Liberty and Justice for All

Apr 1, 2018

Precious Blood Volunteers Martin Echtler, Lota Ofodile, and Alia Sisson with Tim Deveney


by Alia Sisson, Precious Blood Volunteer
“I practice the ‘highest’ law in the ‘highest’ court, the law of charity in the court of heaven.” – Sr. Nirmala Joshi
As I gear up for the biggest test of my life, the Ohio bar exam, I find this quote comforting. Not because if I fail then I can quip, “Oh, it’s okay, I practice the law of charity in the court of heaven,” but because it is a reminder of the ultimate truth: God’s law. While I am honored and privileged to be a future lawyer, I pray that my vocation will not only keep a roof over my head, but also enable me to be an agent of charity through the legal system. While it is important to have a fulfilling career, my highest ambition is to be a conduit of the Holy Spirit to those whom I serve.

With a political science degree and three years of formal legal training, you could say I am a big proponent of “law and order.” However, I cannot deny that we live in a country with a dark history in which some were – and still are – considered “more equal than others” (in the prescient words of George Orwell). Even our language about certain groups of people betrays our true feelings. Depending on whether you call people “illegal aliens” or “undocumented immigrants,” I can pretty much predict your views on immigration policy. Despite the distinctions drawn by U.S. law, I am reminded that under God’s law we are all His children worthy of safety, love, and respect. While it is important to follow the law, blind obedience to unjust laws does not serve the interest of justice for the human family.

In my volunteer placement through Precious Blood, I assist the attorneys at Legal Aid of Western Missouri in applying Missouri law to the facts of each individual’s case. However, we also practice the law of charity – Legal Aid only helps those too poor to afford a lawyer. We receive hundreds of calls and referrals per week from people in desperate need of legal help with issues ranging from housing to child custody to immigration. It saddens me that so many people feel crushed by poverty and forgotten by politicians beholden to wealthy donors. Often times, we are their last hope for justice.
As Precious Blood Volunteers, we not only help the poor, we are the poor. Of course there is the caveat that volunteers choose to live simply for a year, rather than endure a lifetime of unrelenting poverty by necessity. Nonetheless, this intentional pillar of the Precious Blood program is one of the most wonderfully uncomfortable and growth-inducing aspects. I now understand why religious orders take vows of poverty. It is not a punishment; it is an opportunity to critically examine what we value and how few material things we actually need to be happy. It is truly a gift that shows every good thing we have is from God alone. In fact, most material comforts are merely an obstacle to holiness (iPhone, I’m looking at you).

As a child, thanks to my family, I never had to think about food, shelter, or clothing – they just appeared.  Later, in college and law school, thanks to my good friend “Sallie Mae,” I was able to mindlessly shop when I was bored, perusing endless aisles of fluorescent lit products I soon felt I couldn’t live without. I slowly amassed closets full of designer clothes, yet I still felt empty and restless. This undoubtedly first-world problem was nonetheless a true poverty, borne of the lack of a deep relationship with our Creator.

Now on my modest volunteer stipend, I no longer have the so-called “luxury” of mindless – and frankly egotistical – consumerism. I am happy with everything I can fit in two suitcases, and smile to realize it is still more than enough. Through this experience, I have learned that the fewer possessions I have, the more room I have to grow in love and charity. In the long run, self-denial is the road to freedom because we are freed of unhealthy attachments that separate us from God. Especially during Lent, we are called to reflect on these truths and learn them through experience.

As a completely unexpected side benefit of this life lesson, forced to become a less vapid person, I have picked up a hobby that is both free and incredibly liberating: running!

Beginning in October, a month after I arrived in Kansas City, I started to run basically on a whim. I didn’t have a goal other than to run a mile without stopping. Soon I had conquered the 5k distance, and by January I ran a 10k race after a weeklong battle with the flu. Now I am training for my first half-marathon, which is coming up on April 14. In September, I will conquer the full distance, 26.2 miles, at the Air Force Marathon in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

Beyond the physical and mental benefits of training, there is something profoundly inspirational about continuing to put one foot in front of the other despite pain and exhaustion. It’s something Jesus did to the extreme, during his passion when he felt the most lonely and abandoned. It’s something I see my clients do every day at Legal Aid. It something I still need to work on in my own incredibly privileged life.

