(162) Attending the Eighth World Meeting of Families and the Visit of Pope Francis.........an Adventure and a Great Experience

ONLY ONE PERSON IN THE WORLD CAN TURN A MAJOR CITY UPSIDE DOWN

            The Pope did indeed turn Philadelphia upside down without even trying.  The city and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia went all out to prepare for him as though he were a superstar.  Traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike well over 150 miles west of Philadelphia a week before his arrival, there were electronic signs warning drivers to expect congestion on the weekend of September 26-27.  On our way to attend the wedding of a relative in northern New Jersey, we were blessed to stay at the Retreat House of the beautiful National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa (Patroness of Poland) in Doylestown, an hour away from the wedding and an hour north of Philadelphia.  Jaga worked it out with the Polish priests there.  Almost as big as the original shrine in Poland, the American Czestochowa has brought Polish Americans together and people of all ethnic backgrounds closer to Mary and her Son.

       After the wedding, we thought:  “Why not make our wedding trip into a pilgrimage retreat at a fabulous shrine, attend the World Meeting of Families September 22-25, and see Pope Francis on the weekend?”  So we commuted each day by train to downtown Philadelphia.  For once it paid off to be a senior citizen…..only a dollar each way. 

What brought Pope Francis to the United States was the Eighth World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia which attracted close to 20,000 people from all over the world in the huge Pennsylvania Convention Center which covers over three city blocks.  The purpose was to bring families together and to search for and learn about ways to strengthen the family.  The idea is that these lay men and women, priests, and religious return to their own countries to promote and strengthen families as leaders, teachers, catechists, and models of what marriage and family should be.  This is crucial because families are the building blocks of Society and all over the world the institution of Marriage and the Family are in a very serious crisis.  When the family disintegrates, Society and the whole Country will eventually disintegrate into chaos.

Pope Francis summed it all up in his message printed in the Family Guidebook for the Eighth World Meeting of Families started by Pope St. Pope John Paul II in 1994: “The mission of the Christian family, today as yesterday, is that of proclaiming to the world by the power of the Sacrament of Marriage, the love of God.  From this very proclamation a living family is born and built, one which sets the hearth of love at the center of its human and spiritual dynamism.  If, as St. Irenaeus said, ‘the glory of God is man fully alive’, then so a family, which, by the grace of the Lord, lives to the full its vocation and mission glorifies Him…….to rediscover ever again the royal road, in order to live and proclaim the grandeur and beauty of marriage and the joy of being and making a family.” 

 

            Each of the four daily sessions began with a Mass attended by all in a huge auditorium the size of two football fields side by side with numerous TV screens or jumbotrons.  Each liturgy was concelebrated by an army of priests, bishops, archbishops, and cardinals.  The entrance procession, led by an honor guard of 30 to 40 Fourth Degree Knights in full regalia, took 15-20 minutes.  We recognized Bishop Conlin and were told that Bishop Monforton was there too.  Joe Schmidt, the diocesan Marriage Ministry Coordinator, and his family were sent to represent our diocese.  Many other couples, some with children and even babies, attended from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.  The beautiful choir was accompanied by a symphonic orchestra with hymns in English, Spanish, and even Vietnamese.  Attendees had portable receivers to hear translations in Spanish, French. Italian, Portuguese, and Vietnamese.

        The Extended Holy Family with saints Ann & Joaquim, parents of Mary.

                    The painting, now in the Archdiocesan Cathedral of St. Peter & Paul                                            of Philadelphia, was created especially for the World Meeting of Families.

The theme of the Eighth World Meeting of Families is “LOVE IS OUR MISSION: the Family Fully Alive” which is “the Sanctuary of Love and Life”.  The organizers brought in nationally known speakers for keynote talks and breakout sessions with questions such as Bishop Robert Barron, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila (perhaps a future Pope), Cardinal Robert Sarrah of Africa, Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles, Dr. Scott Hahn of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, Pastor Rick Warren, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, Dr. Robert George of Princeton, Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, President of Christendom College, Dr. Janet Smith of the University of Dallas, Christopher West, Dr. Gregory & Lisa Popcak, Curtis Martin of FOCUS, etc.  There were many volunteer guides to direct us to the location of each talk.  The concepts of the home as a domestic church and parents as the principal educators of the Faith were frequently emphasized.  See http://www.worldmeeting2015.org. For videos of selected keynote and breakout talks go to http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/the-latest/congressvideos/.

   

EWTN was there to cover the proceedings with live and taped interviews.  Many book publishers, lay and religious organizations as Catholic Familyland of Bloomingdale Ohio, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Medical Association, etc., promoted their apostolates in a huge exhibition hall.    The Knights of Columbus had probably the largest exhibit space in the huge exhibition hall, giving away strong double linked rosaries blessed by Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori, Vatican documents on the family, information about the Knights, etc.  They also gave away transparent backpacks to early registrants. 

           Most enjoyable and satisfying was meeting people from such countries as the Philippines, Viet Nam, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti, Columbia, Peru, etc.  Knowing Spanish made it more fun.  When I passed groups of Mexicans with their common jackets, I enjoyed shouting to them “Viva Mexico; Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe”.  A Vietnamese nun related how she once feared prison for attending Mass in Viet Nam of the 70’s.  Today one can practice the faith there, but the Church is very restricted as in Cuba.  All of this gave me the insight that we are all one Church of many different cultures, races, and languages, but all united as parts of the Mystical Body of Christ in our love of the Lord, our loyalty to the Pope and the traditional family according to Church teaching.   Upon receiving the Eucharist together, we were in communion with Christ Himself and each other…….a little foretaste of Heaven.

