What would you like to know about St. Joan of Arc? Do you have a story about our parish or of general interest that you think others would like to hear? For story ideas, contact Jeff Rholl, jeff@stjoan.com.
| WHAT'S IN A NAME? |
| WHAT'S IN A NAME? |
What about hospitals described as looney bins, nut houses? What about mental health units described as psycho wards.
A friend wonders where the acceptance of abusive language starts. Is it in the home, she asks? This same friend told me about her upbringing in a little Pennsylvania coal town. A woman who lived on a hill nearby was seen as odd. She was a recluse; except that she came by now and then to visit my friend's family. The mother stopped whatever she was doing and sat down at the table and visited, fully attentive to the woman described as "an odd one," a "crazy." The mother of that house explained to the little eight year old girl, my friend many years ago, that the woman had suffered such overwhelming sorrow, that she had not ever gotten over it and that she was to be honored and respected in their home.
A woman told me this true story. Some years ago a small group of nuns were talking together. One woman said, "We took the orchestra to play for the 'crazies' at St. Peters." One of the sisters, the youngest in the group, gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "What is it," asked one? "She just said they took their band to play for the 'crazies', she exclaimed. 'No dear, it is called an orchestra, not a band!" This educated, dedicated woman, giving her life to serving others in the name of Christ, really thought the important thing was to delineate between a band and an orchestra. She never thought it was because human beings were called crazies. Maybe sensitivity is being stressed in more institutions now. Maybe language is gentler in many homes.
I heard of a man whose wife suffered stoically after cancer struck. When she died people gathered around, there were prayers and visits and many casseroles. A year later his daughter was diagnosed as manic depressive -- bipolar and there were no prayers offered, no visits. There were no casseroles. People heard the words mentally ill and maybe just didn't know what to do. This man and his children were left alone to struggle. What message was left with the children in that home? What attitude would they take into the world?
There are a surely many stories, stories that tell how compassion, respect, acceptance of those who seem to be different are taught in the day to day activities in our lives. These stories tell how children are taught by words and example how those outside the family circle are to be beheld and treated. And how the community reacts when mental illness is the topic.
Ronnie B. Angelus
A ROSE is a rose is a rose. Well, I suppose. And a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I guess that's true. But how about human beings? Are they seen the same if they are called crazies, nutso, bonkers, wacko, loco, a screw loose, looney, mental, bananas? What happens when a human person is described as one egg short of a dozen, not the brightest light bulb in the box. And it seems to become a matter of pride to think of original phrases that describe another seen as not as quick, or sharp or witty as others.
A rose is a rose -- no doubt. A human being is never less than a human being.
July, 2005
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If something can be embryonic and mature at the same time, that's how to describe St. Joan's newest ministry -- the Mental Illness Ministry. It is just beginning: Ideas are popping, people are bursting into activity. Phone calls to organizations and individuals conversant in the world of mental illness are eliciting wonderful response. And everywhere a story of a brother, mother, self, sister, who has suffered a mental illness, and sometimes the stigma of mental illness. There are people still hidden in the shadows of fear and others who have trod the road and are eager to tell their stories. Our new ministry hopes to bring some of these stories to you later this summer through the website. As of today there are speakers scheduled for August and a special Sunday dedicated to mental illness awareness in October on the calendar. There will be speakers and representatives of many of the groups in the Twin Cities who offer information shelters, drop in centers and a multiplicity of programs all designed to assist the "consumers" (a word used to designate the mentally ill) and their families and friends and the professionals who work in the field. A Kickoff Meeting is scheduled for Thursday July 28, 7:00 to 9:30 PM in the Hospitality Hall, open to all parishioners. We'll be brainstorming for goals, ideas, hopes and dreams. We need to hear what you have to say. In a few weeks, we will have a link on the St. Joan Website to give you lists of resources. Every few weeks we'll be writing stories of parishioners and friends who have experiences with mental illness' effects on our lives. There are a lot of possibilities popping and we'll be keeping you informed and waiting eagerly to hear from any parishioners who have stories to tell, or ideas. We will be setting up an Advisory Board in the next few weeks and we need the experience of professionals and others connected to the mental health system. Call us with your interest. People, doctors and others in the field, have told us there is a crying need for this kind of a program. Our heart's hope is that it serves you.
Roseann Rogers, Parish Minister - 612.823.8205 |