by Simone Hoedel, published Winter 2004
Collins Okeny is resting with his family in his Yorkton home, relaxed and at ease. Although he now works as a blaster at Leon's Manufacturing Company in Yorkton, he reflects that only a few years ago, he and his family had escaped a harrowing ordeal in their native Sudan.
He and his family have come a long way since leaving Sudan in 1998. A member of the Acholi tribe in the south of that country, he and his family witnessed much violence in the 1990s civil wars in Sudan.
“My kids, like a lot of people, they saw it,” said Okeny. “They don't forget it: they're still having nightmares.”
Arab militias would threaten and kill members of his community, pressuring them to convert to Islam. He and his children have seen the cut up bodies, left as warnings.
He doesn’t want to convert to Islam. Neither was he interested in joining the rebels.
The last straw came when Okeny's father was killed by government forces in Khartoum. When he began making funeral arrangements, security officers came looking for him among his friends and family, to arrest him.
“That's when I said, well, if I stay here, I am going to die,” said Okeny. “I have to go now away from here.”
Okeny fled to a safe place on the Nile River, then asked that his wife and family join him. The family escaped Sudan by a perilous seven day hike through the jungle towards Kenya. Once they were picked up by Kenyan patrol officers, they were considered refugees and handed over to the UN.
In Okeny’s culture, the more children, the more status a person has. Which puts he and his wife high on the status scale with their 8 children. Two are in post-secondary school and the youngest is a toddler, born in Canada. Grandfathers on both sides of the family, he said, have many wives and children, which is the custom in Sudan.
Most people in the village where he lived built thatched roof structures, unless they had enough money for an iron sheet roof.
The Okeny’s last year received their Canadian citizenship. Okeny feels blessed. “I never expected that we were going to be alive,” he explains. “The journey to Kenya, not a lot of people make it.”
Okeny is happy to be in Canada. They have adjusted to the cold weather, and the quieter, safer environment. “Very good. I like Canada, especially Yorkton.”
“Because I've never been in peace,” said Okeny, “I want to enjoy this maybe short time, to enjoy the peace.”
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Dinners Warm Empty Stomachs
By SIMONE HOEDEL (published in the Voice, Fall 1993)
It's Thanksgiving on the downtown east side in Vancouver. On this sunny day, street people are lined up on Cordova Street around the block outside the Union Gospel Mission, near Oppenheimer Park.
They're here for the food: a hot turkey dinner with dressing, mashed potatoes, carrots, gravy, pumpkin pie and coffee.
But first, each group of one hundred people is led into the chapel for a church service. The group, mostly Native, sat with their heads bowed until the folk songs are over. From there, they are led to the spotless dining room next door.
Brother Daniel is a Franciscan friar, a brother in a Catholic order, who manages the daily sandwich line two blocks west of the Mission on Cordova at the Sisters of Atonement. The Sisters feed 800 to 1,000 street people a day.
Brother Daniel says most of the people on the streets are addicted to alcohol and drugs and can't manage their own lives. A large number are mentally ill. Many more are elderly or street kids. A lot of the people in the food line-up are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, crime, and substance abuse. Most live in cockroach infested hotel rooms and rooming houses that don't have kitchen facilities. That's why they use these soup lines.
The standard rental rate for a hotel room on the downtown eastside is $325 a month, exactly what welfare allows for accommodation expenses. The remaining $210 is supposed to pay for all other essential living expenses, which for many includes not only food, but a drug or alcohol habit, and cigarettes.
Rich MacHale, who lives at Salvation Army's Harbour Light Center on Cordova Street said that 75 per cent of the people on the streets have drug or alcohol problems. MacHale said he lost everything because of his alcohol problems and ended up living on the outskirts of skid row in Vancouver.
"When you have nothing, your self-esteem is low. How do you go and apply for a job when you don't have any clothes?" MacHale said.
Three blocks east of the Harbour Light, members of the Quest Outreach Society prepare turkey dinners in the basement of St. James Church. The organization, which serves about 6,000 meals a week to the homeless in Vancouver and Burnaby, is staffed by volunteers.
Jim Georgica, a volunteer with Quest for the past year and a half, has been living on the streets for more than 25 years. He was put in an orphanage in Saskatchewan for a while when he was ten years old and said he never really got over feeling rejected by his mother and stepfather. Running away from home at 15, it wasn't long before he had an alcohol problem and was spending six or seven months of the year in jail.
When asked if he will ever see a time when he is out of this rut, Georgica answers with a quote from a George Thorogood song .... “I’ve been down so long, it seems like up to me.”
It's Thanksgiving on the downtown east side in Vancouver. On this sunny day, street people are lined up on Cordova Street around the block outside the Union Gospel Mission, near Oppenheimer Park.
They're here for the food: a hot turkey dinner with dressing, mashed potatoes, carrots, gravy, pumpkin pie and coffee.
But first, each group of one hundred people is led into the chapel for a church service. The group, mostly Native, sat with their heads bowed until the folk songs are over. From there, they are led to the spotless dining room next door.
Brother Daniel is a Franciscan friar, a brother in a Catholic order, who manages the daily sandwich line two blocks west of the Mission on Cordova at the Sisters of Atonement. The Sisters feed 800 to 1,000 street people a day.
Brother Daniel says most of the people on the streets are addicted to alcohol and drugs and can't manage their own lives. A large number are mentally ill. Many more are elderly or street kids. A lot of the people in the food line-up are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, crime, and substance abuse. Most live in cockroach infested hotel rooms and rooming houses that don't have kitchen facilities. That's why they use these soup lines.
The standard rental rate for a hotel room on the downtown eastside is $325 a month, exactly what welfare allows for accommodation expenses. The remaining $210 is supposed to pay for all other essential living expenses, which for many includes not only food, but a drug or alcohol habit, and cigarettes.
Rich MacHale, who lives at Salvation Army's Harbour Light Center on Cordova Street said that 75 per cent of the people on the streets have drug or alcohol problems. MacHale said he lost everything because of his alcohol problems and ended up living on the outskirts of skid row in Vancouver.
"When you have nothing, your self-esteem is low. How do you go and apply for a job when you don't have any clothes?" MacHale said.
Three blocks east of the Harbour Light, members of the Quest Outreach Society prepare turkey dinners in the basement of St. James Church. The organization, which serves about 6,000 meals a week to the homeless in Vancouver and Burnaby, is staffed by volunteers.
Jim Georgica, a volunteer with Quest for the past year and a half, has been living on the streets for more than 25 years. He was put in an orphanage in Saskatchewan for a while when he was ten years old and said he never really got over feeling rejected by his mother and stepfather. Running away from home at 15, it wasn't long before he had an alcohol problem and was spending six or seven months of the year in jail.
When asked if he will ever see a time when he is out of this rut, Georgica answers with a quote from a George Thorogood song .... “I’ve been down so long, it seems like up to me.”
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Sisters reflect on helping rebuild Hungarian Church after Communism
By Simone Hoedel (published in the Prairie Messenger Oct. 23, 1995)
REGINA--When Dominican Sisters Juliana and Elizabeth Barilla were growing up in the '20s and '30s on a farm north of Grayson, Sask., they spoke their parents' native Hungarian language. In fact, they were forbidden to speak English at home.
Many years later they were grateful for it. Last year they were approached by Sister Lucianne Siers to teach English to seminarians in Hungary. Siers is the coordinator of volunteers for the U.S. Bishops' Office to aid the Catholic Church in central and eastern Europe.
"The reason they approached us," said Sister Elizabeth, "is because we know the language--read, write or speak."