Some of the participants in the Eighth World Meeting of Families from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Haiti, and the U.S.             

The exhibits had to be taken down for security reasons Thursday evening, a day before the close of the proceedings at the Pennsylvania Convention Hall.  All over Philadelphia there were “Welcome Pope Francis” signs.  In stores people took selfies with a life size cardboard image of Pope Francis.  On Friday most businesses were closed and the trains were on their reduced Weekend Schedule.  On Saturday and Sunday only train stations with ample parking space were open; so we had to figure out how to get to the closest stop.  No vehicles were allowed in the city.  Strategic intersections were barricaded with concrete highway barriers.  It was great to safely jaywalk in the middle of normally very busy four lane boulevards. 

Deacon John Sebastian got hold of one of the images 

and forced Pope Francis to be a Chicago Cubs fan.  

Pope Francis is actually much bigger than the image.

            Independence Mall.  On Saturday we walked some 7 blocks from the downtown train station to the four block long Independence Mall for a program which included a speech by Pope Francis. Providentially, somebody in the train had given us vouchers which we exchanged for tickets hung around our necks.  The ticket policy kept the numbers down and kept troublemakers out.  We ran into several anti-Catholic groups; in front of the security checkpoint at Independence Square a large group greeted us with signs such as “Is the Pope the Antichrist?” and loudspeakers blaring:  “Mary is a sinner…….the Bible says to never call anyone father or papa (Pope in Spanish)”…..only in America. In some Muslim countries, such behavior would be considered blasphemy punishable by death.  Jaga couldn’t take it and proceeded to evangelize them and a lively debate between us and them ensued.  It was friendly and we departed giving them hugs.  Later in the day we got into it again with some youths handing out anti-catholic propaganda and again departed with hugs.  At least we diverted them away from other people and they had to recognize that Catholic Christians know how to love.

People sat on the grass and we sat on a window ledge.  The program included symphonic music, folk dancing, a song by an opera star, and a speech by Dr. Robert George on our eroding Religious Freedom which all began at Independence Hall behind him.  Finally, the Pope arrived.  All we could see was a tiny white speck in the distance, but thanks to eight or so jumbotrons, we had a very good view of what you saw in your living room.  However, we experienced the excitement of being there, the atmosphere, the comradery with the other people, etc.  It was heartwarming to see how his kind face communicated love to all, especially to the babies he kissed.  The Pope spoke in beautiful and clear Spanish with English subtitles on the jumbotrons, emphasizing the tremendous importance of the family with allusions to religious liberty & immigration.  He humbly concluded with “Reza por mí un poquito (pray for me a little).

            Festival of Families. Then came a 14 block hike to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the Festival of Families and again we passed through a security checkpoint.  Our daily 45 minute rosary walks prepared us well.  This time we had good glimpses of Pope Francis in his well lit popemobile at about 8 pm.  Although we didn’t know that he would give another talk there, but we left, tired from a rather grueling day.  See the map at http://www.phila.gov/InformationCenters/pope/Documents/WalkingRoutesMap.pdf.

A view from the altar of the million or so people who attended the closing Papal Mass.

     For the 4 pm Papal Mass on Sunday we hitched a ride on one of the two buses that Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Doylestown contracted.  All vehicles had to park at the ATT Sports Complex for professional baseball, football, basketball, and hockey in South Philadelphia.  From there we had to take a train to downtown Philadelphia and hike 12 blocks to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway security checkpoint for the closing outdoor Mass.  There were local police, state police, National Guard, TSA, Secret Service all over the place.  The security was unbelievable.  We arrived at the security checkpoint at 10 am and waited in a three block line until 1 pm when we finally got through.  Examining us were Secret Service agents who said that the security procedure was the same as at the White House.  One group came from Iowa at about 1 pm and by the time they got through security five hours later, it was all over. 

We slept on the ground along the mile long Franklin Parkway, waiting for the Pope’s arrival.  We again saw him in his popemobile that went up and down the parkway.  Exciting was the atmosphere and the feeling of solidarity with up to a million other pilgrims both within and outside the ticketed area.  Next to us some guys from Steeler Nation kept me posted on the game with the St. Louis Rams.  At the Kiss of Peace, one of them greeted me with “Peace…….they won”.  That did put me at peace even though the Steeler star quarterback was knocked out of the game. 

       It was a beautiful Mass with an excellent choir and instrumental accompaniment.  We saw the altar in the distance, but not the Pope.  Again thank you, Jumbotron for a good view which you, dear reader, also had on EWTN.  Again Pope Francis gave his homily in Spanish with the translation on the numerous jumbotrons.  The Pope concelebrated with an army of priests (at least a couple hundred), who distributed Holy Communion.  Each priest brought the Eucharist under a yellow and white umbrella held by a server.  For video or text links to all of his talks and press conferences in the USA & Cuba with a choice of seven languages on the Vatican website (English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Portuguese with some in Arabic, click on http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2015/outside/documents/papa-francesco-cuba-usa-onu-2015.html.

