Posts
Even though I've been on bedrest this long while, I'm still calling Monday my day off. I finish off the Sunday paper, watch all the videos online that I can't get on our rabbit-ears-and-digital-converter TV, and generally lounge about. I am not feeling guilty about this at all. An upside to all this is that I can't feel guilty about things I'm not really allowed to do, like heft the laundry downstairs.
So by way of that introduction, I have a little time to think about stuff. And think about 'Stuff.' For example, Jorge would really like a new TV that perhaps we wouldn't need rabbit ears for, and when we had the captions on, that wouldn't take up half the screen. I get that; our TV is smaller than my laptop screen, and only really works in the bedroom. And I did feel a little bit bad that we didn't have a TV for my folks to watch while they were here the past two weeks. But I'm also not sure where we'd put a 'normal' TV in our living room; it wasn't a consideration when we set up house, really...and perhaps on the upside, I taught my folks how to watch their favorite shows online as well.
At this point, Sophie doesn't have an obscene amount of toys. She has a cute 'sockmonkey' frog, a car mirror, a soft doll, a rattle, and some 'tummy time' mats. That sounds fine to me, given that she isn't even born yet, and especially in light of our rapidly shrinking apartment. However, I'm also aware that people like to buy toys for babies and she'll be arriving just before Christmas. We've already started looking for larger digs, hoping for a three-bedroom house with a yard...and yet, this one-bedroom apartment where we now live is the largest place we've ever lived as independent adults.
Last night, I looked at a Toys 'R' Us catalog, and it dawned on me that our Beloved Unborn would eventually have compulsive material desires of her own. And I didn't see anything I'd want to get for her when she was ready for serious toys. No, wait--I lied. There was one non-white, non-blond doll. That would be okay. Good Lord, though. How long can I hide toy catalogs and stores from her? Does she have to know that there are cartoon channels other than PBS (which doesn't have toy commercials), and how soon, really? And can I at least hope in a gender-stereotyped kind of way she won't automatically want violent toys?
We've been looking for a second car lately, either a minivan or something similar, that would be easy to get a baby seat or two in and out, and get to Iowa a couple times a year as well. Looking for a second car at all was a hard sell with me; after all, I walked a mile one-way to school last year in Hyde Park, and we now live one mile from church. But I think I'm learning urban distance and suburban distance are not the same; that, and there are no buses really to get Sophie to her Dr.'s visits. However, we'd probably just schedule routine visits on Tuesdays when Jorge was home and had the other car here as well. Actually, the real selling point was when the church told us the front of the church yard, which I'd have to cross with a stroller, would be heaped up and iced under by several feet, impenetrable by our maintenance folks' efforts, whenever the snowplows came by (church is near the city salt-yards). That would probably make it a little too dangerous to commute by foot.
Over the weekend we came across a nice jeep-looking-thing that was at a really great price, less than we paid for the Accord last summer. Only, we discovered upon inspection that this was a Lexus.
A Lexus? Can a mainline protestant pastor drive a Lexus with any credibility at all, no matter what the price? I had an uneasy feeling in my gut.
Since we were there, though, we decided to go for a test-drive. And it was a very, very smooth ride, and the seats were great, and the visibility for changing lanes was nice, and the back cargo door was easy to use and all...and it was dang cheap; but...it was a Lexus.
Can non-materialistic activist types such as ourselves drive a Lexus?
Funny thing is, if the same car was labeled as a Toyota (which I just learned is the manufacturer of Lexus), I'd not have any quandary at all. It was a great car. But after a while, it became easy to make more practical excuses: it doesn't have the LATCH system for installing infant seats. It could be expensive to insure and repair. It did have high miles on it, even if it did run smooth...
If any of y'all want it, I'll tell you how to get to the dealer. But for now, we're looking for something a little less conspicuous.
--
I'm down to about one maternity shirt I can 'go outside' in. This is another benefit of being on house rest, that I don't need a lot of 'presentable' clothes. I can wear Jorge's sweats or my pj's the rest of the time. At least we're getting good use out of them. Sometimes I'm astounded at the number of clothes we do have, and would like to get around to weeding out a bit more. The recent church garage sale was a big help to us, in that we had a good outlet and motivation for getting rid of a few under-utilized things already. Meanwhile, Sophie probably matches us in number of clothes, although hers are much smaller and take up less room, and I understand that most of them will be in the laundry heap on any given day, at least until we get the hang of diapering and burping.
These are my thoughts then on a November Monday. They're not in any particular order. Now, if this bothers you, by way of an apology I might say I'm not writing much these days, since I'm even off sermon duty, and I think that's made me a bit equal parts 'wooden' and 'rusty.' If that's possible. I think part of the problem, is that we have other sources of income right now, and so I don't feel the pressure to write articles, especially in a market where I would have to work much harder to get them published and paid for. On the other hand, I'm reading far more now than I usually do, and that has not been bad. Maybe after a cycle of heavy reading, I'll be ready to get back out into semi-public life.
peace,
Le Anne
Monday, November 02, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
New CTS Building Anything But 'Green'
Published 10/14/09 at http://www.hpherald.com/pg4.html
Can a seminary really build a ‘green’ building while destroying a beloved community garden in the process?
