Favorite uncle: Recalling memories

		Grand Mom  Audrey  Mettel Fixmer

When I wrote my novel, Song of the Phoenix, about my experience living with my favorite uncle, I had to make up the plot. No one would have believed the truth.

In that novel I drew from the true experience I had as a child living in the rectory of St. Joseph Parish in Elgin, Ill., with my great uncle, Fr. Fred Brummel. We lived there from the autumn of 1937 until 1939. We then moved into the parish house next door, where we remained until 1941, when I graduated from eighth grade.

My three older siblings were grown, so there were four of us moving into the rectory. My mother, Father Fred's niece, worked as his housekeeper, and my dad became the parish custodian, trading his white collar job of salesman for a pair of coveralls. Mary Lou and I, eight and 10, were thrilled to move from our modest home in Aurora to the grander house, which was frequently filled with the hearty laughter of Father Fred. Even so, Mother always "hushed" us, constantly urging us to behave properly "in this house."

Influence on life

In my novel I tried to accurately show the beautiful relationship I developed with my uncle. He made me feel special when he invited me each evening after dinner (which he shared with all of us in the kitchen) to join him on the sofa in the living room to work the daily crossword puzzle. Today I am well aware how much Father Fred influenced my life and my values, but especially my love of words, the most important tools of a writer.

Life in the rectory provided a rich local color for my novel and for my life. My first brush with death, however, came when Father Fred died. In my novel I had him die in a fire, but when I found an agent to sell my story, she insisted that I keep him alive because, she argued, he was such a lovable character that she (and future readers) would want him to go on influencing Amanda's life in future books. So I resurrected him. (Oh, the power of the fiction writer! If only it was that easy in real life.)

The reality is that Father Fred went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for hemorrhoid surgery. About the time we were expecting him home, Mother got the telegram. Father Fred had died. The day of his funeral Mother received a letter from him, telling how well he was feeling and that he would soon be home. It was a chilling experience.

I was especially sensitive to the death experience, and I recall crying hysterically when I was supposed to join my class in viewing him in the coffin. For months afterward I dreamed of him.

Priests often went about in their cassocks in those days, and one time he had his picture taken in his black cassock holding a sheep while visiting his brother's farm. He laughingly referred to that as his "Good Shepherd Picture." No doubt it was that photo that prompted me to dream of him as he looked in the photo, and calling to me to come with him as he held out his arms. It scared my mother half to death when I told her the dream.

My grandmother, Father Fred's sister, grieved over his death, repeating over and over how awful it was that after giving the last sacraments to hundreds of others, he should die without the benefit. That's why "the rest of the story" may seem unbelievable.

Mystery resolved

The return to Aurora in 1941 enabled me to go to Madonna High School, just as my older sisters had, and pursue my love of words and literature to the point that I knew I wanted to be a writer. I chose the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn. to pursue my further education. Yet it was there, more than six years later and worlds away, that the mystery surrounding Father Fred's death was resolved.

It was the custom at St. Ben's to hold a Bishop's reception for all freshmen. Each of us wore a formal gown for the tea, and was presented to the Bishop of the St. Cloud Diocese, Bishop Bartholomy.

When it was my turn, the bishop said, "Aurora, Illinois? I wonder if you might have known . . . No, that was not Aurora, it was Elgin."

"I lived in Elgin too!" I rushed to say.

"This was a priest named, let's see . . . Father Fred Brummel."

"He was my uncle!" I fairly shouted. "You knew him?"

"Only for a short time. He was a patient at the Mayo Clinic when I was chaplain there. We struck up a friendship, and we had gone for a long walk on that Sunday afternoon. He wanted to rest and write a letter before dinner, so he went back to his room. We planned to meet for dinner, but when he didn't show up, I went to his room and found him dying. I gave him the last sacraments and . . ."

Incredible story

As he spoke I could feel my face flushing and the hot tears splashing down my cheeks. I think I mumbled, "Thank you!" or something, and then rushed off to my room, overcome with emotion. I had to pull myself together before writing to my mother to tell her my incredible story.

Three days later I received a letter from her, dated that same Sunday, telling of my grandmother's wedding anniversary celebration, which was attended by her sister (and Father Fred's) Sister Hyacinth, O.P. of South Dakota. Sister Hyacinth wanted to visit Father Fred's grave, "So at 3:30 we all went to Marywood Cemetery in Big Woods." 3:30! The very moment I was receiving the astonishing news from the bishop.