Ella and Mary Ann Bokovitz were there and so was our daughter Naomi, but we didn’t see any of them.  She was among three busloads of students from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.  We contacted her by cell phone, but couldn’t find the flag of Sweden she was under.  There were so many people that it was hard to move; let alone find one among a million.  The students made the 8 hour trip and back in one day without missing any classes.  So we had five people representing St. Louis Church.

Then we hiked back to the downtown railroad station for the train to our bus at the sports complex.  The line at the train station was five blocks long with a two hour wait.  Again the loudspeakers, but this time the Latinos, who might have been in the majority, drowned them out with “Viva el Papa”.  The crowd was very orderly and patient on both days except for just a little bit of pushing getting onto the train which is common in big Latin American cities.  The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the city spent months preparing for this huge undertaking……first the World Meeting of Families and then the visit of the Pope.  Overall, they did a great job in organizing it.  The only major flaw was the inordinate amount of time it took to pass through the security checkpoints, which prevented thousands of people from attending the papal Mass.

In the middle ages pilgrims had to walk to holy sites for weeks with the danger of robbers.  But at least they didn’t have to put up with long lines, long waits, and security checks worse than boarding an airplane.  It was all a great experience, but a rather grueling one.  For the texts of all of the Pope’s speeches and homilies in the USA, go to http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/francis/papal-visit-2015/2015-papal-visit-speeches-homilies.cfm and/or http://www.popefrancisvisit.com/pope-francis-u-s-visit-speech-transcripts/.

A Postscript: Why All of This Fuss Over Pope Francis and the Synod on the Family?

(See the next Blog #163)

(161) The Principal Educators of the Faith.......Parents!!!!!

The 2015 First Holy Communion Class.  From left to right are Eden Stapleton, Yuriana Reyes, Addison Nolan, and Reagan Skidmore.  Behind them are Noah Lewis, Ayden Stapleton and Fr. Thomas Hamm.

            Who is primarily responsible for passing down the faith to the next generation?  Priests?  Nuns?  CCD teachers?  Wrong on all counts!  According to Canon Law and as St. Pope John Paul II in his 1994 “Letter to Families” brought out, it’s us; we "Parents are the first and most important educators of their (our) own children”.  It’s an inalienable right and duty.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1653) reiterates that. OUR MOST IMPORTANT JOB AS PARENTS IS TO PREPARE OUR KIDS FOR ETERNITY.

             In a moving homily Fr. Thomas Loya gave at the funeral of his father, an Archie Bunker type, he recalled him telling his five children:   “I have one purpose for being on this earth—to bring you kids into this world and into the Faith and help this family get to Heaven.”  Parents, that’s what it’s all about!!  For a copy of this homily and a glimpse into the agony and the ecstasy of Joe Loya’s 61 years of marriage, go to my blog #129.

            Are we faithful to that great mission on which we will be judged when we die and face our creator?  If we don’t do our jobs, the salvation of our children will be in danger.  Many will fall away from the Church and eventually America will become a godless secular society with little or no religious freedom left.  Christ commanded us to “Teach all nations……” (Matthew 28:19-20) before ascending into Heaven.  That includes first and foremost…….our kids.  Every mother and father is a domestic missionary with the mission of transforming their homes into domestic churches and passing down the faith.

            Do we meet our grave responsibility by simply dumping our kids off at CCD and then picking them up after shopping?  Then with a secular environment we do no follow-up until next week when we again dump our kids off at CCD?  Job done; mission accomplished?  Absolutely NOT!  According to the letter of the law, maybe.  According to the spirit, absolutely NOT.  The “preeminent role” of the Parish School of Religion (PSR) is to help parents meet their critical responsibility.  One hour a week of CCD is only a small although very important part of the spiritual formation of each child……a supplement and reinforcement of what the parents are supposed to be doing at home.

            We are in a vicious cycle that we must stop.  Teachers do their very best to prepare the children for first Confession and Holy Communion.  Then some disappear for a couple of years and return for Confirmation class.  Once confirmed, some kids see the sacrament as a passage into adulthood and an end to catechesis…….”I’m done; I graduated”; and then you don’t see them again.  Years later it repeats with the grandchildren.  No wonder there are so many fallen away Catholics!  When they become parents, the cycle repeats if they are still in the Church.  PARENTS, WE TOGETHER MUST BREAK THIS VICIOUS CYCLE.  Parish school of religion (PSR) classes are only the beginning of learning the faith and must be followed up at home, college (Catholic school or Newman Club) and beyond for the rest of our lives.  We love our sports and traveling teams, but so much more important is passing on the faith.  Sunday games should never prevent our kids from attending Mass (there’s Saturday too).  OUR FUTURE IN ETERNITY DEPENDS UPON IT.

   

          Some kids come into PSR already well versed in the faith.  Their parents are doing a wonderful job!  But sad to say, most kids come to CCD knowing little or nothing about the faith.  They don’t know their prayers and have no idea regarding basic concepts of the Faith that they should have learned at home.  Teachers must start at point zero and teach these concepts over and over again because the kids forget from one week to the next.  Frustrated teachers complain about this again and again.  Then the values and virtues they teach are often cancelled out by the public schools, television, movies, friends in the neighborhood, and other aspects of our secular culture where even our constitutional freedom of religion is being eroded.