Chicago Theological Seminary and the UofC will gather at 2pm, Thursday, October 15, to break ground on the new seminary building at 60th and Dorchester. A few weeks later, they’ll pave paradise in favor of a parking lot.
LEEDS, the ratings system for ‘green’ construction to which CTS aspires, specifies that a building not only be environmentally friendly in construction process and function, but also that it contribute to overall quality of life for its inhabitants and location. An active community garden which unites generations, classes, and races as the centerpiece of this block does well in this regard; looking out over an urban wasteland of empty lots does nothing good.
It’s important to know that when the Board of Trustees and administration of CTS had the opportunity to use their influence to stop this destruction, they chose not to do so, despite alumni pressure.
Throughout this decision-making process, CTS has operated as a silent accomplice. I can understand why community garden supporters might not want to challenge the UofC for its community development ethics; it’s an 800 lb. gorilla. But here is a seminary that is about to reap enormous gains from the neighborhood’s loss, earning fame for preaching its concern for creation and the world’s oppressed, and saying nothing about destruction done on its behalf in our own backyard.
Only a few students including myself ever went down to meet with folks at garden, local churches, schools, farmers’ markets, or the Experimental Station; the administration initiated no genuine efforts to do so.
This silence is not unique to the garden’s destruction. For years, CTS has been completely disengaged from the neighborhood--so much so that hardly anyone realizes there’s a seminary above the Seminary Co-op Bookstore in the first place.
Lest readers think I’m a chronically disgruntled alum, I used to love this school. I was editor of the student paper, student government co-president, student representative to the Board of Trustees. I worked in the Development office and gave generously of my personal time and money. I was even on a design committee and participating in LEEDs discussions until it became clear that accountability to the surrounding neighborhood would be no serious priority. At every step, I raised concerns for community preservation and neighborhood accountability, and my words fell on deaf ears.
We need to hold CTS accountable, and not allow their silence to protect them. The onus is on CTS to prove itself prophetic outside its walls. As this ‘progressive’ seminary leaves one ivory tower to build an ivory fortress south of the midway, it is up to the people who care to demand they shoulder the responsibility for what they’ve done.
Any institution can speak prophetically, and can even gain a little fame and fortune for doing so. It’s entirely another thing for the administration, Trustees, faculty, and students to walk their talk.
Rev. Le Anne Clausen de Montes
M.Div. CTS 2009
Can a seminary really build a ‘green’ building while destroying a beloved community garden in the process?
Chicago Theological Seminary and the UofC will gather at 2pm, Thursday, October 15, to break ground on the new seminary building at 60th and Dorchester. A few weeks later, they’ll pave paradise in favor of a parking lot.
LEEDS, the ratings system for ‘green’ construction to which CTS aspires, specifies that a building not only be environmentally friendly in construction process and function, but also that it contribute to overall quality of life for its inhabitants and location. An active community garden which unites generations, classes, and races as the centerpiece of this block does well in this regard; looking out over an urban wasteland of empty lots does nothing good.
It’s important to know that when the Board of Trustees and administration of CTS had the opportunity to use their influence to stop this destruction, they chose not to do so, despite alumni pressure.
Throughout this decision-making process, CTS has operated as a silent accomplice. I can understand why community garden supporters might not want to challenge the UofC for its community development ethics; it’s an 800 lb. gorilla. But here is a seminary that is about to reap enormous gains from the neighborhood’s loss, earning fame for preaching its concern for creation and the world’s oppressed, and saying nothing about destruction done on its behalf in our own backyard.
Only a few students including myself ever went down to meet with folks at garden, local churches, schools, farmers’ markets, or the Experimental Station; the administration initiated no genuine efforts to do so.
This silence is not unique to the garden’s destruction. For years, CTS has been completely disengaged from the neighborhood--so much so that hardly anyone realizes there’s a seminary above the Seminary Co-op Bookstore in the first place.
Lest readers think I’m a chronically disgruntled alum, I used to love this school. I was editor of the student paper, student government co-president, student representative to the Board of Trustees. I worked in the Development office and gave generously of my personal time and money. I was even on a design committee and participating in LEEDs discussions until it became clear that accountability to the surrounding neighborhood would be no serious priority. At every step, I raised concerns for community preservation and neighborhood accountability, and my words fell on deaf ears.
We need to hold CTS accountable, and not allow their silence to protect them. The onus is on CTS to prove itself prophetic outside its walls. As this ‘progressive’ seminary leaves one ivory tower to build an ivory fortress south of the midway, it is up to the people who care to demand they shoulder the responsibility for what they’ve done.
Any institution can speak prophetically, and can even gain a little fame and fortune for doing so. It’s entirely another thing for the administration, Trustees, faculty, and students to walk their talk.
Rev. Le Anne Clausen de Montes
M.Div. CTS 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Burr Oak, and the Resurrection of the Body
As we’re writing this, the disturbing news of events at Burr Oak Cemetery still fills the media. It seems several cemetery workers decided to re-sell burial plots that were already filled, dumping the bodies into mass graves. Thousands of families have been affected. Some feel plagued by guilt that they didn’t visit sooner. Others are experiencing grief anew, especially the loss of link to family and past that their loved ones’ place of burial meant to them. The authorities are bewildered by the complications of the case, not knowing if the remains could ever be matched accurately to their descendants again.
