Changing Narratives by Sr . Donna Liette , c . pp . s ., pbmr
Do you remember December 31 , 1999 when we all waited with fear and expectation of what could be ? Some prepared for the worst — would the world come to an end ? Well it didn ’ t , and as the new millennium began , four Missionaries of the Precious Blood felt challenged to change the narrative of priests and their relationship to community , so they moved beyond their work in parishes to the streets of Back of the Yards in Chicago . They opened a safe place and Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation was born !
January is a great time to sit by the fireplace and remember what was and what is becoming , and yesterday I did just that . 2017 was an amazing year of transformation at pbmr . The dream of purchasing and renovating an abandoned house in the neighborhood became a reality , and so Mother Brunner ( mb ) House was opened . A few days ago , my heart was just bursting with joy as I walked through this beautiful new home — take a walk with me . There in the first room was Allyson , our social work intern , with a mother searching for affordable housing . In the next room , another mother was working with a volunteer on possibilities for furthering her education ; this mother received her high school diploma months ago in our newly created Education Lab with the support of Sr . Janet . In the two Mother Brunner kitchens , pizzas were being prepared ; in the family circle room , Leah , one of our Precious Blood Volunteers , was preparing for a Young Women ’ s Circle , and Francis ( Fr . Denny ’ s dog ) was checking out the activities , hoping a morsel of food would fall for his consumption . Then I stopped by Julie ’ s office , one of four in the mb House . Julie and I celebrated the achievements of her advocacy group , criic ; because of their work , Julie and other mothers and fathers now know that their sons — who had originally been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole as juveniles — will not die in prison . In fact , some are already free ! So , if anyone should think that our “ Back of the Yards ” neighborhood is just an ugly , violent , inactive community — come and see , the narratives are changing !
On a warm day several weeks ago , Raheem , one of the four young men who helped renovate the mb House , and I planted tulip bulbs around the house ( a new experience for him ). As he was digging the holes and placing the bulbs point up , we talked about how these bulbs need to be in the dark earth for the winter but then we will see new life pop up all over – and we will delight the whole neighborhood . We compared that to our own lives and to our community : out of the dark , new life has been popping up .
Of course , you have all heard of our community garden . Once in this community , there were no fresh , affordable vegetables — a real food desert — but Sr . Carolyn and her team ( Mary , Sharrow , several youths , and our friends from St . John of the Cross ) have transformed a parking lot into a luscious vegetable garden which produced over 3000 lbs . of food for the community this year .
With the constant coaching of Patrick , we have youth , mothers , and fathers out in the workforce delighted to have a job and the support of pbmr – another changing narrative !
Yesterday , Mr . Lewis from Coldwell Bankers delivered our $ 12,000 check for the startup of our next building , and he was amazed when he saw all the activity , and was especially impressed by the youth in the woodworking shop — so engaged in their projects , yet so hospitable and proud of their work under the guidance of Mike .
As always , Restorative Justice plays a major role at the Center . There have been circles of reconciliation , celebration , training with young women , young men , and mothers throughout the year . Pamela has facilitated many of these and introduced circles into the schools and community , along with introducing our young people to pumpkin carving !
I would be remiss if I did not mention the transformative ministry in our jails and prisons . Every Tuesday and Thursday , Frs . Denny and Dave along with Sara and Mike and other volunteers visit our incarcerated children at the Juvenile Detention Center . Mike Donovan goes from one Illinois prison to another , week after week , visiting young men who have been sentenced , offering them support and love . Many have no other visitors but him . More of our staff , including Artrice and Orlando , also provide services for people re-entering society after incarceration . We walk with these people through a very difficult transition . continued on page 16
14 • The New Wine Press • January 2018