The church is rebuilding in formerly communist central and eastern Europe, where for many years, as in Hungary, it was high treason to say mass. One of the places they started was in education. "They believe they have to have educated leaders for tomorrow," said Sister Elizabeth.
Sisters Juliana and Elizabeth taught English to 44 Greek Catholic priest candidates in Nyiregyhaza in northeast Hungary from November 1994 to May 1995.' Greek Catholicism differs from Roman Catholicism mainly in its rites, which are more elaborate, and the fact that Greek Catholic priests are allowed to marry.
Learning English is important for the seminarians because English is the universal language, especially for getting into universities, said Sister Elizabeth. "All the documents that come out of Rome, for example, are written in two languages: English and Latin."
But the sisters, who both belong to a teaching order of nuns and have been teaching in the U.S. most of their lives, faced some new and difficult circumstances in their new teaching mission in Hungary. The most challenging part of their time there, said Sister Juliana, was the lack of materials.
"When we arrived, these students didn't have anything - there were two or three to a book," said Sister Juliana, who admired St. Margaret of Hungary as a child. "The cost for books is not the same as they are here. It's big money because the wages are so low for the people."
The Barillas finally used their own money to buy textbooks and dictionaries from the international language bookstore for their students.
Many of the men, especially from Ukraine or Romania, could not write legibly because they grew up without paper or pencil, according to the sisters, which is why the seminary exams are oral. "It makes your heart ache for these wonderful men, who have so many obstacles to learning and to a good education," wrote Sister Elizabeth to her family last December. "Yet they are determined to win."
Much of the meagre financial aid for the seminary school in Hungary comes from ex-refugee priests who escaped Hungary during the "persecution years," when the communists drove the Catholic Church underground and out of the country.
"This is one of the beautiful things," said Sister Elizabeth. "There were these priests who were ordained underground somehow during the persecution years. These refugee priests who have been getting money from the free world are the ones who are paying for the education of these Greek Catholic priests.
"They ran away in the '50s. Now they're old and retired and spending their time helping the church in Hungary," said Sister Elizabeth. "It's magnificent!"
Sister Elizabeth wrote back to her brothers and sisters in Canada last March about how the priests were trained during the persecution years: "Today I got an insight into how the seminarians were trained during the 40 years of occupation. A priest who lived through this time told me the story.
"In the prison camp in Siberia there were a lot of young Hungarian men and priests and university professors. One of the priests organized a college curriculum for the young men. They had a humane overseer who even helped them get books.
"However, he told them they must do their assigned labour (woodcutting) first, which they did. Then they had classes and study and exams. Their diplomas and marks were written on cigarette paper (the only paper they had) and they continued their education in Italy, Spain, England, Ireland, Austria, Canada and the U.S. (where their credentials were accepted). God's watch over his church is great! Praise God" (from a letter dated Mar. 8, 1995).
"What amazes me is how much the church has done in the past four or five years," said Sister Elizabeth.
"This young priest said to me: 'The church was planning. They saw which way the wind was blowing, and they had a plan. As soon as the curtain went down, we jumped in with both feet and we've been running as fast as we can ever since.' "
"But there's so much to be done," said Sister Elizabeth.
"We're just scratching the surface," added Sister Juliana.
REGINA--When Dominican Sisters Juliana and Elizabeth Barilla were growing up in the '20s and '30s on a farm north of Grayson, Sask., they spoke their parents' native Hungarian language. In fact, they were forbidden to speak English at home.
Many years later they were grateful for it. Last year they were approached by Sister Lucianne Siers to teach English to seminarians in Hungary. Siers is the coordinator of volunteers for the U.S. Bishops' Office to aid the Catholic Church in central and eastern Europe.
"The reason they approached us," said Sister Elizabeth, "is because we know the language--read, write or speak."
The church is rebuilding in formerly communist central and eastern Europe, where for many years, as in Hungary, it was high treason to say mass. One of the places they started was in education. "They believe they have to have educated leaders for tomorrow," said Sister Elizabeth.
Sisters Juliana and Elizabeth taught English to 44 Greek Catholic priest candidates in Nyiregyhaza in northeast Hungary from November 1994 to May 1995.' Greek Catholicism differs from Roman Catholicism mainly in its rites, which are more elaborate, and the fact that Greek Catholic priests are allowed to marry.
Learning English is important for the seminarians because English is the universal language, especially for getting into universities, said Sister Elizabeth. "All the documents that come out of Rome, for example, are written in two languages: English and Latin."
But the sisters, who both belong to a teaching order of nuns and have been teaching in the U.S. most of their lives, faced some new and difficult circumstances in their new teaching mission in Hungary. The most challenging part of their time there, said Sister Juliana, was the lack of materials.
"When we arrived, these students didn't have anything - there were two or three to a book," said Sister Juliana, who admired St. Margaret of Hungary as a child. "The cost for books is not the same as they are here. It's big money because the wages are so low for the people."
The Barillas finally used their own money to buy textbooks and dictionaries from the international language bookstore for their students.
Many of the men, especially from Ukraine or Romania, could not write legibly because they grew up without paper or pencil, according to the sisters, which is why the seminary exams are oral. "It makes your heart ache for these wonderful men, who have so many obstacles to learning and to a good education," wrote Sister Elizabeth to her family last December. "Yet they are determined to win."
Much of the meagre financial aid for the seminary school in Hungary comes from ex-refugee priests who escaped Hungary during the "persecution years," when the communists drove the Catholic Church underground and out of the country.
"This is one of the beautiful things," said Sister Elizabeth. "There were these priests who were ordained underground somehow during the persecution years. These refugee priests who have been getting money from the free world are the ones who are paying for the education of these Greek Catholic priests.
"They ran away in the '50s. Now they're old and retired and spending their time helping the church in Hungary," said Sister Elizabeth. "It's magnificent!"
Sister Elizabeth wrote back to her brothers and sisters in Canada last March about how the priests were trained during the persecution years: "Today I got an insight into how the seminarians were trained during the 40 years of occupation. A priest who lived through this time told me the story.
"In the prison camp in Siberia there were a lot of young Hungarian men and priests and university professors. One of the priests organized a college curriculum for the young men. They had a humane overseer who even helped them get books.
"However, he told them they must do their assigned labour (woodcutting) first, which they did. Then they had classes and study and exams. Their diplomas and marks were written on cigarette paper (the only paper they had) and they continued their education in Italy, Spain, England, Ireland, Austria, Canada and the U.S. (where their credentials were accepted). God's watch over his church is great! Praise God" (from a letter dated Mar. 8, 1995).
"What amazes me is how much the church has done in the past four or five years," said Sister Elizabeth.
"This young priest said to me: 'The church was planning. They saw which way the wind was blowing, and they had a plan. As soon as the curtain went down, we jumped in with both feet and we've been running as fast as we can ever since.' "
"But there's so much to be done," said Sister Elizabeth.
"We're just scratching the surface," added Sister Juliana.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Nursing Home Workers Victims of Health Care Cuts
by Simone Hoedel
(published November 1994 in the Prairie Dog)
Five years ago they were pumped up to believe they were the ultimate in health care.
"Now," says nursing home worker Charlene Crosby, "they're throwing us out the window."
Crosby, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), is one of almost 60 CUPE members at Santa Maria Nursing Home in southwest Regina affected by layoffs which went into effect Oct 2.
Twenty-seven LPNs were served layoff notices in August after the union refused to negotiate an option to reclassify LPN positions to Nurse's Aides (NA) positions.
LPNs are graduates of a one-year training program, are certified professionally, and receive almost $2 an hour more than NAs, who require no training.
Most of the LPNs were offered jobs in the home, but at the NA level, with a pay cut of $310 per month.