In our lives and travels for human rights work, we have both experienced the horror of mass graves in areas of war around the world. Families are desperate for some indication that this is their loved one, as part of their ability to grieve.It is difficult to imagine how human beings could ever do something like this, and also difficult to imagine what could comfort families affected by such crimes. These events have also raised for us, and perhaps you too, some questions about the resurrection of the body.
For example, we recall Mary’s distress on Easter morning when Jesus’ body appeared to have been taken, and she begged the groundskeeper to tell her what he did with the body. However, Jesus himself was standing before her, resurrected in body as well as spirit. We remember also the valley of dry bones, when God resurrected the bodies right before Ezekiel’s eyes.
Christians the world over for the past two millennia recite the Apostle’s Creed, which declares our faith in not only Christ’s resurrection, but the resurrection of our own bodies. Paul writes powerfully in 1 Corinthians 15:35-44, ‘These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever.’ Paul goes on to write that even our bodies which are broken and become ill during our earthly lives will be healed and made strong in the resurrection. We remember as we read this not only those who have died, but all in our congregation and community who are waiting for healing from many illnesses and injuries.
As Christians, we may be called to any number of healing roles to support those who suffer as described above. We may become medical workers, or we may be spiritual or psychological caregivers. Others are called to be investigators who discover the truth behind acts of violence and violation; and others hold accountable the perpetrators of these abuses. And all of us can extend to those who suffer a community of care and listening, even without specialized skills or knowing precisely what to do when another hurts.
Whether in terrible events, or terrible illnesses, we need not suffer alone. Even when our human skills to heal may not be enough, God promises us ultimate healing in the resurrection of our bodies and souls. We will be reunited with all we have lost in the community of heaven.
If you would like to visit more with us about these questions, please let us know. We would also like to recommend Mitch Albom’s book and movie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. We viewed the movie recently and found it a beautiful dialogue on this topic.
Peace, Pastors Jorge y Le Anne Montes-Clausen
In our lives and travels for human rights work, we have both experienced the horror of mass graves in areas of war around the world. Families are desperate for some indication that this is their loved one, as part of their ability to grieve.It is difficult to imagine how human beings could ever do something like this, and also difficult to imagine what could comfort families affected by such crimes. These events have also raised for us, and perhaps you too, some questions about the resurrection of the body.
For example, we recall Mary’s distress on Easter morning when Jesus’ body appeared to have been taken, and she begged the groundskeeper to tell her what he did with the body. However, Jesus himself was standing before her, resurrected in body as well as spirit. We remember also the valley of dry bones, when God resurrected the bodies right before Ezekiel’s eyes.
Christians the world over for the past two millennia recite the Apostle’s Creed, which declares our faith in not only Christ’s resurrection, but the resurrection of our own bodies. Paul writes powerfully in 1 Corinthians 15:35-44, ‘These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever.’ Paul goes on to write that even our bodies which are broken and become ill during our earthly lives will be healed and made strong in the resurrection. We remember as we read this not only those who have died, but all in our congregation and community who are waiting for healing from many illnesses and injuries.
As Christians, we may be called to any number of healing roles to support those who suffer as described above. We may become medical workers, or we may be spiritual or psychological caregivers. Others are called to be investigators who discover the truth behind acts of violence and violation; and others hold accountable the perpetrators of these abuses. And all of us can extend to those who suffer a community of care and listening, even without specialized skills or knowing precisely what to do when another hurts.
Whether in terrible events, or terrible illnesses, we need not suffer alone. Even when our human skills to heal may not be enough, God promises us ultimate healing in the resurrection of our bodies and souls. We will be reunited with all we have lost in the community of heaven.
If you would like to visit more with us about these questions, please let us know. We would also like to recommend Mitch Albom’s book and movie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. We viewed the movie recently and found it a beautiful dialogue on this topic.
Peace, Pastors Jorge y Le Anne Montes-Clausen
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Election Day Greetings from San Salvador
Greetings everyone,
Another moment to check in from San Salvador. Today is the presidential Election Day, and it´s an odd combination on the streets so far. Things are pretty quiet, as a lot of shops and businesses are closed. It was hard to get out of our neighborhood since most of the minibuses were not running, and we walked quite a ways today to get transport. Every car however, as with all the buses, are flying banners and flags for either the FMLN (left-wing party) or the ARENA (right-wing party). ARENA has been in power for about the last twenty years, and is responsible for most of the human rights abuses over that time. So today carries a lot of hopes for a lot of people for real liberation--not unlike the hope we experienced in the US around our own elections not so long ago. If you need updates on the news, check out CISPES, the Committee in Solidarity with the Salvadorean People, cispes.org. It may be a few more days before we get around to the email again.
