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Last summer Gene Sylvestre was enjoying his retirement with friends and family. A WWII veteran with a loving wife, four children and six grandchildren, Sylvestre heard about the new Mental Illness Ministry at St. Joan of Arc. He volunteered to assist. Many months have passed and a new summer is upon us; yet, those idle days of summer are long past for Sylvestre. He is now part of a growing ministry that is touching the lives of many people.
When asked what prompted him to become so involved in the ministry, Sylvestre shared a remarkable history working in social justice. It began with World War II, an event that left an indelible mark upon the life of Gene Sylvestre.
Sylvestre’s Service in the US Army
Although the advent of WWII is multi-faceted, Adolph Hitler is undeniably a center point. When he sought to destabilize Europe, he began with Austria, his native homeland. After gaining control of Austria, he embarked upon a world war. His ultimate goal was to take control of Europe and to exterminate Jews and other human beings whom he considered ‘undesireables.’
What unfolded was one of the darkest points in recorded history. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war on the U.S.A. This led Roosevelt and Churchill to plan the first coordinated attack with U.S. forces. As the war turned in favor of Allied forces, Germany began ‘liquidating’ concentration camps throughout Europe. Through this process, some detainees were murdered. Others were forced to march to their deaths. Those remaining were left to die in the camps.
As Allied forces regained Austria, the infantry unit to which Sylvestre was assigned, began a find and demolition mission. They found and liberated two concentration camps, including Mauthausen. At the impressionable age of 19, Sylvestre witnessed conditions in the concentration camps too horrifying to describe.
“There wasn’t much we could do but supply food and keep people so they didn’t wander into Vienna,” said Sylvestre. “There was very little we could do other than just agonize over the way these people were treated.” Within days of their liberation, survivors in many of the concentration camps died from malnutrition and disease, too weakened to respond to medical care.
Sylvestre remained in Austria for a year. In contrast to the camps, the surrounding neighborhoods were clean and tidy. He was struck by their proximity to the train yards where people were delivered to the nearby concentration camps. Inside the citizen’s homes, he witnessed metals, citations and awards given to them by the Nazis.
As I spoke with him, Sylvestre’s forehead creased and his eyes assumed a puzzled expression. “These were good people in a way. They weren’t even Nazis; yet, they proudly wore these medals. It could be for a child’s birth or for a son who died in the service.” He dropped his hands back upon his lap. A moment of silence passed between us.
The Turning Point
Sylvestre survived the war and returned home. Thinking back, he said, “Unlike a lot of the men I was with in WWII, I survived. I didn’t like what I saw over there. Now I had to decide, ‘What am I going to do with that?’” His eyes misted.
“I’m just finding out how deep that was for me. This is the ultimate thing to come upon [in life] and I can’t shake it. I have been such a fervent fighter against anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism, or anti anything where you can dehumanize a group of people.” Sylvestre made a decision.
From those early scenes of death, despair, and hopelessness, he started a new service in the Twin Cities. For the next 25-30 years, Sylvestre and staff assisted communities, businesses, and organizations in addressing poverty, mental illness, peace, environmental causes, homelessness and more. What follows are some of the highlights of his career.
Advocating Change – Creating Solutions
The organization now known as NAMI originated as the Mental Health Advocates Coalition. The McKnight Foundation awarded the coalition a grant to conduct studies throughout Minnesota. Sylvestre was hired to go with them and arrange meetings with people and organizations that were doing something about mental illness. It could be housing, financial assistance, community support services – anything designed to help people with mental illness live in the community.
Over a series of town meetings, interviews, and regional planning sessions, common goals were established and they took their findings to the legislature. The project worked, bringing about many of the changes we see today. Sylvestre and Pat Samples co-authored a book, With Open Arms: A story of community support for people who are mentally ill. Sylvestre and his son Jeff, a documentary film maker, also produced a video.
In another project, The 8th Day, Sylvestre worked with a group in Seattle, Washington. Led by an attorney, the group included academics, people and organizations with environmental concerns. They involved radio and television stations so people in their homes could join a discussion about the environment. Sylvestre described the premise of The 8th Day as, “God created the earth in 7 days. On the 8th day, people kick in. They look at the situation, discuss it, and then decide, ‘What the heck are we going to do about it?’”
Some years ago, North Memorial hired Sylvestre to help them create a plan for families with a recent diagnosis of cancer. Two women running the hospice program at North Memorial had a plan. Working with Sylvestre, they wrote the a 7 week course. It was sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Later the course was revised to a weekend program. People brought their families, including children, grandparents, grandchildren and other family members.
Called I Can Cope, the program included nutrition, legal help, children’s therapy, music therapy, art therapy, and other areas pertinent to the lives of these families. One of Sylvestre’s daughter-in-laws is a music therapist. She volunteered to play her guitar and banjo while the group sang.
“By Sunday afternoon, something had taken place,” said Sylvestre. “They’d pick a tune and sing.” He paused, recalling the memories. “The art work of the kids in a cancer focused weekend is fascinating.”
Later, Sylvestre and his son produced a slide show of the program. The American Cancer Society continues to use I Can Cope in the United States.
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| Generations of the Sylvestre Family |
This brings us back to the question, what prompted Gene Sylvestre to become so involved in St. Joan of Arc’s Mental Illness Ministry? One of his goals and missions in life is to promote social justice and honor those whom society does not understand. To honor means not only to celebrate, but to eradicate the stigma surrounding any group.
“The joyful thing for me is the history of people who are pursuers(people experiencing mental illness). That, more than anything, is the history that needs to be told. The insightful interesting people in this congregation who have helped us so far. It is really honoring the stories of people. This [the Mental Illness Ministry] is an honor society. These are the stories of people who are mentally ill and all they’ve done to help themselves and consequently to help others.”
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