Union representative Tom Crosby said this tactic by management is simply "reclassification by subterfuge," and he says it's happening throughout our health care system.
Tom Crosby, an NA at Santa Maria, said, "They're trying it in ten different areas of the province, mainly in hospitals, laying people off and hiring them back for different wage rates. They're trying to set a precedent here."
CUPE local 2569, representing nursing home workers at Santa Maria, has voted to go on strike if the employer doesn't seriously re-consider its plan.
Tom Crosby said that as chairperson of the Nursing Home Workers Council of Unions he represents 45 other nursing homes around the province, and he's never seen an employer so determined before.
"It's a sad case," said Tom Crosby. "I think there's going to be job action, and I don't want to do it."
The union has charged management at Santa Maria with unfair labour practices. Tom Crosby said the employer cannot unilaterally change wage rates, conditions of employment or terms of conditions while the parties are under collective bargaining.
At the October 4 hearing, union lawyer Wayne McIntyre argued that the employer failed to bargain collectively and used "subterfuge" to undermine the collective agreement by reclassifying workers at a lower pay rate.
Management lawyer Larry LeBlanc said the layoffs and rehirings were not a reclassification but a reorganization, and that the union had no right to file for unfair labour practices. LeBlanc said the union should have filed a grievance against the employer instead.
Bev Olineck, Executive Director at Santa Maria, admitted that the change in staffing mix was an attempt to get more workers on the floor at less cost.
"We were projecting a budget deficit this year of $100,000," said Olineck, and we made some operational decisions to address that deficit."
In fact, the 1994-95 management plan for Santa Maria proposed an increase in staffing from 59 to 64 positions, but while there are five fewer full-time positions, part-time positions have increased from 11 to 21.
The staffing mix has also changed. Before the changes, which went into effect October 2, almost three-quarters of the nursing home staff were LPNs, with the remainder working as NA. Now three quarters of the staff are working at the lower-paying NA level.
Charlene Crosby said these reclassified LPNs are doing basically the same job as before.
"They still have these LPNs in the building, but they classify them as NAs," she said. "You're getting qualified staff and you 're not paying them (what they're entitled to.)"
A decision on the unfair labour practices dispute is expected early this month.
Simone Hoedel is a Regina writer
(published November 1994 in the Prairie Dog)
Five years ago they were pumped up to believe they were the ultimate in health care.
"Now," says nursing home worker Charlene Crosby, "they're throwing us out the window."
Crosby, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), is one of almost 60 CUPE members at Santa Maria Nursing Home in southwest Regina affected by layoffs which went into effect Oct 2.
Twenty-seven LPNs were served layoff notices in August after the union refused to negotiate an option to reclassify LPN positions to Nurse's Aides (NA) positions.
LPNs are graduates of a one-year training program, are certified professionally, and receive almost $2 an hour more than NAs, who require no training.
Most of the LPNs were offered jobs in the home, but at the NA level, with a pay cut of $310 per month.
Union representative Tom Crosby said this tactic by management is simply "reclassification by subterfuge," and he says it's happening throughout our health care system.
Tom Crosby, an NA at Santa Maria, said, "They're trying it in ten different areas of the province, mainly in hospitals, laying people off and hiring them back for different wage rates. They're trying to set a precedent here."
CUPE local 2569, representing nursing home workers at Santa Maria, has voted to go on strike if the employer doesn't seriously re-consider its plan.
Tom Crosby said that as chairperson of the Nursing Home Workers Council of Unions he represents 45 other nursing homes around the province, and he's never seen an employer so determined before.
"It's a sad case," said Tom Crosby. "I think there's going to be job action, and I don't want to do it."
The union has charged management at Santa Maria with unfair labour practices. Tom Crosby said the employer cannot unilaterally change wage rates, conditions of employment or terms of conditions while the parties are under collective bargaining.
At the October 4 hearing, union lawyer Wayne McIntyre argued that the employer failed to bargain collectively and used "subterfuge" to undermine the collective agreement by reclassifying workers at a lower pay rate.
Management lawyer Larry LeBlanc said the layoffs and rehirings were not a reclassification but a reorganization, and that the union had no right to file for unfair labour practices. LeBlanc said the union should have filed a grievance against the employer instead.
Bev Olineck, Executive Director at Santa Maria, admitted that the change in staffing mix was an attempt to get more workers on the floor at less cost.
"We were projecting a budget deficit this year of $100,000," said Olineck, and we made some operational decisions to address that deficit."
In fact, the 1994-95 management plan for Santa Maria proposed an increase in staffing from 59 to 64 positions, but while there are five fewer full-time positions, part-time positions have increased from 11 to 21.
The staffing mix has also changed. Before the changes, which went into effect October 2, almost three-quarters of the nursing home staff were LPNs, with the remainder working as NA. Now three quarters of the staff are working at the lower-paying NA level.
Charlene Crosby said these reclassified LPNs are doing basically the same job as before.
"They still have these LPNs in the building, but they classify them as NAs," she said. "You're getting qualified staff and you 're not paying them (what they're entitled to.)"
A decision on the unfair labour practices dispute is expected early this month.
Simone Hoedel is a Regina writer
South Asian Women face Discrimination Twice over
By SIMONE HOEDEL
published in Fall/Winter 1993
An Indo-Canadian woman rises to her feet in the Langara faculty lounge to tell a group of approximately 30 South Asian women how her husband refuses to acknowledge her child simply because she is a girl.
The woman is emotional as she tells her listeners about the humiliation she now faces as a wife and mother.
'We used to be an example of a model marriage," she said. "Now my marriage is ruined."
The woman told her story at Mahila Milan (a meeting of women), a conference for South Asian women held at Langara last weekend.
The two day conference, which included a workshop on violence against women, was organized by the India Mahila Association (IMA). It brought together women of various backgrounds, who shared their experiences as South Asian women living in a very different culture, and as women within their own very patriarchal culture.
The women murmur and nod their heads in sympathy when they hear this Indo-Canadian woman's predicament, and offer support and advice.
She is taking her husband to court to order blood tests to prove he is the father of her daughter. Without his acknowledgement, the child will have no name and no standing in the Indo-Canadian community. The woman is herself an exile.
"Now I am facing isolation in my own community," she said.
In fact, many South Asian women are in the same situation.
"Our (Indo-Canadian) newspapers don't talk about these issues because they are male dominated," said another woman.
The group agreed racism and discrimination are aspects of everyday life for most South Asian women, and that these problems are systemic and institutional. The immigration system is a prime example of this.
"Indian women are threatened with deportation if they step out of line," said Jyoti Sanghera, who presented highlights of an IMA needs assessment report.
"The immigration department is instrumental in keeping us dependent and powerless."
"The immigration process is constantly a sword hanging over our heads," she said.
The women at this conference also agreed the school system should include education on racism issues.
Nandita Sharma, another woman at the conference, said, "But we don't want 'unlearning racism' workshops. We want anti-racism workshops."
published in Fall/Winter 1993
An Indo-Canadian woman rises to her feet in the Langara faculty lounge to tell a group of approximately 30 South Asian women how her husband refuses to acknowledge her child simply because she is a girl.
The woman is emotional as she tells her listeners about the humiliation she now faces as a wife and mother.
'We used to be an example of a model marriage," she said. "Now my marriage is ruined."
The woman told her story at Mahila Milan (a meeting of women), a conference for South Asian women held at Langara last weekend.
The two day conference, which included a workshop on violence against women, was organized by the India Mahila Association (IMA). It brought together women of various backgrounds, who shared their experiences as South Asian women living in a very different culture, and as women within their own very patriarchal culture.