All this is not to say we haven´t been having a lot of fun as well. Jorge's an enthusiastic tour guide, and we've climbed La Puerta el Diablo --'the Devil´s Gateway' --a dual-peaked mountain outside the city; we also went to Apulo, which is a crater lake on top of a now-dormant volcano. Both are stunningly beautiful, and there will be pictures later. We've also spent a lot of time lost and wandering in the streets looking for other little places--we could use a GPS for things like artists' cooperatives and non-profit offices, since they rarely are listed in the phonebook and few neighbors realize they're there. But to be encouraging and friendly, people will tell you directions, like 'over there a few blocks,' even if they don´t really know. We've really built up our walking muscles and also had some really impressive grouchy tired married couple type fights during these moments :) Mostly though, it's been really good.
We also made our pilgrimage to the places important in the life and death of Archbishop Oscar Romero, as well as the six Jesuits killed along with their housekeeper and her daughter at the University of Central America. Jorge used to study here under Jon Sobrino (Sobrino fortunately was out of the country when the killings happened) and the priests who were killed. We met briefly with Sobrino, and also Jorge´s advisor, Dean Brackely. It´s a busy time here on campus and off, since the elections are book-ended with memorial holidays for Romero and Fr. Rutilio Grande, a friend of Romero´s who was among the first of the church workers to be killed, and whose death alerted Romero to the need to address the deteriorating human rights situation here in the late 70's and early 80's.
After our visits to the faculty and to the memorial museum there, we participated in the memorial mass for Fr. Grande. It was led by musician friends of Jorge´s from the seminary and university, some of whom helped to write the Misa Popular Salvadoreno, (the Salvadorean people's liturgy), which many of you will recognize from the hymns making it into our new hymnals these days. I hope we'll be able to use it also when we get started working at our new church, which is bilingual.
We´ve been able to see most of Jorge's family over the course of two visits, and so far everyone has been very warm and welcoming. And they all want to know when we´re producing grandchildren, and surely we will bring them to visit? As soon as possible, we've said. My Spanish has worked well at the house--there´s time to speak slowly, for example, and I´ve had some good conversations with my mother in law unassisted. However, the radio and tv go by way too fast for me to catch on, and it's similar for me trying to understand a conversation between two other people. I´m trying to read the paper in the evenings though, and it's all improving.
Sitting in a maximum-security cell a year ago, or marching in the vigil ten years ago at the School of the Americas, I didn´t expect that I would be here, and certainly not on, er, 'honeymoon.' Granted, a very political one, and spending some time making connections for our future visits in terms of theology, ministry, academics and activism. Life has taken a lot of good turns, no? Time to head out again and see what's happening.
Love to you all and hope to see you in a few weeks when we return.
peace,
Le Anne y Jorge
Another moment to check in from San Salvador. Today is the presidential Election Day, and it´s an odd combination on the streets so far. Things are pretty quiet, as a lot of shops and businesses are closed. It was hard to get out of our neighborhood since most of the minibuses were not running, and we walked quite a ways today to get transport. Every car however, as with all the buses, are flying banners and flags for either the FMLN (left-wing party) or the ARENA (right-wing party). ARENA has been in power for about the last twenty years, and is responsible for most of the human rights abuses over that time. So today carries a lot of hopes for a lot of people for real liberation--not unlike the hope we experienced in the US around our own elections not so long ago. If you need updates on the news, check out CISPES, the Committee in Solidarity with the Salvadorean People, cispes.org. It may be a few more days before we get around to the email again.
All this is not to say we haven´t been having a lot of fun as well. Jorge's an enthusiastic tour guide, and we've climbed La Puerta el Diablo --'the Devil´s Gateway' --a dual-peaked mountain outside the city; we also went to Apulo, which is a crater lake on top of a now-dormant volcano. Both are stunningly beautiful, and there will be pictures later. We've also spent a lot of time lost and wandering in the streets looking for other little places--we could use a GPS for things like artists' cooperatives and non-profit offices, since they rarely are listed in the phonebook and few neighbors realize they're there. But to be encouraging and friendly, people will tell you directions, like 'over there a few blocks,' even if they don´t really know. We've really built up our walking muscles and also had some really impressive grouchy tired married couple type fights during these moments :) Mostly though, it's been really good.
We also made our pilgrimage to the places important in the life and death of Archbishop Oscar Romero, as well as the six Jesuits killed along with their housekeeper and her daughter at the University of Central America. Jorge used to study here under Jon Sobrino (Sobrino fortunately was out of the country when the killings happened) and the priests who were killed. We met briefly with Sobrino, and also Jorge´s advisor, Dean Brackely. It´s a busy time here on campus and off, since the elections are book-ended with memorial holidays for Romero and Fr. Rutilio Grande, a friend of Romero´s who was among the first of the church workers to be killed, and whose death alerted Romero to the need to address the deteriorating human rights situation here in the late 70's and early 80's.
After our visits to the faculty and to the memorial museum there, we participated in the memorial mass for Fr. Grande. It was led by musician friends of Jorge´s from the seminary and university, some of whom helped to write the Misa Popular Salvadoreno, (the Salvadorean people's liturgy), which many of you will recognize from the hymns making it into our new hymnals these days. I hope we'll be able to use it also when we get started working at our new church, which is bilingual.
