them to raise $2500 for the food pantry. They agreed and the selling of tickets began. The started by selling the tickets at one dollar a chance to shave my head. They worked really hard. Then I decided to have a picnic where they could shave my

12 head. The date was set for August 29. The students continued selling tickets and asking for donations. They even had food sales to help the cause. The day ultimately came to see what they had done. They raised $3200. These $3200 will help us put food on the table for 30 families in the next six months. I want to thank the students for their extra hard work and for keeping the poor in their hearts. Past Copies of Midwest-Midweek Past copies of Midwest-Midweek may be viewed by scanning the icon or clicking on the link below. View Website at: View Midwest-Midweek at: est-midweek-newsletter/ Editor Webmaster Proofreader: Br. Kenneth Kane Br. Richard Johnson Br. George Klawitter Please send material to the link below by Thursday the week before Midwest- Midweek is published. Send material to this address: Midwest-Midweek@brothersofholycross.com