The women murmur and nod their heads in sympathy when they hear this Indo-Canadian woman's predicament, and offer support and advice.
She is taking her husband to court to order blood tests to prove he is the father of her daughter. Without his acknowledgement, the child will have no name and no standing in the Indo-Canadian community. The woman is herself an exile.
"Now I am facing isolation in my own community," she said.
In fact, many South Asian women are in the same situation.
"Our (Indo-Canadian) newspapers don't talk about these issues because they are male dominated," said another woman.
The group agreed racism and discrimination are aspects of everyday life for most South Asian women, and that these problems are systemic and institutional. The immigration system is a prime example of this.
"Indian women are threatened with deportation if they step out of line," said Jyoti Sanghera, who presented highlights of an IMA needs assessment report.
"The immigration department is instrumental in keeping us dependent and powerless."
"The immigration process is constantly a sword hanging over our heads," she said.
The women at this conference also agreed the school system should include education on racism issues.
Nandita Sharma, another woman at the conference, said, "But we don't want 'unlearning racism' workshops. We want anti-racism workshops."
Monday, November 20, 2006
Spirit of St. Francis Inspires Atonement Sisters
By SIMONE HOEDEL
(published July 1996 in BC Catholic)
People spill out of the packed St. Paul's Church on East Cordova Street and file around the corner into the basement lunchroom of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement.
There the sisters and Franciscan monks in their brown habits and Knights of Columbus in full regalia chat with families, children, elderly people and the poor of Vancouver's downtown east side as they load their paper plates with fruit, sausages and pastry tarts.
They are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Sisters' mission in Vancouver, where some 700 people a day come for soup and sandwiches.
Dayle Moseley, of the Downtown Eastside Residents' Association, claims the area has the poorest median income in Canada. About 60 percent of the population rely on social assistance and live on Skid Row because "they can't afford to live anywhere else," he said.
Sister Carmel Finelli SA, director of the mission at the corner of Cordova and Dunlevy Streets, said that although the sisters and friars also operate a men's clothing room and a day treatment program for sobriety, "basically, we can offer only food." The people need a lot more services, she said.
"The Sister's Place" got its start in 1926 as a Japanese Catholic Mission in Vancouver's Strathcona district, an area which had a high concentration of Japanese immigrants. The sisters evangelized by offering instruction in English. The work was begun by Kathleen O'Melia, a "staunch convert" from Anglicanism, who later became Sister Mary Stella SA.
In October of the same year, four Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement arrived from Graymoor Garrison in New York. The sisters had experience working with Italian immigrants at Saint Clare's Franciscan Mission in New York City.
World War II challenge
By the following year, according to Atonement Society reports, the little mission on Cordova had 266 children registered in Sunday School. The sisters were also visiting homes and hospitals, feeding and clothing the poor, taking care of the sick, preparing children for First Communion and instructing the Japanese in religion as well as English.
Because of the sisters' success, a second Japanese Catholic mission was started in 1931 in Steveston (south of Vancouver in Richmond), where another Japanese immigrant community was growing. Later the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement arrived to help the sisters.
Their greatest challenge came with World War II.
Historical material in archives reveals the tone of that time: During a reception on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, soldiers rushed into the hall warning of an ensuing blackout, one of many to come.
For the safety of the Japanese, a curfew was put in place by a government security commission working out of the daycare building.
After war was declared on Japan, all Japanese within 160 kilometers of the Pacific coast were ordered to move inland. Nine thousand Japanese Canadians in Vancouver were forced to give up their homes, businesses and possessions and evacuated into ghost towns like Greenwood in the interior of the province.
Some of the sisters went with the Japanese. Those who remained in Vancouver continued to work with the poor, including those who took over the jobs left by the Japanese, including immigrants from the prairies who came to work in the shipyards.
After the internment of the Japanese, the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement were forced to reevaluate their mandate.
Archbishop William Duke wrote to Mother Monica of the Mission Dec.1 1942: "The war upset the work here and we are waiting to see what will happen before making any adjustments."
Eventually he gave the sisters permission to start a day nursery for white children "on account of your apostolate to the Japanese being interrupted."
During the 1950s, an informal lunch program evolved for the "poor unemployed men," although the Franciscans had been informally feeding the needy since the tough times of the early 1930s.
By 1955, the sisters were feeding 200-300 people a day. Today, they feed up to 700. A few years ago, it was as high as 1,000, but Sister Carmel said other agencies in the area have alleviated the burden somewhat during the last two years.
The sisters' lunch program is run to a large extent by volunteers and donations. lndividuals, companies and parishes donate food, and volunteers help prepare and distribute 1,500-2,000 sandwiches a day.
Wallace and Pauline Eng, who belong to the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi and own a farm in Surrey, have donated produce to the sisters for the past three years.
"We know this is a good place because they help needy people every day," said Pauline at the celebration May 18.
Clair Hoye, who has volunteered with the sisters for 13 years, makes sandwiches every morning. "The food lines aren't getting any smaller," she said. "The number of people lined up on the street is increasing. More needy people are trying to make ends meet."
Archbishop Adam Exner OMI of Vancouver, who celebrated Mass for the occasion in the diminutive St. Paul's Church on Cordova Street, said the spirit of St. Francis inspires the sisters' work.
"St. Francis recognized that everything he had was a gift from God," the archbishop said in his homily. "He had a very special place in his heart for the poor."
"The sisters have not only experienced the gift of God, but also recognised that it is a gift to be given," he said. "They have shared their gifts with the poor."
(published July 1996 in BC Catholic)
People spill out of the packed St. Paul's Church on East Cordova Street and file around the corner into the basement lunchroom of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement.
There the sisters and Franciscan monks in their brown habits and Knights of Columbus in full regalia chat with families, children, elderly people and the poor of Vancouver's downtown east side as they load their paper plates with fruit, sausages and pastry tarts.
They are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Sisters' mission in Vancouver, where some 700 people a day come for soup and sandwiches.
Dayle Moseley, of the Downtown Eastside Residents' Association, claims the area has the poorest median income in Canada. About 60 percent of the population rely on social assistance and live on Skid Row because "they can't afford to live anywhere else," he said.
Sister Carmel Finelli SA, director of the mission at the corner of Cordova and Dunlevy Streets, said that although the sisters and friars also operate a men's clothing room and a day treatment program for sobriety, "basically, we can offer only food." The people need a lot more services, she said.
"The Sister's Place" got its start in 1926 as a Japanese Catholic Mission in Vancouver's Strathcona district, an area which had a high concentration of Japanese immigrants. The sisters evangelized by offering instruction in English. The work was begun by Kathleen O'Melia, a "staunch convert" from Anglicanism, who later became Sister Mary Stella SA.
In October of the same year, four Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement arrived from Graymoor Garrison in New York. The sisters had experience working with Italian immigrants at Saint Clare's Franciscan Mission in New York City.
World War II challenge
By the following year, according to Atonement Society reports, the little mission on Cordova had 266 children registered in Sunday School. The sisters were also visiting homes and hospitals, feeding and clothing the poor, taking care of the sick, preparing children for First Communion and instructing the Japanese in religion as well as English.
Because of the sisters' success, a second Japanese Catholic mission was started in 1931 in Steveston (south of Vancouver in Richmond), where another Japanese immigrant community was growing. Later the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement arrived to help the sisters.
Their greatest challenge came with World War II.
Historical material in archives reveals the tone of that time: During a reception on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, soldiers rushed into the hall warning of an ensuing blackout, one of many to come.
For the safety of the Japanese, a curfew was put in place by a government security commission working out of the daycare building.