We´ve been able to see most of Jorge's family over the course of two visits, and so far everyone has been very warm and welcoming. And they all want to know when we´re producing grandchildren, and surely we will bring them to visit? As soon as possible, we've said. My Spanish has worked well at the house--there´s time to speak slowly, for example, and I´ve had some good conversations with my mother in law unassisted. However, the radio and tv go by way too fast for me to catch on, and it's similar for me trying to understand a conversation between two other people. I´m trying to read the paper in the evenings though, and it's all improving.
Sitting in a maximum-security cell a year ago, or marching in the vigil ten years ago at the School of the Americas, I didn´t expect that I would be here, and certainly not on, er, 'honeymoon.' Granted, a very political one, and spending some time making connections for our future visits in terms of theology, ministry, academics and activism. Life has taken a lot of good turns, no? Time to head out again and see what's happening.
Love to you all and hope to see you in a few weeks when we return.
peace,
Le Anne y Jorge
Greetings from El Salvador!
Greetings everyone!
We have arrived safely in San Salvador and are enjoying being back in Jorge´s home turf, and I am enjoying getting to know my new mother in law. The weather here is between 80 ad 90 degrees during the day, but it cools to 70 at night. We are staying at the Lutheran mission worker´s house and traveling around to other friends and family during the days. Tomorrow we will go to the Jesuit University where Jorge studied and look up some friends there, then hope to get into the Romero memorial later on.
Things are relatively calm ahead of this weekend´s presidential elections. We will be volunteering at the agency coordinating elections observers that day on a variety of tasks. Looking forward to a positive outcome then. Next week after all the excitement here, we´ll head back towards Guatemala and visit Jorge´s friends from the Dominicans.
One difficulty we are having is that the airline has cancelled half its flight schedule, so we will be mildly stranded until the weekend a few days after we planned to return. It´s lovely here, so we certainly don´t feel ´´stuck´´ here, but I have been taking classes in history and polity of the United Church of Christ for our upcoming work at St. John´s, and we will miss one of the weekend intensives.
There´s not a lot of internet access here, but we´ll write again if we get the chance. Peace to you, and see you when we return!
Le Anne y Jorge
We have arrived safely in San Salvador and are enjoying being back in Jorge´s home turf, and I am enjoying getting to know my new mother in law. The weather here is between 80 ad 90 degrees during the day, but it cools to 70 at night. We are staying at the Lutheran mission worker´s house and traveling around to other friends and family during the days. Tomorrow we will go to the Jesuit University where Jorge studied and look up some friends there, then hope to get into the Romero memorial later on.
Things are relatively calm ahead of this weekend´s presidential elections. We will be volunteering at the agency coordinating elections observers that day on a variety of tasks. Looking forward to a positive outcome then. Next week after all the excitement here, we´ll head back towards Guatemala and visit Jorge´s friends from the Dominicans.
One difficulty we are having is that the airline has cancelled half its flight schedule, so we will be mildly stranded until the weekend a few days after we planned to return. It´s lovely here, so we certainly don´t feel ´´stuck´´ here, but I have been taking classes in history and polity of the United Church of Christ for our upcoming work at St. John´s, and we will miss one of the weekend intensives.
There´s not a lot of internet access here, but we´ll write again if we get the chance. Peace to you, and see you when we return!
Le Anne y Jorge
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Chicago Wedding Reception, 4/25
Dear Ones,
We are making our way through our medical issues this past winter, and our looking forward to our re-scheduled celebrations!
We warmly invite all our friends and loved ones to celebrate our wedding with a Chicago reception:
We are making our way through our medical issues this past winter, and our looking forward to our re-scheduled celebrations!
We warmly invite all our friends and loved ones to celebrate our wedding with a Chicago reception:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
McGiffert Hall, Chicago Theological Seminary
5757 S. Woodlawn Ave.
4-7pm
Potluck and Open Mic
Please do not worry about 'traditional' gifts! However, we would very much welcome the gift of your favorite dish or beverage--and, if you are able/willing to include the recipe, we would enjoy learning how to make them on our cooking nights over at the GlobalServe Community.
We also know how many friends we have with the gifts of music, comedy, or poetry, who so rarely have an opportunity to share with others in supportive community. We would like to prepare a space for you to 'star' if you so wish and aren't too shy!
Please come when you can and leave when you must--we will enjoy your company for however long you can join us.
peace to all and hope to see you soon,
Le Anne y Jorge Montes-Clausen
Please do not worry about 'traditional' gifts! However, we would very much welcome the gift of your favorite dish or beverage--and, if you are able/willing to include the recipe, we would enjoy learning how to make them on our cooking nights over at the GlobalServe Community.
We also know how many friends we have with the gifts of music, comedy, or poetry, who so rarely have an opportunity to share with others in supportive community. We would like to prepare a space for you to 'star' if you so wish and aren't too shy!
Please come when you can and leave when you must--we will enjoy your company for however long you can join us.
peace to all and hope to see you soon,
Le Anne y Jorge Montes-Clausen
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Religious Workers Gain More Time with Immigrants Facing Deportation
I met the following folks just as I was being released from McHenry County Jail last spring. These guys are my heroes!