Father Fred with his big hearty laugh, was sure having fun with this one!

"Grandmom" likes hearing from other senior citizens who enjoy aging -- contact information.

Catholic renaissance: At Princeton University

		The Catholic  Difference  George Weigel

Having taught James Madison at the College of New Jersey (as Princeton was then known), the Rev. John Witherspoon has a claim to the honorable title, "Grandfather of the U.S. Constitution."

What, I wonder, would a good Presbyterian Scotsman like Witherspoon make of the fact that Princeton University Chapel now has a Blessed Sacrament chapel, complete with tabernacle and icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe?

Some might imagine the good reverend spinning in his grave at an impressive rate of r.p.m.'s. I think he'd be pleased, once he got over the initial shock.

Dialogue of faith, reason

For Princeton's vibrant Catholic community is, today, at the center of the enterprise to which John Witherspoon dedicated his life: the dialogue of faith and reason in the service of democracy and human freedom.

If you're a student looking for an intellectually challenging education and a Catholic community whole-heartedly committed to the new evangelization, or if you're a parent looking for such a school for your son or daughter, you could do far worse than look at Princeton. Indeed, you'd be far better off with Princeton than with several high-priced institutions whose Catholicism is vestigial at best.

Active Catholic community

The Princeton Catholic renaissance is nothing short of amazing - and heartening. It's currently led by a marvelous chaplain, Fr. Tom Mullelly, who believes in leading by forming leaders.

Three Sunday Masses, a well-attended daily Mass, and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament keep Princeton's Catholics eucharistically centered.

The RCIA program brings new Princetonian Catholics into the church every Holy Week - during which outdoor Stations of the Cross give a powerful witness to the central story of western civilization. Numerous Bible studies, "Catholic principles" studies, and similar discussion groups maintain a lively conversation about Catholic truth and its application in the world.

Campus ministry

The campus ministry organizes an annual spring pilgrimage (Rome and Spain were recent destinations). Distinguished Catholic speakers are regularly invited to campus; a Gregorian chant choir offers an introduction to classic Catholic music; and Princeton's Catholics pray Vespers every Tuesday evening with Princeton's Episcopalians and Lutherans.

Thanks to the efforts of Princeton's unembarrassed Catholics, the Department of Religion will offer a for-credit course next spring, "Recent Catholic Thought from Vatican II to John Paul II," which will be taught by the distinguished Lutheran theologian, Robert Jensen.

Those same students and alumni have created a new campus club, the Anscombe Society (named for the late English Catholic philosopher), to defend marriage, promote pre-marital chastity, advance a pro-woman feminism, and, as one of the organizers put it, "defend male and female as distinct and complementary."

The Princeton pro-life group sponsored the first interfaith Respect Life service in Princeton Chapel, featuring luminaries like Fr. Richard Neuhaus and Rabbi David Novak, as well as an evangelical pastor and an imam.

You won't find any of these things, alas, on too many putatively Catholic campuses; but you'll find them at Princeton.

Flowering of Catholicism

Its high spirits are what most impresses me about Princeton's Catholic renaissance. A faculty member put it in these compelling terms: "There has been a true flowering of John Paul II Catholicism on this campus. It is robust and hopeful. It engages opponents (on issues such as abortion, sexual morality, etc.) on the plane of rational debate and unreservedly links arms with allies in the evangelical Christian, Orthodox Jewish, and Muslim communities. We are not hiding in the catacombs but engaging the culture - even in areas where the prevailing culture on this campus (as with most others) is hostile.

". . . We do not fear inquiry, we relish it. We recognize that truth is never the enemy of faith. We proclaim the Gospel of Life as the . . . affirmation of the unique, profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every member of the human family.

"We have our faults and failings. . . . But this is a community of Catholics who are really determined to follow the way of the Lord Jesus. And we're having the time of our lives."

If that interests you, you can start investigating the Princeton Catholic renaissance by e-mailing Aquinas@Princeton.edu and requesting a link to the chaplaincy's Web site.

George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Human trafficking: Start praying to stop preying

	Guest commentary  Marilynn Rebman

More than one million people, persons like you and me made in the image and likeness of God, are deceived, marketed, and held against their will in the human trafficking scene each year - somebody's child, somebody's sister, somebody's little brother, and somebody's young mother.