           It always makes things so much easier and more effective if parents help the teacher……review the concepts taught in class with the kids.  Practice the prayers from class at nightly family prayer.  Parents are welcome to sit in on CCD classes and help the teacher.  It would be a HUGE help if the parents would go over with the kids the outlines, handouts, and pages of the book which are covered in class. Teachers desperately need reinforcement at home and help from the parents.  It would be so much easier to cover more material in the precious little time available to teach the faith if the teachers could give the children modest homework assignments and reading selections while the parents conscientiously make sure that the kids do them.  In days gone by, most Catholic kids went to a Catholic school staffed by an abundance of priests, sisters, and brothers.  .  They had Religion class five days a week and the faith was integrated into all subjects.  On top of that, there was a Catholic culture at home.  The teachers in our Parish School of Religion cannot do it by themselves in one hour a week.  Parents, HELP!

 

Bedtime stories that promote virtue and others based upon the Bible and the saints are a must and the kids read them for fun.   Our own parish library has many such books for children which you can borrow by simply signing them out.  Catholic books, magazines, and newspapers are easily obtained for the home; some are available free in the back of our church.  Musts in the family library are a Bible and the official Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC).

The most effective teaching is the example of parents conscientiously living the faith.  On the other hand the example of parents neglecting their faith does immense harm to the children, perhaps for the rest of their lives and eternity too.  Most effective in the spiritual formation of young Karol Woytyła (now St. Pope John Paul II) was observing his widower father fervently praying late at night.  Dr. James Dobson, told his children: “I’ll be waiting for you in heaven.  You be there.”   Grandparents also have an important role in handing down the faith with their example, stories, and advice, especially if the parents are failing in their duty. 

  Another big problem is that many parents don’t know the faith either and for that reason do a poor job with their kids and do not volunteer to be CCD teachers.  Statistics show the sad reality is that the average Catholic in the pew does not know his or her faith.  Our parish has a solution for that.  Our pastor, a walking encyclopedia of knowledge, gives great classes for young and older adults every Wednesday while the kids have CCD.  It is scheduled for the same time as PSR so that parents could drop off their kids for CCD and stick around for the class instead of going to Walmart. 

The Future of the Church

 We all can learn more about the faith through daily Bible reading, conferences sponsored by the diocese and the annual youth rally.  The diocese organizes great catechetical workshops for school and CCD teachers, marriage seminars, men’s conferences, women’s conferences, right to life seminars, etc.  The featured speaker at the October 11 diocesan Youth Rally is a fabulous speaker, Leah Darrow……a top model who underwent a profound conversion to become a role model on dress and chastity.  There are so many opportunities for adults and youth to become knowledgeable regarding the faith, but we must take advantage of them.  Of course there are good Catholic books, newspapers, magazines, internet websites, CDs, etc. Our parish website has an archive of Fr. Tom’s excellent columns in past bulletins at stlouiscatholicchurchgallia.org. My blog at paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com has this article and all of my past bulletin inserts.

 

            Our kids are the future of the Church and the entire USA.  The Country needs a moral Society in order to function.  A country cannot be a moral society without Faith.  Otherwise, we would need a policeman on every corner to maintain order and public safety because everybody does what is right in his/her own mind as their own popes.   George Washington saw “religion and morality” as “indispensable supports to political prosperity.”  John Adams, our second president, observed:  “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion…….Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people."

            Our children depend so much upon their parents to pass down the faith especially in secular America**.  When our homes with the help of our pastor become domestic churches within The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, parish renewal will be complete and our after-Mass prayer for renewal will be answered in full.  No family has achieved the ideal domestic church, but we can aspire to it.  Only a step to two in that direction is progress. 

**St. Pope John Paul II foresaw secular societies as ours in Catechesi Tradendae   (see http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2CATEC.HTM), a wonderful summary of Church teaching, wrote in 1979 (#68): “…in places where widespread unbelief or invasive secularism makes real religious growth practically impossible, the ‘Church of the home’ (Domestic Church) remains the one place where children and young people can receive an authentic catechesis. Thus, there cannot be too great an effort on the part of Christian parents to prepare for this ministry of being their own children’s catechists and to carry it out with tireless zeal.”  Of course a good Parish School of Religion is a big help, but we must take advantage of it.  We owe it to the kids to become knowledgeable of the faith by taking advantage of such opportunities as Fr. Tom’s Bible Study, catechetical workshops, marriage seminars, men’s conferences, women’s conferences, right to life seminars, etc. as well as reading, CDs, EWTN, and Catholic websites.

(160) Gallipolis, Ohio Resident Part of the History of the Berlin Wall: An Adventure in Cold War Intrigue

Checkpoint Charlie During a Standoff and Period of Great Tension October 1961.

            This month marks 54 years since the construction of the infamous Berlin Wall, a symbol of the Cold War as well as man’s strong desire for freedom.  In the summer of 1961 there was a flood of East Germans and other people from countries behind the Iron Curtain fleeing from Communist East Berlin into free West Berlin, a part of democratic West Germany.  It was an island of freedom surrounded by Communist East Germany (GDR).  According to Communist propaganda, these Communist countries were supposed to be part of the “workers’ paradise” of economic justice and equality free of capitalist exploitation with all of their needs provided for by the atheistic socialist system and their “dictatorship of the proletariat”.   The system was very oppressive and severely restricted basic freedoms that we take for granted……freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, etc.   