Original story, Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-religious-visits-18-feb18,0,4235959.story
Law allows religious workers more time with jailed immigrants awaiting deportation
By Antonio Olivo Tribune reporter
February 18, 2009
Chicago-area religious persons began training volunteers Tuesday to take advantage of a new Illinois law allowing for more clergy visits to jailed immigrants awaiting deportation, an effort they say will shed more light on prison conditions faced by that population.Scheduled to go into effect in June, the Access to Religious Ministry Act will ensure detained immigrants inside state and county jails housing those caught in federal raids the same access to clergy as those imprisoned for other crimes, said state Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), who co-sponsored a bill that passed both state houses unanimously in December.
Currently, religious visits for the rotating group of about 750 illegal immigrants who await deportation in Illinois jails every day is restricted to two hours or less per month, said Sister JoAnn Persch, whose Sisters of Mercy order spearheaded the new law.Consequently, visiting clergy have often had to rush their spiritual counseling for severe depression or intense anxiety after federal arrests, with even less time to attend to complaints about mistreatment during incarceration, she said.
"One week, we saw 70 detainees in little over an hour" inside McHenry County Jail, Persch said. "We want significant time for a team of people to go in every week."So far, a team of about 30 clergy has been assembled to help with the visits, with lawmakers who championed the bill negotiating the conditions of those visits with prison authorities.
Daniel Sedlock, chief of corrections for McHenry County Jail, predicted his facility would have no problem complying with the new law, though he was uncertain what its supporters are seeking.With Bible study sessions, weekly church services and clergy allowed to meet with inmates during regular visiting hours, "we've been meeting these requirements for a long time, in my opinion, and I think we exceed them," Sedlock said.
aolivo@tribune.com
Original story, Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-religious-visits-18-feb18,0,4235959.story
Law allows religious workers more time with jailed immigrants awaiting deportation
By Antonio Olivo Tribune reporter
February 18, 2009
Chicago-area religious persons began training volunteers Tuesday to take advantage of a new Illinois law allowing for more clergy visits to jailed immigrants awaiting deportation, an effort they say will shed more light on prison conditions faced by that population.Scheduled to go into effect in June, the Access to Religious Ministry Act will ensure detained immigrants inside state and county jails housing those caught in federal raids the same access to clergy as those imprisoned for other crimes, said state Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), who co-sponsored a bill that passed both state houses unanimously in December.
Currently, religious visits for the rotating group of about 750 illegal immigrants who await deportation in Illinois jails every day is restricted to two hours or less per month, said Sister JoAnn Persch, whose Sisters of Mercy order spearheaded the new law.Consequently, visiting clergy have often had to rush their spiritual counseling for severe depression or intense anxiety after federal arrests, with even less time to attend to complaints about mistreatment during incarceration, she said.
"One week, we saw 70 detainees in little over an hour" inside McHenry County Jail, Persch said. "We want significant time for a team of people to go in every week."So far, a team of about 30 clergy has been assembled to help with the visits, with lawmakers who championed the bill negotiating the conditions of those visits with prison authorities.
Daniel Sedlock, chief of corrections for McHenry County Jail, predicted his facility would have no problem complying with the new law, though he was uncertain what its supporters are seeking.With Bible study sessions, weekly church services and clergy allowed to meet with inmates during regular visiting hours, "we've been meeting these requirements for a long time, in my opinion, and I think we exceed them," Sedlock said.
aolivo@tribune.com
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Jesus and the Desert of the Real
I forgot I wrote this a while back (2007), in response to an essay test, and uncovered it today:
Book reference: Slavoj Zizek, Welcome to the Desert of the Real
What does Zizek mean by “the desert of the Real?”
What if the world that we were living in was actually a carefully constructed fake, and only a few of us began to realize this, the rest of the world completely unawares? Whether described by the Truman Show, the Matrix, or perhaps even the ‘brain in a vat’ theory, the idea of a virtual, reality-that-is-not-Real is deeply troubling.
Much of this can be seen in today’s mainstream media. What kind of ‘reality’ would be constructed for and assumed by a person who only got their news from FOX or Clearchannel or the New York Times? (What about the reality for a person who only got their news from Democracy Now or NPR? Just curious). We live in an age where we may believe that we have freer, better access to ‘the real world’ than our ancestors may have—and yet, given passive receptivity patterns on behalf of the media consumer, and the multibillion-dollar ‘news industry’s’ practices, we may be just as ignorant as ever before.
This is particularly true in the grand theme Zizek is responding to in this text: September 11th. He argues that rather than taking stock of its behaviors and relationships in the world, we entered a Reality ™ (a constructed product) that painted us as the innocent victims in all things and those whom we had oppressed as the wanton Enemy ™ [I use this designation for enemy here, given that our so-called enemies are always being invented and marketed to us, made ‘new and improved’ every few seasons].
In the next few paragraphs, I would like to practice Zizek’s ‘relational cure’ by speaking to that which I experience directly and relationally in my daily life. I would argue that even mainstream liberal theological education suffers in the desert of the Real. Any time we (particularly those of us coming from white, privileged backgrounds) pontificate and theorize about what’s going on half a world away and why, without having any direct relationships to that place or other authentic praxological engagement; or even when we theorize about what’s going on a neighborhood away from our classrooms without similar authentic interpersonal relationship and experiential knowledge of some kind, or whenever we shift an academic conversation to the theoretical level, not for the reasons of analyzing and critiquing that theory, but rather to avoid engagement with uncomfortable emotions and experiences that may exist within our immediate learning community, we tragically construct a liberal ‘virtual reality’ of that place and the people involved. This is likely unhelpful to them and to us, perhaps just as much so as if these same behaviors took place in a conservative theological education classroom. Theological education that refuses to ‘get its hands dirty’ may be real ™ but it’s not Real.