After war was declared on Japan, all Japanese within 160 kilometers of the Pacific coast were ordered to move inland. Nine thousand Japanese Canadians in Vancouver were forced to give up their homes, businesses and possessions and evacuated into ghost towns like Greenwood in the interior of the province.
Some of the sisters went with the Japanese. Those who remained in Vancouver continued to work with the poor, including those who took over the jobs left by the Japanese, including immigrants from the prairies who came to work in the shipyards.
After the internment of the Japanese, the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement were forced to reevaluate their mandate.
Archbishop William Duke wrote to Mother Monica of the Mission Dec.1 1942: "The war upset the work here and we are waiting to see what will happen before making any adjustments."
Eventually he gave the sisters permission to start a day nursery for white children "on account of your apostolate to the Japanese being interrupted."
During the 1950s, an informal lunch program evolved for the "poor unemployed men," although the Franciscans had been informally feeding the needy since the tough times of the early 1930s.
By 1955, the sisters were feeding 200-300 people a day. Today, they feed up to 700. A few years ago, it was as high as 1,000, but Sister Carmel said other agencies in the area have alleviated the burden somewhat during the last two years.
The sisters' lunch program is run to a large extent by volunteers and donations. lndividuals, companies and parishes donate food, and volunteers help prepare and distribute 1,500-2,000 sandwiches a day.
Wallace and Pauline Eng, who belong to the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi and own a farm in Surrey, have donated produce to the sisters for the past three years.
"We know this is a good place because they help needy people every day," said Pauline at the celebration May 18.
Clair Hoye, who has volunteered with the sisters for 13 years, makes sandwiches every morning. "The food lines aren't getting any smaller," she said. "The number of people lined up on the street is increasing. More needy people are trying to make ends meet."
Archbishop Adam Exner OMI of Vancouver, who celebrated Mass for the occasion in the diminutive St. Paul's Church on Cordova Street, said the spirit of St. Francis inspires the sisters' work.
"St. Francis recognized that everything he had was a gift from God," the archbishop said in his homily. "He had a very special place in his heart for the poor."
"The sisters have not only experienced the gift of God, but also recognised that it is a gift to be given," he said. "They have shared their gifts with the poor."
Friday, November 17, 2006
Mole Hill Group Seeks to Save Heritage Houses
by Simone Hoedel
Video piece which aired September 29, 1997, for Plugged In Vancouver, on Rogers Cable
Simone Hoedel (Voiceover):
Most of these houses in Vancouver's West End were built during Vancouver's first boom-time, between 1888 and 1912. The block was named Mole Hill in honour of the site's first residents, Henry and Elizabeth Mole.
Linda Diano lives in one of these homes and spoke on behalf of the Mole Hill Living Heritage Society.
Linda Diano: Well the oldest house on the block is this one right here, 1160, it's the green one (pointing). For a while there it was the oldest house in Vancouver.
Simone Hoedel, reporter: And it is no longer?
Diano: Well, they found another one that was older.
Hoedel: What's so special about this place? Why should we care about Mole Hill?
Diano: Well, Mole Hill is sort of the jewel of the West End. If you look around, Mole Hill is very unique. It's a block of very old houses in an area that is the densest in North America.
(V/O): On October 7th, the City is discussing plans for Mole Hill, including a proposal for 99-year leases of these homes. City staff also recommends demolition of at least 2 houses, one of which is Diano's home.
Diano: My position and the working group's position is that by demolishing a few of the houses on the site, you're compromising the integrity of the site. It would essentially knock out the two front teeth of the block and we feel it’s a lot more of a valuable and special place intact and whole.
(V/O): City senior planner Ian Smith says staff intended to save ALL the city owned houses, but realized the costs of renovating these 2 homes was too high - almost twice as much as the others.
Ian Smith: Now that's a choice that council can make. They can decide on October 7th that they want to keep those houses, but in doing that they have to think is that where we want to spend 2 million dollars? Or are there other opportunities where we get more for that money?
(V/O): The Mole Hill working group, made up of tenants, homeowners, heritage groups, housing representatives and others, passed a resolution to retain all houses for low income and low end market housing. And that conflicted with the city's idea of a "mixed" community in Mole Hill.
Smith: And so when we were looking at keeping all of the houses for low income that did not satisfy our definition of what a mixed community should be. There should be opportunities for middle income and even higher income on the block. And that's really representative of the West End.
Diano: That's one of the results of a boom city - there's mass development going on and you have the conversion of the lower end housing to medium and higher end housing. You're finding that your people have little options and few places to go. Perhaps emergency shelters, and or leaving the city. And I don't think anybody would like to see Vancouver become a city for the "rich".
This is Simone Hoedel reporting from Mole Hill for Plugged In Vancouver
Video piece which aired September 29, 1997, for Plugged In Vancouver, on Rogers Cable
Simone Hoedel (Voiceover):
Most of these houses in Vancouver's West End were built during Vancouver's first boom-time, between 1888 and 1912. The block was named Mole Hill in honour of the site's first residents, Henry and Elizabeth Mole.
Linda Diano lives in one of these homes and spoke on behalf of the Mole Hill Living Heritage Society.
Linda Diano: Well the oldest house on the block is this one right here, 1160, it's the green one (pointing). For a while there it was the oldest house in Vancouver.
Simone Hoedel, reporter: And it is no longer?
Diano: Well, they found another one that was older.
Hoedel: What's so special about this place? Why should we care about Mole Hill?
Diano: Well, Mole Hill is sort of the jewel of the West End. If you look around, Mole Hill is very unique. It's a block of very old houses in an area that is the densest in North America.
(V/O): On October 7th, the City is discussing plans for Mole Hill, including a proposal for 99-year leases of these homes. City staff also recommends demolition of at least 2 houses, one of which is Diano's home.
Diano: My position and the working group's position is that by demolishing a few of the houses on the site, you're compromising the integrity of the site. It would essentially knock out the two front teeth of the block and we feel it’s a lot more of a valuable and special place intact and whole.
(V/O): City senior planner Ian Smith says staff intended to save ALL the city owned houses, but realized the costs of renovating these 2 homes was too high - almost twice as much as the others.
Ian Smith: Now that's a choice that council can make. They can decide on October 7th that they want to keep those houses, but in doing that they have to think is that where we want to spend 2 million dollars? Or are there other opportunities where we get more for that money?
(V/O): The Mole Hill working group, made up of tenants, homeowners, heritage groups, housing representatives and others, passed a resolution to retain all houses for low income and low end market housing. And that conflicted with the city's idea of a "mixed" community in Mole Hill.
Smith: And so when we were looking at keeping all of the houses for low income that did not satisfy our definition of what a mixed community should be. There should be opportunities for middle income and even higher income on the block. And that's really representative of the West End.
Diano: That's one of the results of a boom city - there's mass development going on and you have the conversion of the lower end housing to medium and higher end housing. You're finding that your people have little options and few places to go. Perhaps emergency shelters, and or leaving the city. And I don't think anybody would like to see Vancouver become a city for the "rich".
This is Simone Hoedel reporting from Mole Hill for Plugged In Vancouver
Archbishop Exner of Vancouver Discusses Issue of Sexual Abuse within Church and Society
Interview by Simone Hoedel
(from the Prairie Messenger, Sept. 11, 1995)
In an interview last year with Archbishop Exner, Simone Hoedel asked for his views on the problem of sexual abuse within the church and society
Exner: For two years I was a member of a committee that produced two reports, the first called From Pain to Hope and the second called Breach of Trust, Breach of Faith. The second publication is a study action kit for parishioners and other groups who want to become familiarized with the phenomenon of sexual abuse within the church and society.