             Thousands of people wanted no part of that so called “paradise” and escaped to the more prosperous West.  The Communists responded to this exodus on August 13, 1961 by placing rolls of barbed wire at the border, while  constructing a horrendous wall topped by barbed wire around West Berlin to stop this flow of refugees to the “corrupt West”.  Even windows of buildings along the wall were bricked up.  They announced that the purpose was to keep out agitators who were trying to destroy their system.

                                   Another View of the October 1961 standoff between Soviet and American Troops.  

Checkpoint Charlie 1963.  I went through in August 1962.

This is how Checkpoint Charlie looked when Bill Medley was an MP stationed there. This gate was the only entry for Americans to enter East Berlin.  It is now part of a museum.

             From 1961 until November 9, 1989 when the Wall came tumbling down, reminiscent of the walls of Jericho…….hundreds of East Germans risked their lives to find freedom by climbing over the wall and crawling under the wall though secret tunnels.  Many others were shot and killed by sentries; it was literally liberty or death.  However, according to the Berlin Agreement, the Allies insisted that they have free access to all of Berlin, the historic capital of pre-World War II Germany and today the capital of a reunited free Germany.  To make their point the United States Army maintained a garrison in West Berlin and controlled the main entrance into East Berlin, known as “Checkpoint Charlie”. I myself crossed it as a tourist with my mother in August 1962 while a guest of family friends, the Hennings and on leave from my Army unit in Orleans, France.  We saw for ourselves the stark contrast between East and West Berlin in everything visible to the eye.   For more detail see my blog #60.  Today the site has been converted into the “Checkpoint Charlie Museum”.

Two views of the Berlin Wall with barricades to prevent vehicles from storming through.

             A dashing adventuresome 24 year old soldier, later a member of our Gallia County community for many years, was stationed at the U.S. garrison in West Berlin and worked at Checkpoint Charlie in 1974 as an MP.  Bill Medley has a fascinating story to tell about his adventures in East Berlin that ended as an international incident covered by newspapers, radio, and television in the United States and all over the world through AP, UPI, TASS (the Soviet news agency), etc. He didn’t talk about it much and few know until now that we have his permission to share his story, including an album of newspaper articles and notes that document it.  This September the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, funded in part by the German national and Berlin governments, has invited Mr. Medley and 11 other veterans of the Berlin garrison for a week of visiting with politicians, civic groups, and schools.  American veterans helped to keep West Berlin free for so many years by manning the garrison and Checkpoint Charlie.

Some of the MP's of Checkpoint Charlie and the Berlin Garrison in 1974, enjoying some good 
fellowship in the Mess Hall.  Bill Medley is the one in uniform in the center.

            When off duty the young Army MP would often go into East Berlin and live it up a little.  He could buy East German marks very cheaply on the black market and then dine in the best restaurants of East Berlin and enjoy good German beer in the bars.  He befriended some people there.  After several months, one asked him for a favor that appealed to his anti-communist fervor and eagerness to help.  He gave the friend a key to the trunk of his Ford Taurus and someone on the other side of the Wall received a duplicate.  So whenever the off duty MP stopped in the restaurant, a refugee(s) would be loaded into his trunk and someone would unload the refugee(s) in free Berlin. 

  To this day, Bill Medley has no idea how many East German people he brought to freedom and never met any person he helped.  However, Medley estimates that he had six or seven opportunities because permission was required from his superiors to go into East Berlin not more than once a month.  

Thus William Medley is part of the lore of the Berlin Wall along with the famous “Mole”, Hasso Herschel, who escaped from East Germany in 1961 by using a borrowed passport and smuggled more than 1,000 people across the Berlin Wall over the next decade using tunnels and hiding them in cars.  This inspired the 2001 film, “The Tunnel”.  See http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/11/05/361787858/the-cold-war-mole-who-smuggled1000eastgermanstothewest?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20141109&utm_campaign=dailydigest&utm_term=nprnews.

This photo was taken by the Stazzi (East German Secret Police similar to the KGB) and released from the archives to historians, the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, and the public.  It shows Specialist 4 William Medley being stopped by the Volpo (East German Police) and questioned. Medley refused to answer questions, since the Allies did not recognize East German jurisdiction, and thus demanded that he be turned over to the Soviets.  

The East German police always routinely wave on through the checkpoint the clearly marked American owned cars.  On September 10 it was different.  Someone informed the East German police or Volpo, who attempted to search Medley’s car just 75 yards from Checkpoint Charlie.  The soldier denied that he was carrying a refugee and tried to talk his way out of it: “Look, this is my uniform (required to be worn in East Berlin) and I’m an American soldier.  You have no authority to detain me and I demand the right to proceed”.  According to the Berlin Agreement with the Soviets after World War II, the East Germans had no authority to stop, search, or arrest an American; the Russians, yes.  Thus Medley demanded a Russian officer.  What made the situation more serious for the East Germans was the fact that the man in the trunk was a defector, an employee of the GDR Police who probably had sensitive information.  During the two hours of haggling, the defector and his cramped wife could take it no longer and pounded on the trunk wall to the amusement of the ten police on the scene.  Who knows what their fate was?  It was the first time in ten years that the East Germans took direct action against a uniformed member of the U.S. Garrison. 

This photo was also taken by the Stazzi and released from the archives to historians, the Checkpoint
Charlie Museum, and the public.  Hearing knocking sounds, the East German police forcibly opened
the trunk and discovered the two refugees cramped in the trunk of Bill Medley’s Ford Taurus.