They are promised a one-way ticket to freedom, out of their existing struggles. What they find is that they have been coerced into a world of debt, dependency, and desperation.

Moment of silence

So before reading any further; stop! Stop for one moment of silence to think about, pray for, and remember these victims - and, in that "moment of silence," two more victims entered, were sold, into the human trafficking market.

Imagine being an investigator, a warrior of goodness and morality, someone who wants to fight to end this human horror.

Imagine too, a brothel someplace in the world (the location doesn't really matter because the sinful horror would be the same). There is a one-way mirror. On one side of the mirror is a row of little girls all dressed in identical red dresses and the little girls are watching a children's cartoon. Each of those little red dresses has a number pinned to it.

On the other side of the mirror is the "warrior of good" (incognito), trying desperately to learn about the operation, and the predators. There is also someone explaining to the predators what "specialty" each little girl would "do" before they made their choice.

Voice to advocate

This was just one of the examples of human trafficking that was presented at the Justice Forum Conference on the Exploitation of Children at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on November 4 and 5. I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend the forum.

Although it was painful and heart wrenching to imagine the plight of those being trafficked, I am fortunate because I know that it was God's will that I be there. God has given me exposure to this atrocity, and equipped me with ears to console and a voice to advocate.

Justice Forum

The Justice Forum began on Friday afternoon with registration and book displays, followed by an introduction by David Lippiatt of Mad City Church/WE International and Vern Visick of New College Madison.

The remainder of Friday consisted of Plenary Session I: "The Problem - Exploitation of Children Around the World" by Bethany Hanke of International Justice Mission, dinner, the showing of the movie Born Into Brothels, a Q&A time, and book signing by Zana Briski, director of Kids With Cameras.

Saturday morning began with coffee, book displays, and information about the day's breakout sessions. There was an opportunity to attend only two breakout sessions, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. It would have been a significant experience to attend all the sessions.

Some of the breakout sessions included "A Lifestyle of Justice and Mercy" by Heidi Williams of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship; "Strategies for Preventing and Undoing the Damage" by Phyllis Kilbourn of Rainbows of Hope; "Worldwide Trafficking in Children-Staying Hopeful" by Rob Morris of Justice for Children International; "Our Kids Are Not for Sale: Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S." by Al Erickson of Adults Saving Children; "The Roles of NGOs, Governments, and the Church in Protecting Children" by Ron Sider of Evangelicals for Social Action; and Invisible Children movie screening (Child Soldiers) by David Lippiatt of WE International.

Modern slavery

Human trafficking is the modern word for slavery and is currently organized crime's second largest income source worldwide. It has surpassed the sale of weapons and will soon surpass the sale of drugs.

Why? Because a human being, even a small child's body, can be used over and over. Weapons and drugs are sold only ONCE, then they are gone. You need another supply.

Greed, money, and power are the culprits driving this human trafficking; and yes, it's the poor, the weak, the vulnerable, and the uneducated who are the most victimized.

Listen to Scriptures

What does Scripture say about God's special love for the poor? What does Scripture say about Jesus and His care about a woman's dignity and His love of children? And how did Jesus treat the unfortunate, the scorned, those looked down upon?

We, as caring and knowledgeable people and especially as Christians, need to listen to the Scriptures. We need to know what God is telling us.

All throughout the Bible, we hear about God's love for the poor, whether He's freeing the slaves in Egypt, or whether it is Jesus walking with and curing the lepers or giving the downtrodden and the sinners hope by His love and forgiveness - we are called to listen to the Scriptures. The beatitudes teach both spiritual and corporal works . . .

Today's society is exploiting women and children for sex, pornography, modeling in greed for money, and power. I cannot forget a couple statements made by Rob Morris of Justice for Children International: "The ones who work the hardest are the ones last standing - the winners."

Unite in compassion

In that light, are the traffickers working harder than those trying to stop it? Is greed or compassion the greater motivator? It is time for us all to unite in compassion against this evil and offer a Christian hand to the oppressed.

To learn more about human trafficking, poverty, and other social concerns and economic issues, go to: www.SDSsisters.org, www.poverty.com, www.ijm.org, www.adultssavingkids.org, or you can also simply Google "human trafficking" or any of the organizations named above who gave presentations at the Justice Forum; there are also many books available relating to these matters.

Marilynn Rebman is a member of Holy Mother of Consolation Parish, Oregon.