As I meditate on Christ’s passion throughout the waning days of Lent, I am reminded that in every seemingly hopeless situation, God is there waiting to comfort. Remaining optimistic despite fear and pain is something I am gradually learning with every client helped, every mile run, and every law outline studied. No matter the outcome, God is semper fidelis (always faithful). The true test is whether or not we as “the faithful” live up to that name.

Soon, God willing, I will be practicing law as an attorney. I will apply the laws of Ohio to assist clients with their legal needs. In this sense, I will be seeking individual justice. In the broader sense, with every case I will seek to reinforce the self-evident truth that ALL men and women are created equal.

Lest we forget, Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Through his death and resurrection, he made it possible for everyone to be saved if they freely choose Him. As we prepare for and witness the Easter miracle in 2018, let us ask ourselves if we are living according to God’s law as He has called us to do.

So what exactly does that look like?

As always, the Gospel is a good place to start. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-39).

You can apply to become a Precious Blood Volunteer and serve at Legal Aid of Western Missouri by going to our application page.
You can learn more about our placement at Legal Aid of Western Missouri here.
 

Strong, Unified, and Here to Stay

Mar 1, 2018


by Leah Landry, current Precious Blood Volunteer
The women of PBMR. Not a phrase you hear often at a Center started by four priests as a safe haven for young men. But over the past few years, the women in the neighborhood have become vital members of the PBMR community. On Saturday, February 3, these women gathered together to christen the new Mother Brunner House – the Women’s Center – with a mural that depicts the strength, serenity, and power of the women of PBMR.
The project included women from three programs at PBMR: the women of the advocacy group Community and Relatives of Illinois’ Incarcerated Children (CRIIC), the women from the Mothers’ Healing Circles who have lost children to incarceration and gun violence, and the Young Women’s Group, the newest program for women.
With the help and direction of PBMR’s teaching artist, Alberto Alaniz, the women gave suggestions of the words and images that come to mind when they think of the women of PBMR. The answers were as varied as the women themselves: unity, strength, love, hearts and stars, peace signs, mother and child. Then representatives from each program consulted with Alberto and together the group came up with the image for the wall. A few weeks later, over 20 women gathered at the Mother Brunner House to paint in the image.
You’d think a room full of 20 women, ranging from ages 6 to 80, painting a huge space with lots of color would be a chaotic scene, but the space had a peaceful, collaborative, and happy feel.
Mrs. Wingard, the eldest and wisest in the group and a member of CRIIC, shared her reflections on the day: “Just to remember that I put a paintbrush on the wall and Fr. Kelly and Julie and Sr. Donna are gonna walk through there and see the mural and I thought ‘Wow, I really feel a part of that’…And then to think about them getting the house and putting something on the wall that actually reaches out to the community. [The mural] shows families coming together and it’s not just one ethnicity. It’s not just black, not just white, not just latino: it’s everyone coming together for a common cause, for our children, for our community.”
Shumeka Taylor, a representative of the Young Women’s Group, said that putting the handprints and quotes on the wall was her favorite part. “The hands was so nice. We all who had been doing the part of the wall and engraving our names and a nice quote and that’s something that’s going to live forever in the house and I like that.” Shumeka added “From the older women to the young women, I truly enjoyed it. The older lady put the French braid in my hair while I painted the rest of the mural because they didn’t want paint to get in my 26 inches. I greatly appreciated everything that went on that day.”
Aldena Brown, a member of the Mothers’ Healing Circles, felt Helen Keller’s quote “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much” captured the essence of the day.  “That day of the painting felt good. Everyone working together, good laughs, music, and food! That moment was like nothing mattered. Painting that mural was everything, just being a part of something so meaningful. That gave my heart joy and peace in that moment.  My mind drifted to a great place pushing that paintbrush. Yes, I must say that will be a day I’ll never forget! I was a part of that painting coming to life! I’m very thankful!”
The women of PBMR are leaving their legacy all over PBMR and the neighborhood, from the relationships they make to the steps they take towards their goals to the beautiful mural that will greet all the visitors of the Center. From now on, every person who walks through the doors of the Mother Brunner House will know that the women in the community are an integral part of PBMR: strong, unified, and here to stay.
 
 
You can learn more about serving as a Precious Blood Volunteer by going to www.preciousbloodvolunteers.org 
You can learn more about our placement at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation by going to https://preciousbloodkc.org/precious-blood-ministry-of-reconciliation/ 

God Chose You, Remember That!