"Sexual abuse is nothing new to our age. It has been around for centuries. What is new is that the veil of secrecy has been torn away and now it's out in the open. Gradually we are beginning to look at it, although I suspect most people are not yet ready or willing or capable of facing its reality.
"There have been two national studies on the issue of sexual abuse, one published in 1984 and a second in 1991. Both of these studies indicated that one-third of all males and slightly over 50 percent of all females have experienced an unwanted sexual act before the age of 18.
"Mind you, an unwanted sexual act doesn’t necessarily mean intercourse: It could mean an inappropriate touch or sexual harassment or something of this kind.
"Another thing that is probably not known or considered sufficiently is the fact that the vast majority of children (by children I mean people under the age of 18) who are abused are not abused by clergy or professionals or teachers or doctors. It's the professionals who hit the newspapers but those cases involving professionals are really only a small percentage of the abusers.
"About 95 per cent of children who are abused are abused by members of family or by people closely associated with the family.
"While professionals guilty of abuse must be dealt with, I think this larger societal problem also needs to be addressed. I don't think it has been adequately addressed as yet but I think we're on the way.
Hoedel: People have commented that the church hasn't gone far enough to address the problem.
Exner: I don't think it’s fair to say that the church at least in Canada hasn't taken responsibility. I served on a committee for two years, we've produced a tool that has now gained recognition even beyond our borders on how to deal with cases of sexual abuse.
"We recommended that every diocese have an advisory committee which will look into every allegation of sexual abuse as soon as it is made. We also recommended that there be a victim's assistance committee which will get in contact with the victim and with the victim's family in an effort to provide the kind of help needed.
"Dioceses right across Canada for the most part have established these kinds of structures and many of them have paid out big dollars to help people who need assistance.
Hoedel: By way of compensation?
Exner: Some have paid compensation but for the most part dioceses provide assistance by way of therapy, counselling, that sort of thing.
"I haven't done a survey, but all the bishops I know in Western Canada have acted on this issue. Even if they feel uncomfortable with it, the need to be vigilant in this area is so great, and they know that. If a case is neglected they can be sued and be liable for big, big damages.
Hoedel: What is being done to screen candidates for the priesthood?
Exner: We require a psychological assessment for every candidate for the seminary. I'm confident that most, if not all, dioceses are doing the same. Seminaries require it for admission and if it’s not done before somebody comes to the seminary, then its done during the first year in the seminary.
Hoedel: How effective are these assessments?
Exner: You can probably spot someone who has been an abuser. You might in some instances also be able to suspect somebody who has an inclination or a leaning or a weakness in that area, and who could probably become an abuser in the future.
But with regard to the future, it's not foolproof. There is no simple way of knowing what a human being will or will not do 20, 30 years down the road. There's just no way you can guarantee he won't do this or that in the future.
"The RCMP have a very thorough screening process and yet some of them don't turn out well. The same is true with seminaries. But I would venture to say that seminarians are probably the most thoroughly screened group of candidates in society. That has always been the case.
Hoedel: Could power structure and celibacy be a contributing factor in abuse?
Exner: The celibacy issue was studied in depth by the Winter Commission, which is the commission that did the extensive study in Newfoundland. All the current research on the issue of celibacy and sexual abuse leads to the conclusion that one cannot link celibacy with sexual abuse.
"In other words, celibate people are no more prone to sexual abuse than is anyone else. They are simply a cross-section of humanity. That was the finding of the Winter Commission.
"As far as power is concerned, there may be something there in the sense that in certain parts of the country, and particularly in Newfoundland, the priests were very much on a pedestal and couldn't do anything wrong. No one questioned the priest's behavior. He was accountable to no one.
"To the extent that this was the case in Newfoundland, it may have been a contributing factor. Because in the end, sexual abuse is an abuse of power over a minor, an infant, a child. It's an abuse of power, so if somebody is in the position where he is not accountable to anyone, then power can indeed become a contributing factor.
"But, if a person is prone to being an abuser, they'll find the opportunity. You don't have to be a priest to have that opportunity. The vast majority of priests have been faithful and are faithful to their vows.
"We have 1,100 or 1,200 priests in Canada and there have only been something like 56 convictions that I am aware of. Furthermore, these convictions were based on incidents which happened over the last 30 or 40 years. So 56 cases in 40 years is not a bad record at all when seen in perspective.
"What has happened in some instances, in newspaper articles, on radio and television, and in society in general, is that there are people who have painted everybody with the same brush: priest - abuser. That is really unfair and very hurtful to priests.
Hoedel: Do you think the media has been unfair then?
Exner: In some instances, I think so. I'd like to say though that on the sexual abuse issue, the media did the church and society a service by bringing it out into the open. However, the way it was done was sometimes unfair. Unfair in the sense that as soon as somebody was accused, the media automatically concluded that he was guilty.
"In our country we are innocent until proven guilty, but with regard Ito sexual abuse, it doesn't appear to work that way. Not when it's a priest. As soon as a priest is accused, automatically he is considered guilty.
"You've heard of the case of Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago who was accused of abusing a young man many years ago. The young man tried to sue him for $10 million. The man withdrew the charges because the only memory he had of this was a memory evoked by a psychiatrist through hypnosis. The psychiatrist evoked that memory.
Hoedel: It was a false memory?
Exner: The fellow himself feels he can't trust his memory. So he withdrew the charges. The humiliation, pain and suffering the cardinal had to endure in the meantime is easy to imagine.
Hoedel: Has the issue of abuse damaged the reputation of the church?
Exner: I think beyond doubt it has been very hurtful to a lot of people. I have heard a lot of priests say that they feel uncomfortable when they get in front of their congregations and wonder if the people in the pews are saying, "Maybe he's one of them."
"That's painful. It has shaken the faith people have in the clergy. There was a time when people thought a priest couldn't do any wrong and then they find out otherwise and realize that the priest is a member of a sinful humanity too.
"And in some ways maybe it's more realistic that just because you're ordained and wear a collar doesn't take away all your human weaknesses. You still have the same blood flowing in your veins, the same tendencies and the same temptations as anybody else. It has humanized them a lot and in the long run that's perhaps good."
(from the Prairie Messenger, Sept. 11, 1995)
In an interview last year with Archbishop Exner, Simone Hoedel asked for his views on the problem of sexual abuse within the church and society
Exner: For two years I was a member of a committee that produced two reports, the first called From Pain to Hope and the second called Breach of Trust, Breach of Faith. The second publication is a study action kit for parishioners and other groups who want to become familiarized with the phenomenon of sexual abuse within the church and society.
"Sexual abuse is nothing new to our age. It has been around for centuries. What is new is that the veil of secrecy has been torn away and now it's out in the open. Gradually we are beginning to look at it, although I suspect most people are not yet ready or willing or capable of facing its reality.
"There have been two national studies on the issue of sexual abuse, one published in 1984 and a second in 1991. Both of these studies indicated that one-third of all males and slightly over 50 percent of all females have experienced an unwanted sexual act before the age of 18.
"Mind you, an unwanted sexual act doesn’t necessarily mean intercourse: It could mean an inappropriate touch or sexual harassment or something of this kind.
"Another thing that is probably not known or considered sufficiently is the fact that the vast majority of children (by children I mean people under the age of 18) who are abused are not abused by clergy or professionals or teachers or doctors. It's the professionals who hit the newspapers but those cases involving professionals are really only a small percentage of the abusers.
"About 95 per cent of children who are abused are abused by members of family or by people closely associated with the family.
"While professionals guilty of abuse must be dealt with, I think this larger societal problem also needs to be addressed. I don't think it has been adequately addressed as yet but I think we're on the way.
Hoedel: People have commented that the church hasn't gone far enough to address the problem.