        Finally, they handed Sp. Medley over to the Russian occupiers, who treated their prisoner well, but interrogated him for eight days; usually they immediately release Americans.  The young spunky GI told them what he thought of their system and would not let them use him for propaganda purposes.  What motivated Medley was a desire to help people.  He was outraged by life across the wall.  “Those people didn’t have any individual freedom whatsoever.  None.  Well, they’re free as long as they do what the military tells them.  But that’s not being free.  They are trapped on the other side.  You feel sick kind of.   You feel there’s something you should do.  That’s what I felt”.  As an exception, he did accept an unsolicited offer of $1000 on that fateful night, but that was not his motivation.      

           Although some 7,000 people escaped each year and many GI’s in violation of Army regulations brought refugees across the Wall, this time it was made into an international incident.  Apparently, the Russians created this incident to put a stop to what they previously tolerated.  The Communists had American soldiers visiting East Berlin under surveillance for years.  The young soldier’s grandmother, worried about Bill’s safety in that center of the Cold War, was flabbergasted to hear Walter Cronkite describe her nephew’s plight on the CBS Evening News.  Involved daily in negotiating for his release were the top levels of the U.S. Government……Dept. of the Army, Dept. of State and the American Embassy, and his Congressman.,

 For the sake of Détente, the Russians did not make a global crisis over it.  They knew that Medley did it on his own and released him to his superiors on September 17 after a week of interrogations.  Through TASS, its news service, the Soviet Union stated that the release was “in the interest of relaxing international tension” and demanded that the soldier be punished and that such incidents not be repeated. 

  Needless to say, Bill’s unauthorized extracurricular exploits in international intrigue did not sit well with his military superiors even though other soldiers successfully brought out East Germans across the wall.  It was against Army regulations and the two superpowers were in a period of détente and delicate negotiations to reduce tensions.  He was busted three grades to buck private, fined, and shipped to the U.S., where he finished his military service with an honorable discharge. Anything more severe would have been appeasing the Soviets.  Nevertheless, the young man demonstrated a big heart with courage and daring despite personal risk. 

 

            Without judging the times that Bill Medley got into trouble as a soldier or as a judge, this story gives us an insight into his person and to where his heart is.  He was active in community service in his free time such as midget league football, 20 years director of the mock trial program at Gallia Academy, 10 years helping the Vital Links Program (job shadowing) for the Middle School, 20 gallons of blood donated over his life, and has been active among veterans groups.  Bill always tried to help people even if it might skirt the rules at times and risk getting himself into hot water.  

(159) Graduates & All: Make a Difference For Good in Your Careers........The Power of the Individual: Every person can do something to change the world a little bit at a time

          As professor emeritus I continue to attend the University of Rio Grande Commencement every year as well as the special Sunday Mass at St. Louis Church Gallipolis, Ohio for all of the new high school graduates in the parish.  I like to give each person I know a hug and a request: “Don’t forget your great mission for God and Country”.  Indeed God has a special mission for each one of us and we will not die until we have the opportunity to accomplish that mission to the point that God wills.  However, the mission has little meaning and will bear few fruits without a close relationship with God through prayer and trusting in His will.  We depend upon Him for His help and strength according to His will.  At the same time I give each one of them the following reflection.

GRADUATES & ALL:  MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR GOOD

     

            This is the season for graduation from high school and college and also a time to think:  What am I going to do with my life to make a difference for good?  Older parents, relatives, and friends should also reflect:  In the time I have left, what can I do to make the world a little bit better?  Young graduates, never lose the ideals of your youth; don’t fall into the cynicism that age can bring.  Never lose your youthful enthusiasm.

          AMDG. There is one overriding principle for life:  Ad majorem Dei gloriam or its abbreviation often put at the top of letters or other personal writing, AMDG.  It is the Latin motto of the Jesuit order which means “For the greater glory of God”.  That is to discern God’s will for our lives and try to follow His will in everything we do as we serve Him and His people either as a leader or as a member of a team working with others, all contributing to the family, the community, the parish, and/or the organization that produces a good or a service.  Remember the little way of St. Therese, the Little Flower; “Do little things well for the love of God”.  Upon getting out of bed every day, say a short morning offering to the Lord everything you do that day.

            Every one of us can do something to further Christ’s kingdom on earth……a kingdom where love prevails and people care about each other instead of taking each other…….in the family, in the parish, in the community, in the organization where we work in little or big ways by prayer and example, by word and deed.  Work for something bigger than yourself.  Even the bedridden can make a most valuable contribution by offering his/her sufferings to God as a dynamic prayer for the Church, the Missions, a better world, and for his loved ones.  Every saint had to suffer before reaching glory and sooner or later we will suffer also.  Properly taken as a preparation for eternity, suffering can lead to sanctity.  “No cross, no crown”.  No life is a waste as long as s/he surrenders him/herself to the will of God, prays, tries to love, and aspires to serve others in little or big ways. 