Mar 1, 2018

Precious Blood Volunteers’ Orientation, July 2017, Leah Landry, John Lee, Hector Avitia, and Lota Ofodile

by Lota Ofodile, Precious Blood Volunteer

There’s an old story that has been circulating in my family for years now, since I was born—the tale of how I got my name. Legend has it that my grandfather wanted to name me Raluchukwu (which means “Choose God” in my native language, Igbo) but that changed after a little conversation.

Interesting fact: I grew up being part of a small Catholic community called The Neocatechumenal Way. Each year, Andrea and his wife Francesca, a nice Italian missionary couple and the leaders of our group, would make their way down to Nigeria from Rome with a new priest and seminarian and stay for a few months. They lived right next door. (So just in case some of you, like most of my friends and colleagues at the clinic are all wondering how I am so comfortable living with Fr. Dick and Fr. Garry, it’s because I have lived with priests for years).

Andrea was in the country when I was born, and apparently, after he heard I was going to be called Raluchukwu, naturally he asked what it meant. Once he found out, he said, and I paraphrase, “You can’t choose God; he has already chosen you. You just have to remember that.” That was how Lota came about. My first name, Lotachukwu, means “Remember God”.

Funny story, right? And who knows if that’s exactly how it happened? It doesn’t matter now because I have owned it, and every time I think about that story I realize how God shows himself to us in the most unexpected ways. Sometimes, the most incredible experiences happen to us when we least expect it.

At exactly this time last year, I had just graduated college and had no idea where my life was headed. I was lost and afraid. I had no job lined up. I had applied to a few places, but nothing seemed tangible. I couldn’t apply to medical school because I owe my college some tuition and so I couldn’t get my transcripts. Being an international student, especially in Trump’s America, that was a very scary time. I had pretty much accepted that I might end up moving back to Nigeria. Then Precious Blood Volunteers happened.

Growing up in my very Catholic family, my grandfather made sure we knew that helping others, especially those less privileged than we are, was just as important as prayer and going to Mass. So naturally, after about 10 years of Jesuit secondary and college education garnished with volunteering experiences here and there, I toyed with the idea of a year of service. I had heard about the Catholic Volunteer Network from a close friend who was just completing her year of service, so I put up my profile. I wasn’t even sure which group or what location I was particularly interested in. The very next day, I got an email from Tim Deveney, the Precious Blood Volunteer Director. At first, I didn’t think too much of it, just a really good recruiter who knows his job, right? But whenever I reflect on my time here, I realize that this was just another instance of God choosing me.

When I think about my orientation week, one thing stands out: prophetic voices. I remember all of us being somewhat confused and asking Tim to clarify what “prophetic voices” meant, and it basically came down to the ways and people with which God tries to get through to us. At least that’s how I’ve chosen to interpret it. It’s the #47 bus driver who has to sit through long hours of driving the same route everyday with all kinds of interesting characters, being part of conversations she’d probably rather not have if she did not have to be there. Patience. It’s John Lee, my ex-housemate and fellow volunteer who picked out monthly challenges to make the most out of his experience and ended up starting a podcast that is currently on iTunes! (I have never met anyone so insistent and intentional about self-development) It’s one of my patients at the clinic who I’m pretty confident is/was part of a gang who came back just before leaving to say thank you for making him feel comfortable and cheering him up after he cried to me while I was taking his vitals. He was just like me! A person with feelings who cries when he gets emotional. Gratitude and oneness.

At the beginning, I was mostly concerned with what and how best I would be contributing to the people I would encounter during my service year. But this experience has turned out to be much more rewarding than I ever imagined. I have gotten to meet the most amazing set of people who are dedicated to living the best versions of themselves in the Precious Blood community. I have made tremendous strides in my personal spiritual journey. I spend most of my Sundays as part of the St. Francis Xavier Parish 10:30am Mass choir. And I will be coming out of this service year with a full-time job at the KC CARE Clinic, God willing.

I am so grateful that God has once again chosen me, to be part of this wonderful community and to have this life-changing experience. I sincerely hope and pray that all of us are more attentive to the ways in which God is continuously calling and choosing us to be better people.
(Oh, and just for the record, we stuck both with names. My birth certificate actually has Lotachukwu Raluchukwu written on it. I have two first names! LOL).

You can learn more about serving as a Precious Blood Volunteer by going to www.preciousbloodvolunteers.org 
You can learn more about our placement at KC CARE Health Center by going to https://preciousbloodkc.org/kc-care-health-center/