Exner: I don't think it’s fair to say that the church at least in Canada hasn't taken responsibility. I served on a committee for two years, we've produced a tool that has now gained recognition even beyond our borders on how to deal with cases of sexual abuse.
"We recommended that every diocese have an advisory committee which will look into every allegation of sexual abuse as soon as it is made. We also recommended that there be a victim's assistance committee which will get in contact with the victim and with the victim's family in an effort to provide the kind of help needed.
"Dioceses right across Canada for the most part have established these kinds of structures and many of them have paid out big dollars to help people who need assistance.
Hoedel: By way of compensation?
Exner: Some have paid compensation but for the most part dioceses provide assistance by way of therapy, counselling, that sort of thing.
"I haven't done a survey, but all the bishops I know in Western Canada have acted on this issue. Even if they feel uncomfortable with it, the need to be vigilant in this area is so great, and they know that. If a case is neglected they can be sued and be liable for big, big damages.
Hoedel: What is being done to screen candidates for the priesthood?
Exner: We require a psychological assessment for every candidate for the seminary. I'm confident that most, if not all, dioceses are doing the same. Seminaries require it for admission and if it’s not done before somebody comes to the seminary, then its done during the first year in the seminary.
Hoedel: How effective are these assessments?
Exner: You can probably spot someone who has been an abuser. You might in some instances also be able to suspect somebody who has an inclination or a leaning or a weakness in that area, and who could probably become an abuser in the future.
But with regard to the future, it's not foolproof. There is no simple way of knowing what a human being will or will not do 20, 30 years down the road. There's just no way you can guarantee he won't do this or that in the future.
"The RCMP have a very thorough screening process and yet some of them don't turn out well. The same is true with seminaries. But I would venture to say that seminarians are probably the most thoroughly screened group of candidates in society. That has always been the case.
Hoedel: Could power structure and celibacy be a contributing factor in abuse?
Exner: The celibacy issue was studied in depth by the Winter Commission, which is the commission that did the extensive study in Newfoundland. All the current research on the issue of celibacy and sexual abuse leads to the conclusion that one cannot link celibacy with sexual abuse.
"In other words, celibate people are no more prone to sexual abuse than is anyone else. They are simply a cross-section of humanity. That was the finding of the Winter Commission.
"As far as power is concerned, there may be something there in the sense that in certain parts of the country, and particularly in Newfoundland, the priests were very much on a pedestal and couldn't do anything wrong. No one questioned the priest's behavior. He was accountable to no one.
"To the extent that this was the case in Newfoundland, it may have been a contributing factor. Because in the end, sexual abuse is an abuse of power over a minor, an infant, a child. It's an abuse of power, so if somebody is in the position where he is not accountable to anyone, then power can indeed become a contributing factor.
"But, if a person is prone to being an abuser, they'll find the opportunity. You don't have to be a priest to have that opportunity. The vast majority of priests have been faithful and are faithful to their vows.
"We have 1,100 or 1,200 priests in Canada and there have only been something like 56 convictions that I am aware of. Furthermore, these convictions were based on incidents which happened over the last 30 or 40 years. So 56 cases in 40 years is not a bad record at all when seen in perspective.
"What has happened in some instances, in newspaper articles, on radio and television, and in society in general, is that there are people who have painted everybody with the same brush: priest - abuser. That is really unfair and very hurtful to priests.
Hoedel: Do you think the media has been unfair then?
Exner: In some instances, I think so. I'd like to say though that on the sexual abuse issue, the media did the church and society a service by bringing it out into the open. However, the way it was done was sometimes unfair. Unfair in the sense that as soon as somebody was accused, the media automatically concluded that he was guilty.
"In our country we are innocent until proven guilty, but with regard Ito sexual abuse, it doesn't appear to work that way. Not when it's a priest. As soon as a priest is accused, automatically he is considered guilty.
"You've heard of the case of Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago who was accused of abusing a young man many years ago. The young man tried to sue him for $10 million. The man withdrew the charges because the only memory he had of this was a memory evoked by a psychiatrist through hypnosis. The psychiatrist evoked that memory.
Hoedel: It was a false memory?
Exner: The fellow himself feels he can't trust his memory. So he withdrew the charges. The humiliation, pain and suffering the cardinal had to endure in the meantime is easy to imagine.
Hoedel: Has the issue of abuse damaged the reputation of the church?
Exner: I think beyond doubt it has been very hurtful to a lot of people. I have heard a lot of priests say that they feel uncomfortable when they get in front of their congregations and wonder if the people in the pews are saying, "Maybe he's one of them."
"That's painful. It has shaken the faith people have in the clergy. There was a time when people thought a priest couldn't do any wrong and then they find out otherwise and realize that the priest is a member of a sinful humanity too.
"And in some ways maybe it's more realistic that just because you're ordained and wear a collar doesn't take away all your human weaknesses. You still have the same blood flowing in your veins, the same tendencies and the same temptations as anybody else. It has humanized them a lot and in the long run that's perhaps good."
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
East Timor: Western Aid Fuels Tragedy
by Simone Hoedel
(written and published October, 1993 in the Voice newspaper)
East Timor has been called Indonesia's killing fields.
International human rights organizations have reported that since Indonesia's invasion of the small island just off Australia's north coast in 1975, more than 200,000 people have been killed in a brutal campaign of oppression and counterinsurgency.
Li-Lien Gibbons of the East Timor Alert Network spoke at Langara last week in a talk sponsored by the Peace and Conflict Studies program.
Li-Lien's step-brother, Kamal, was one of 273 people killed by the Indonesian military in a massacre which followed a peaceful demonstration in Dili, East Timor, almost two years ago. This incident brought the world's attention to the plight of the Timorese people and finally forced western governments, including Canada, to examine their trade and aid based relationships to Indonesia.
"East Timor has largely been an issue that has been covered up not just by Indonesia, but also by the West," said Li-Lien. Western countries, including, Canada, have courted the Indonesian government for access to East Timor's resources, including oil, minerals and labor, and have supported the Suharto dictatorship through weapons sales and the training of the Indonesian military.
But in a complete policy reversal, and following U.S. lead, Canada in March supported a U.N. resolution which condemns human rights violations in East Timor.
A spokesperson at the Indonesian Consulate, when asked by the Voice if the U.N. condemnation had affected their aid and trade relationships to other countries, had no comment.
This year the Indonesian regime is Canada's second largest recipient of bilateral (government to government) aid. "Since 1985, Canada has been giving $45 to $75 million annually to Indonesia," said Li-Lien. Last year, according to CIDA, the aid package was worth $41 million.
Although Canada has recently made attempts to tie aid to human rights, the presence of Canadian investment in Indonesia makes the government reluctant to threaten their economic relationship with that government. More than 300 Canadian companies currently operate in Indonesia, including Lavelin, Gulf Canada, Bata Shoes, and Inco. B.C. alone exported nearly $75 million worth of products to Indonesia in 1992, according to a spokesperson at B.C. Trade and Development Corporation. In the last six years, B.C.'s exports to Indonesia have nearly doubled.
"The tragedy of East Timor is essentially a Western made tragedy," said Li-Lien.
(written and published October, 1993 in the Voice newspaper)
East Timor has been called Indonesia's killing fields.
International human rights organizations have reported that since Indonesia's invasion of the small island just off Australia's north coast in 1975, more than 200,000 people have been killed in a brutal campaign of oppression and counterinsurgency.
Li-Lien Gibbons of the East Timor Alert Network spoke at Langara last week in a talk sponsored by the Peace and Conflict Studies program.