            Inspiring is the life of Fr. Walter Ciszek, a Jesuit priest.  He was a Polish-American who was raised in a tough neighborhood.  In the late 1930s Pope Pius XI asked for missionary priests to volunteer to serve the persecuted Church in Soviet Russia.  Knowing Polish, Russian was easy for him.  So he clandestinely crossed into Stalinist Communist Russia.  Finally he was caught and confined to Russian prisons and the Gulag or slave labor camps in frigid Siberia for 23 years.  Thinking himself as tough, Fr. Walter thought he could take anything that the Communists could dish out.  Trying to maintain control, he was miserable.  Finally, Fr. Ciszek surrendered himself to the will of God with complete trust in Him.  He attributed every cross to His permissive will in that God generally does not send suffering, but allows it to happen as part of the human condition after the Fall of Man.  That complete resignation to the will of God turned his misery into joy as he ministered to those around him, thus making him a saint, now on the road to canonization.  In 1963 the U.S. Government traded two Russian spies for his release.  He shared his experience to strengthen the faith of the people back home until his death in 1984.  You can read his two major books published by Ignatius Press and also available at amazon.com: “With God in Russia” and “He Leadeth Me”.

             The Christophers. As a youth in college, I encountered the Christophers, founded by Fr. James Keller, a Maryknoll priest in the 1940s.  It has had a profound influence on my life.  Christopher comes from the Greek, "Cristoforos", meaning Christ bearer.  According to its name, the Christopher movement is directed to the lay person to bring Christ to all segments of Society, especially through the critical professions of education, government, social work, social communications, and labor-management relations.

St. Christopher

                                          

          Their motto comes from the Chinese proverb: "Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness".  With such a positive attitude and willingness to serve, you’ll have a happier and more satisfying life.  May we light many candles in the classroom, the work place, the home, the parish, in our community activities, and even at social gatherings.  And through our children, students, subordinates, or colleagues may we illuminate the entire country, as Fr. Keller envisioned in his book, “You Can Change the World” and “Change the World From Your Parish”.

  Their monthly pamphlet, the "Christopher Notes", is quite interesting and have been excellent for my personal and professional development.  They've given me many insights and practical ideas about diverse topics of daily living as well as how to be a more effective apostle in whatever state of life and/or job one has.  They are very inspirational.  You can obtain a free subscription by writing to The Christophers; 12 East 45th St.; New York, NY 10017 or www.christophers.org.  They are willing to send them in quantity free to schools and youth groups every month.  They also have fine books, videos, and audio tapes.  Their TV program, "Christopher Closeup" is great.  It's on the Faith & Values channel, EWTN cable and satellite, and on the internet at www.ewtn.com/tv.  

            Making a Difference Wherever You Are. The Christopher movement has been a great influence upon me since I was an undergraduate in college.....especially their emphasis upon individual responsibility for making the world just a little bit better because of you.....that God has given each one of us a special mission, a mission that He has not given to any other.  One person can do little to change the world, but you can do something.....a little today, a little tomorrow, and a little the next day.  Then with God's help, the accumulation of many small deeds over a career can add to greatness (grounded in humility).....as great as many noted people in history, who have only one or two major positive accomplishments or contributions, but nothing more.  Thus, you can change the world.  The key to great achievements and greatness itself is perseverance.....a little every day as God works through each one of us.  Continue learning in order to serve God and people more effectively.

         Each one of us in our careers touches the lives of hundreds of people.  For you, it could be in the thousands someday, especially if you’re in mass communications, a teacher, writer, musician, actor, or a leader.  There must be many unknown heroes and saints out there who do their little bit every day for God, Country, community, parish, family, and neighbor.  In the inner cities, for example, there are mothers who raise great persons for the Lord despite having been abandoned by their husbands.  There are the sick and the hurting who offer their crosses as dynamic prayers for a better world. When you die, nobody will remember nor care how much money you made, but how you enriched other people's lives in little or big ways.....beginning with the immediate family and reaching out to groups or individuals in the work place, the parish, and the community.

 

          Enriching people's lives ---starting with the family is crucial since a child benefits more from and later remembers a parent's time in quality and quantity more than the toys showered upon him or her--- may be just little things........being there when somebody needs help or a patient understanding ear, giving someone a little time even when in a hurry, a kind word of encouragement and praise that reinvigorates,  a greeting and a smile that communicates a little love,  accepting one who is difficult to like, being patient with one who taxes one's patience.  A bit of kindness or just being nice with a big smile that communicates a little love can make a person’s day.  I have an ideal and a desire.....that when I die the world will be just a little bit better because of me.  We wish the same for you.

            Dealing with Failures. Inevitably, at times things will not go well.  Occasionally, there will be opposition, criticism, frustration, disappointment, and failure.  Offer that up too and don’t give up; don’t quit.  Our Lord also values your failed efforts done in loving Him and His people.  Remember the words of Blessed Mother of Calcutta: “God does not ask that we be successful, but to be faithful” to Him and the vocation He has called us to.  "God doesn't require us to succeed; He only requires that you try."  “Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.”  “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”  “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” 

           From the Christophers, came my ideal of putting Christ into Business and other organizations through our students.  Bishop Sheen promoted: “Put Christ into the Market Place”. If every alumnus from your school or every member of your parish, for example, would light just one candle, we could illuminate the whole country. 

(158) Becky Riepenhoff's Journey Up the Mountain, Her Message, and Our Own Personal Journeys Soon to Come

AMDG

     Today (May 22) marks one year since the passing of Elizabeth Ann “Becky” Skidmore Riepenhoff, who left an indelible mark upon the parish of St. Louis Church Gallipolis, Ohio.  Her spirit was unsinkable as shown in the following article she wrote in 2011.  She inspired and taught us and the citizens of Gallia, Meigs, and Mason (WV) Counties through the newspaper.  Becky continued to inspire and teach us in our parish community until her death in 2014 at the age of 57 as we’ll elaborate in the epilogue after her article.  Her husband Jay, ever true to his marriage vows, was always faithfully with her through it all…….another great lesson for our very fragile marriages of today. 

