Marko brings many blessings

As I was reading the article by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk on the ethics of living with brain damage (Catholic Herald, June 26), I couldn't help but think of my wonderful little friend, Marko, who was born perfectly formed but had extensive brain damage at birth.

	"So how do we measure quality of life? Just look at someone like little Marko, who will always need to be fed through a tube . . . but who gives so much joy to those who love him."

It looked so bad for him that they didn't think he would live out the week. His family brought him home from the hospital and made sure that someone was with him at all times, day and night. He couldn't swallow so he was being fed by a tube inserted into his belly; his sight, hearing, and other senses seemed to be non-existent. He didn't seem to respond to anything.

He needs lots of support

But like all infants, he could be held and hugged, cuddled, rocked, and sung to. I have had the wonderful privilege of spending four hours every week with Marko ever since he came home from the hospital.

Oh, he did live out the week - and the month - and what a wonderful celebration at the end of the year. Now, in spite of all odds against him, he is five and a half years old.

He is still being fed through a tube, can't talk, sit, stand, or hold himself up. He has a whole army of nurses, physical therapists, and special teachers. He is on oxygen almost all of the time and needs all kinds of equipment and attention to routine.

With the support of four brothers who adore him, extraordinary parents who lovingly tend to his every need, and a whole bunch of friends who love him, he lives a life absolutely full of blessings most of us never even think about.

Interacting with others

It is one of my blessings to spend quality time with him every week. Even though he is not as easy to cuddle because he is five and a half years old, he still loves to be held and for some unexplainable reason, he loves for me to sing to him. Through these years, we have built up a large treasure chest of songs.

When he was a baby, I though he was just comfortable with the attention given him. But when he was about two years old, we discovered that he likes some songs and doesn't like others. One of his favorites is "Do, Re, Me" from The Sound of Music and he smiles when it is being sung. What a blessing the first time that his great big smile told me he recognized that song.

I wrote a song for him and when I sing the refrain with lyrics saying how much we love him, his smile is so animated that you just know he understands the words.

Lately, over the holidays of Memorial Day and Flag Day, we added some of the old favorite patriotic songs and he dearly loves them and when I sing "God Bless America," he sings right along with me. You probably wouldn't recognize what he is singing but I'll bet that it sounds right to him.

He loves to go for walks in his special wheelchair and he has special DVDs that he watches with great interest. He seems to see the big motions and bright colors and obviously hears the sounds. Now, just like with our songs, he has his favorites and then some that he won't watch at all.

He loves to be in the midst of his very busy and active brothers who aren't afraid to entertain him with a little rough house which he rewards with great big smiles and hardy laughs.

Brings many blessings

The blessings Marko has brought to his family and all who know and love him are indescribable. He is a beautiful child and when he looks you right in the eye and lets you know that he recognizes you, it fills your heart with such joy. Everyone is so much richer because of him.

He undoubtedly will never lead the life of us "normal" people. But to think that his quality of life is not something special is to not understand his response to the unconditional love of his family and his rather large support group.

All you have to see is the life and love in his eyes and his whole body when I'm singing his special song, "Oh, how we love you, Oh, how we love you, You're such a joy to all, We love you so." He clearly knows he is loved and how many "normal" people do you know these days who are so certain of that?

So how do we measure quality of life? Just look at someone like little Marko, who will always need to be fed through a tube, who will always need constant care, who will never do so many of the things other children do, but who gives so much joy to those who love him.

He is such a blessing to his brothers and his parents. There must be a whole lot of quality in this life. Thank you, Marko.

Sandy and her husband, Jerry have become like grandparents to little Marko. They are members of St. Patrick Parish in Cottage Grove.

Called to loving service
Work and witness of local priests and Religious in the Developing World

		Propagation  of the Faith  Msgr. Delbert  Schmelzer

"It is the greatest love by which God has called us." So wrote Farhan Irshaad, a student at St. Francis Xavier Seminary in Lahore, Pakistan, about his vocation to the priesthood.

"Here in the seminary, we come to learn the true spirit of service," he says. And he describes his own gift of service - teaching catechism to village children, visiting a nearby home for the elderly, and giving from his own meager goods to a local shelter for the poor.

"May we become a community of love, peace, and reconciliation in our country," offers another student, Farayad Ansar, about him and his 30 fellow seminarians.

In another part of Asia, in Jakarta, Indonesia, a newly ordained priest, Fr. Carolus Putranto, has similar reflections on his priestly vocation. "God asks me to serve His people, to walk with them, and to love them as a sign of my love for Him," he says.

The students at the Major Seminary in Jakarta, like those at St. Francis Xavier in Lahore, all receive help from the Propagation of the Faith/St. Peter Apostle; some $700 annually - about $5 a day. This assistance provides for books and supplies, for support of the seminary staff, for housing for the students, even for food and medical needs.

Local people answer the call

Indeed, throughout Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and remote regions of Latin America, there are some 30,000 major seminarians just like Irshaad and Ansar. They've heard the Lord's call to the priesthood, but lack the financial help to complete their seminary studies. Through donations to the Propagation of the Faith/St. Peter Apostle, these young men receive that support, and the poor of the missions, through the loving service of local priests, come to experience the powerful, hope-filled presence of our Lord.

Emmanuel Subaar is already offering that presence in his native Ghana. A student at St. Peter's Regional Seminary in Cape Coast, he was sent to five villages and spent a week in each. "Some of these villages also have outlying villages and I had to travel on foot for about four miles to visit the people there," he explains. "By God's grace, I was able to start Catholic communities in some places where there wasn't even a Catholic church."

For Subaar, his seminary education is preparing him for the future. "My experiences gave me an idea of how much work still needs to be done," he says. "I know I have to prepare myself well for the challenges ahead."

Religious in the missions

In the missions today, there are also some 10,000 women and men preparing to serve the poor as Religious Brothers and Sisters - each receiving some $300 from the Propagation of the Faith/St. Peter Apostle for their formation as novices.

The Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy in Nnewi, Nigeria, were "formed to bear witness to the mercy of God by following in the footsteps of Jesus and Mary." As one of the novices receiving help explains: "Our origin and driving force is the Eucharistic Jesus. We carry out our work with the spirit of love and mercy of our Sacramental Lord and our Blessed Virgin to those most in need."

The Sisters staff nursery, elementary, and secondary schools. They know that the parents who bring their children there - poor farmers and day laborers - cannot pay for the education. But the Sisters press on in their service. "We want to bring Christ, the light of the world, to those most in need," says one. "We just know that somehow God will provide for us."

You can help

The seminarians in Pakistan, Indonesia, Ghana, and throughout the developing world, along with young women and men there preparing to be Sisters or Brothers, count on your help so that they may offer loving service among the poorest in our human family. Coming in the name of Christ, these priests and Religious, over a lifetime, will invite countless people to Jesus and to the Church - and will make present the healing, saving love of Jesus Himself.

Whatever help you can offer would be a real blessing for those seminarians and novices. While you would not know by name the person whose vocation you help to support, you would be sure of the many prayers offered for you by these young men and women. Remember, too, that your prayers are your greatest gift to the missions. May the Lord bless you for your generous missionary heart.

Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer is director of the Propagation of the Faith for the Diocese of Madison. Contributions to the Propagation of the Faith may be sent to: P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983.