Li-Lien's step-brother, Kamal, was one of 273 people killed by the Indonesian military in a massacre which followed a peaceful demonstration in Dili, East Timor, almost two years ago. This incident brought the world's attention to the plight of the Timorese people and finally forced western governments, including Canada, to examine their trade and aid based relationships to Indonesia.
"East Timor has largely been an issue that has been covered up not just by Indonesia, but also by the West," said Li-Lien. Western countries, including, Canada, have courted the Indonesian government for access to East Timor's resources, including oil, minerals and labor, and have supported the Suharto dictatorship through weapons sales and the training of the Indonesian military.
But in a complete policy reversal, and following U.S. lead, Canada in March supported a U.N. resolution which condemns human rights violations in East Timor.
A spokesperson at the Indonesian Consulate, when asked by the Voice if the U.N. condemnation had affected their aid and trade relationships to other countries, had no comment.
This year the Indonesian regime is Canada's second largest recipient of bilateral (government to government) aid. "Since 1985, Canada has been giving $45 to $75 million annually to Indonesia," said Li-Lien. Last year, according to CIDA, the aid package was worth $41 million.
Although Canada has recently made attempts to tie aid to human rights, the presence of Canadian investment in Indonesia makes the government reluctant to threaten their economic relationship with that government. More than 300 Canadian companies currently operate in Indonesia, including Lavelin, Gulf Canada, Bata Shoes, and Inco. B.C. alone exported nearly $75 million worth of products to Indonesia in 1992, according to a spokesperson at B.C. Trade and Development Corporation. In the last six years, B.C.'s exports to Indonesia have nearly doubled.
"The tragedy of East Timor is essentially a Western made tragedy," said Li-Lien.
Herbal Remedy
by Simone Hoedel
Video piece which aired May 26, 1997, for Plugged In Vancouver, on Rogers Cable
Voiceover (Simone Hoedel)
Herbs may be the medicine of the twenty-first century. More and more people are using herbs to boost their health. But Health Canada wants to regulate herbs, restricting some herbs from sale, and reclassifying many as drugs. And that has herbalists fighting mad.
Elaine Stevens, herbalist:
What the Health Protection Branch are trying to do is regulate the herbs themselves and make an awful lot of them unavailable to the public. Not just unavailable over the counter, but unavailable even through the use of an herbalist - and that's where we have a real problem.
Joseph Wu, Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Because Chinese herbs are neither food nor drugs. It is not reasonable. It is not a fact to force Chinese herbs into drugs. And then force them to apply a DIN number which nobody can afford, and nobody can get it either.
V/O:
But Dennis Shelley at the Health Protection Branch says the government only wants to protect consumers from unsafe products and fraud. That's what the Drug Identification Number is supposed to do.
Simone Hoedel, reporter:
What's the purpose of a Drug Identification Number?
Dennis Shelley, Health Protection Branch:
It allows the public to know and understand that the product has been screened and evaluated by the appropriate officials in the federal government for safety, efficacy and quality. It's one thing if Chinese medicine is pure Chinese medicine, but some of these products have undeclared western drugs, are spiked in fact.
V/0:
But Dr. Wu says Chinese medicine is misunderstood
Dr. Wu:
I believe the Health Protection Branch try to do a good job, but they have to have expertise on Chinese herbology and Traditional Chinese medicine on their staff. The regulation kind of put us in an illegal status. I'm illegal, honestly. But (if) you're going to catch me, you're going to have to catch the whole country of people who practice.
V/O:
Sales of herbs were up last year. Business is booming. Yet herbalists say these regulations and the new licensing fees will make it difficult for smaller companies to survive.
Elaine Stevens:
What that will do is that it will drive an awful lot of the product off the market from the small people because while the larger companies who manufacture a fairly narrow range of products will continue to do that and they'll have a DIN # for all their products, a lot of the smaller people can't possibly afford to do that.
Dr. Wu:
Besides all these difficulties, they want you to prove that (non-medicinal) Chinese herbs have no pharmacologic action. That's a difficult process. It costs me lots and lots of money. I cannot do it.
V/O:
Meanwhile, Elaine Stevens shows us how an herb becomes a drug. Elaine: (video demo)
Dennis Shelley:
If someone was trying to represent garlic tablets or garlic capsules as some kind of cure or treatment for disease, that would be of concern to us. Clearly that's medicinal and it would be a drug and therefore would be regulated as one.
V/O:
The Health Protection Branch has recently announced the formation of an Advisory Panel on Herbal Remedies. This panel will ideally consult with herbalists to develop policy on regulation. Meanwhile Dr. Wu sums it all up for us.
Dr. Wu:
Food is food. Drug is drugs. Herb is herbs. Should not be mixed.
This is Simone Hoedel reporting for Plugged In Vancouver.
Video piece which aired May 26, 1997, for Plugged In Vancouver, on Rogers Cable
Voiceover (Simone Hoedel)
Herbs may be the medicine of the twenty-first century. More and more people are using herbs to boost their health. But Health Canada wants to regulate herbs, restricting some herbs from sale, and reclassifying many as drugs. And that has herbalists fighting mad.
Elaine Stevens, herbalist:
What the Health Protection Branch are trying to do is regulate the herbs themselves and make an awful lot of them unavailable to the public. Not just unavailable over the counter, but unavailable even through the use of an herbalist - and that's where we have a real problem.
Joseph Wu, Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Because Chinese herbs are neither food nor drugs. It is not reasonable. It is not a fact to force Chinese herbs into drugs. And then force them to apply a DIN number which nobody can afford, and nobody can get it either.
V/O:
But Dennis Shelley at the Health Protection Branch says the government only wants to protect consumers from unsafe products and fraud. That's what the Drug Identification Number is supposed to do.
Simone Hoedel, reporter:
What's the purpose of a Drug Identification Number?
Dennis Shelley, Health Protection Branch:
It allows the public to know and understand that the product has been screened and evaluated by the appropriate officials in the federal government for safety, efficacy and quality. It's one thing if Chinese medicine is pure Chinese medicine, but some of these products have undeclared western drugs, are spiked in fact.
V/0:
But Dr. Wu says Chinese medicine is misunderstood
Dr. Wu:
I believe the Health Protection Branch try to do a good job, but they have to have expertise on Chinese herbology and Traditional Chinese medicine on their staff. The regulation kind of put us in an illegal status. I'm illegal, honestly. But (if) you're going to catch me, you're going to have to catch the whole country of people who practice.
V/O:
Sales of herbs were up last year. Business is booming. Yet herbalists say these regulations and the new licensing fees will make it difficult for smaller companies to survive.
Elaine Stevens:
What that will do is that it will drive an awful lot of the product off the market from the small people because while the larger companies who manufacture a fairly narrow range of products will continue to do that and they'll have a DIN # for all their products, a lot of the smaller people can't possibly afford to do that.
Dr. Wu:
Besides all these difficulties, they want you to prove that (non-medicinal) Chinese herbs have no pharmacologic action. That's a difficult process. It costs me lots and lots of money. I cannot do it.
V/O:
Meanwhile, Elaine Stevens shows us how an herb becomes a drug. Elaine: (video demo)
Dennis Shelley:
If someone was trying to represent garlic tablets or garlic capsules as some kind of cure or treatment for disease, that would be of concern to us. Clearly that's medicinal and it would be a drug and therefore would be regulated as one.
V/O:
The Health Protection Branch has recently announced the formation of an Advisory Panel on Herbal Remedies. This panel will ideally consult with herbalists to develop policy on regulation. Meanwhile Dr. Wu sums it all up for us.
Dr. Wu:
Food is food. Drug is drugs. Herb is herbs. Should not be mixed.
This is Simone Hoedel reporting for Plugged In Vancouver.
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