I believe there was a Jesus of the real ™ and a Jesus of the Real. This is often expressed as a Theology of Glory vs. the Theology of the Cross. The Real Jesus was Really born into poverty. In a wooden, stinky manger. Being incarnate, He pooped, just like the rest of us. And He died a gruesome, torturous death at the hands of the State and the will of religious leadership.
In the portrayal of the real ™ Jesus, Mary and Joseph wear new clothes. The Holy Family is White, and probably blond. The manger doesn’t smell bad when we buy the commercial crèche in the discount store. The infant never cries, let alone poops or spits up, in our Christmas lore,[1] two basic Realities we know from any experience with infants. There is also no blood on the Precious Moments ™ cross that comes in a keepsake box, or usually any other commercial model crucifix we might purchase to decorate ourselves or our homes[2].
What helps a person to break through the walls of ‘real’ ™ to Real? The Real is that which we come to know deeply—not absorbing third and fourth-hand as through a gossip chain, but face to face. This breakthrough could happen in a classroom where I am challenged to hear and deal with the authentic encounter of my classmate in his or her life, rather than just assuming what he or she would likely say, given my years of liberal (or conservative) social academic training. This could happen in any place on the planet where people are brought together to listen and speak to one another in a truly authentic manner. Let us then be authentic and present in our classrooms and hallways, in our congregations and homes and sidewalks and places of gathering. Let us not isolate ourselves any further to the numbing comforts of constructed reality ™.
Let’s get Real.
[1] ‘The little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes’ from the popular hymn ‘Away in the Manger.’
[2] Although I did once receive a handmade cross made of two large nails dipped in red nail polish for Confirmation class, an interesting take on the symbolism of then and now.
Book reference: Slavoj Zizek, Welcome to the Desert of the Real
What does Zizek mean by “the desert of the Real?”
What if the world that we were living in was actually a carefully constructed fake, and only a few of us began to realize this, the rest of the world completely unawares? Whether described by the Truman Show, the Matrix, or perhaps even the ‘brain in a vat’ theory, the idea of a virtual, reality-that-is-not-Real is deeply troubling.
Much of this can be seen in today’s mainstream media. What kind of ‘reality’ would be constructed for and assumed by a person who only got their news from FOX or Clearchannel or the New York Times? (What about the reality for a person who only got their news from Democracy Now or NPR? Just curious). We live in an age where we may believe that we have freer, better access to ‘the real world’ than our ancestors may have—and yet, given passive receptivity patterns on behalf of the media consumer, and the multibillion-dollar ‘news industry’s’ practices, we may be just as ignorant as ever before.
This is particularly true in the grand theme Zizek is responding to in this text: September 11th. He argues that rather than taking stock of its behaviors and relationships in the world, we entered a Reality ™ (a constructed product) that painted us as the innocent victims in all things and those whom we had oppressed as the wanton Enemy ™ [I use this designation for enemy here, given that our so-called enemies are always being invented and marketed to us, made ‘new and improved’ every few seasons].
In the next few paragraphs, I would like to practice Zizek’s ‘relational cure’ by speaking to that which I experience directly and relationally in my daily life. I would argue that even mainstream liberal theological education suffers in the desert of the Real. Any time we (particularly those of us coming from white, privileged backgrounds) pontificate and theorize about what’s going on half a world away and why, without having any direct relationships to that place or other authentic praxological engagement; or even when we theorize about what’s going on a neighborhood away from our classrooms without similar authentic interpersonal relationship and experiential knowledge of some kind, or whenever we shift an academic conversation to the theoretical level, not for the reasons of analyzing and critiquing that theory, but rather to avoid engagement with uncomfortable emotions and experiences that may exist within our immediate learning community, we tragically construct a liberal ‘virtual reality’ of that place and the people involved. This is likely unhelpful to them and to us, perhaps just as much so as if these same behaviors took place in a conservative theological education classroom. Theological education that refuses to ‘get its hands dirty’ may be real ™ but it’s not Real.
I believe there was a Jesus of the real ™ and a Jesus of the Real. This is often expressed as a Theology of Glory vs. the Theology of the Cross. The Real Jesus was Really born into poverty. In a wooden, stinky manger. Being incarnate, He pooped, just like the rest of us. And He died a gruesome, torturous death at the hands of the State and the will of religious leadership.
In the portrayal of the real ™ Jesus, Mary and Joseph wear new clothes. The Holy Family is White, and probably blond. The manger doesn’t smell bad when we buy the commercial crèche in the discount store. The infant never cries, let alone poops or spits up, in our Christmas lore,[1] two basic Realities we know from any experience with infants. There is also no blood on the Precious Moments ™ cross that comes in a keepsake box, or usually any other commercial model crucifix we might purchase to decorate ourselves or our homes[2].
What helps a person to break through the walls of ‘real’ ™ to Real? The Real is that which we come to know deeply—not absorbing third and fourth-hand as through a gossip chain, but face to face. This breakthrough could happen in a classroom where I am challenged to hear and deal with the authentic encounter of my classmate in his or her life, rather than just assuming what he or she would likely say, given my years of liberal (or conservative) social academic training. This could happen in any place on the planet where people are brought together to listen and speak to one another in a truly authentic manner. Let us then be authentic and present in our classrooms and hallways, in our congregations and homes and sidewalks and places of gathering. Let us not isolate ourselves any further to the numbing comforts of constructed reality ™.
Let’s get Real.
[1] ‘The little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes’ from the popular hymn ‘Away in the Manger.’
[2] Although I did once receive a handmade cross made of two large nails dipped in red nail polish for Confirmation class, an interesting take on the symbolism of then and now.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Meditation on the Inauguration
When Wednesday morning, November 5th, 2008 dawned, I felt as though it was Christmas. Jorge and I and friends from the GlobalServe Community 'Motherhouse' had spent the evening before reveling in downtown Chicago, in that mass of joyful and generous-spirited people. Not since I was a young child had I felt this mixture of giddy excitement, awe, and hope.
This morning, it felt like Easter, a new dawn that holds new life. The snow blows outside but we are all here circled around the television, all work on hold for now, watching the ceremony and the inaugural speech. I am so happy, so happy.
After the election, several classmates asked me if I planned to go to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. I did not want to. Sure, there were the factors of cost and travel time; but more than that, I felt deeply that I should not go. Simply put, I didn't feel right taking a seat, or space along the parade route, or a hotel room, or a plane ticket, that should rightfully go to a Black person. For as much as this moment in history means to me, there are those who deserve more a front seat at this victory celebration.
For me, the front seat was in the room at the Iowa caucuses just over a year ago. I remember the energy in the room, the holding of breath as numbers were counted and candidates eliminated, and the amazing surprise at the end of the night--Obama would go on. I remember only six months before that, at the Clear Lake Fourth of July parade, when all the crowds came to see the Clintons, and one lone, young Black student held a sign in the parade and called out for our support. Then he was a voice in the wilderness; now there is a roar.
It is so beautiful to see all the people filling the National Mall, stretching back as far as the eye can see. It is so much like the pictures of the March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is so beautiful to see the people in the streets of NYC and Chicago, and also the schoolchildren in the classrooms, all allowed to watch. Not just here in Chicago, but also in Jakarta, Indonesia, and around the world. The world has wept with us before, and today the world celebrates with us. Let us join with them now, do our neighbors no further harm, and work together towards the Beloved Community.
For me, the best part of the ceremony was the remarks made by Rev. Joseph E. Lowery (co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a friend of MLK), especially the inversion of the old color scheme; expressing the hope that now if you're Black, you don't have to "get back," and the hope that those who are white will finally do what is right. And helpful, I thought, the mention of 'when the red man, can finally get ahead, man.' It was a day not to divide among the races or religions, or to pit oppressions against each other, but to work together for the liberation of all.
There is so much more work to do, and yet today, we have come so far.
peace to you,
Le Anne
This morning, it felt like Easter, a new dawn that holds new life. The snow blows outside but we are all here circled around the television, all work on hold for now, watching the ceremony and the inaugural speech. I am so happy, so happy.
After the election, several classmates asked me if I planned to go to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration. I did not want to. Sure, there were the factors of cost and travel time; but more than that, I felt deeply that I should not go. Simply put, I didn't feel right taking a seat, or space along the parade route, or a hotel room, or a plane ticket, that should rightfully go to a Black person. For as much as this moment in history means to me, there are those who deserve more a front seat at this victory celebration.
For me, the front seat was in the room at the Iowa caucuses just over a year ago. I remember the energy in the room, the holding of breath as numbers were counted and candidates eliminated, and the amazing surprise at the end of the night--Obama would go on. I remember only six months before that, at the Clear Lake Fourth of July parade, when all the crowds came to see the Clintons, and one lone, young Black student held a sign in the parade and called out for our support. Then he was a voice in the wilderness; now there is a roar.
It is so beautiful to see all the people filling the National Mall, stretching back as far as the eye can see. It is so much like the pictures of the March on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is so beautiful to see the people in the streets of NYC and Chicago, and also the schoolchildren in the classrooms, all allowed to watch. Not just here in Chicago, but also in Jakarta, Indonesia, and around the world. The world has wept with us before, and today the world celebrates with us. Let us join with them now, do our neighbors no further harm, and work together towards the Beloved Community.
For me, the best part of the ceremony was the remarks made by Rev. Joseph E. Lowery (co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a friend of MLK), especially the inversion of the old color scheme; expressing the hope that now if you're Black, you don't have to "get back," and the hope that those who are white will finally do what is right. And helpful, I thought, the mention of 'when the red man, can finally get ahead, man.' It was a day not to divide among the races or religions, or to pit oppressions against each other, but to work together for the liberation of all.
There is so much more work to do, and yet today, we have come so far.
peace to you,
Le Anne
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