Journey Up the Mountain: My Message of Faith, Hope and Love 

Written By Becky Skidmore Riepenhoff

  Published in the Gallipolis (Ohio) Sunday Times-Sentinel October 23, 2011

       In the early spring of 2009, I started having pains in my neck, shoulders, lower back, right hip, and leg.  Since I have always had yearly checkups and quit smoking and drinking at age 35, I just thought: “This will go away”.  No one wants to hear someone complain.  We were taught to keep your complaints to yourself.  Needless to say, the pain became worse.  I had leg cramps that would literally take me to the ground.

       I called my primary care physician.  He saw me and said I probably pulled some muscle and suggested physical therapy.  This was June.  Needless to say, I didn’t go.  We know our own bodies, and there was no way I could do physical therapy.  The pain worsened, and I saw my primary care physician four more times----no relief.

        This past February, I was suffering 24 hours a day.  My pain was a 10.  I called my primary care physician again, went to see him, explained my pain to him, and told him I spent most of my time on two heating pads.  I would take a rolling pin and roll it up and down my right leg to try to relieve some of the pain.  I explained to him that I had a chance to see a pain management doctor, but my primary care physician wouldn’t refer me until I went to physical therapy.  “No way”, I thought.  When I arrived home, I was in tears.  My pain was horrific.  My husband Jay said, “You need a second opinion; you can’t continue to live like this.

        Jay called Dr. Doug Jones.  Dr. Jones saw me that afternoon and, within four day, Dr. Jones had diagnosed me, and I was on my way to Adena for more tests and to see an oncologist.  Dr. Doug Jones saved my life.  When you’re sitting in the doctor’s office and he tells you that you have cancer, you go into an out-of-body experience.  You say, “No, not me.  This is not happening.”  Then all of the negative thoughts flood your mind:  death, family.  “Oh no”, you say to yourself.  “I’m not going to die.  I’m fighting for my life.”  I call my cancer the “Devil’s curse”.  My treatments I call “climbing the mountain”, and when I reach the top, that will be remission.  My doctor says there is no cure for my cancer, but it is treatable.  I won’t accept that.  I believe in miracles.  They happen every day.  I believe in the power of prayer.
 

        I cannot begin to thank all of my friends, family and acquaintances, and people who have heard about me through other friends, from all the prayers, cards, flowers, phone calls, and, of course, Facebook messages.  If you have been diagnosed recently with a life-threatening disease, or you just need someone to talk to or pray with, you can call me.  I’ll be right over.  I can help!

       I will never give up.  I’m climbing the mountain every day.  With all my prayer warriors, I will reach the top.  It’s in sight.  (Becky Riepenhoff has multiple myeloma, a cancer of the immunoglobulin producing plasma cells found in the bone marrow.  It is a cancer that involves the immune system.)

Epilogue

          Becky did climb to the top of the mountain and did have a remission.  She utilized that precious time to again teach our kids in our Parish School of Religion.  Even after the cancer came back, she heroically continued to teach until it was physically impossible.  One Sunday she somehow made it to Mass in a wheelchair for one last time.  Heartwarming was seeing her kids who were present come up to her one by one and give her big hugs.  She loved those kids so much and they reciprocated that love.  May Becky inspire us to learn more about the beauty and richness of our faith through spiritual reading and in our parish Bible Study and then share it with our children and friends.  Even though parents are the primary educators in the faith, the need for good teachers is great in our Parish School of Religion to help parents with their crucial mission of passing on the faith to the next generation.

        I also found a card Becky wrote to her “sister in faith” with a gift of a prayer shawl three months before her death.  Each stitch in the two shawls crocheted by a friend of hers was a prayer for healing.  She wrote: “I know you understand and love Jesus like I do.  So wear your prayer shawl proudly and serve the Lord.  In God’s love and mine, Sister Becky……..Praise the Lord and all his gifts to us.”  What a demonstration of heroic faith in the midst of adversity!  Becky continued with her unshakeable love of God and unsinkable trust His providence.

      Indeed Becky is healed now.  She certainly received the ultimate healing of everything that might have ailed her.......healing in eternity of all physical, spiritual, and emotional wounds and imperfections.

        Why didn’t God give Becky a complete healing on earth?  Why did He allow the cancer to come back?  Why didn’t He let us have this treasure (Becky) for a few more years?  These are mysteries that even the most learned theologians cannot really answer.  Becky couldn’t either, but she did know how to trust that God would make a much greater good out of all that she went through.  Becky did know that by uniting her crosses with the Lord’s cross and by offering them up to Him as a dynamic prayer for the Church, the missions, a better world, and for her loved ones…… her suffering would bear much fruit.  St. Therese the Little Flower taught us that in her book, “Story of a Soul”.  St. Pope John-Paul developed a theology of suffering.  See my blog #133 at paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com for the link and more detail.

       In fact, Becky was a member of the Third Order of the Victim Soul movement.  The members resign themselves completely to the Divine Will.  Thus they attribute everything negative that happens to them as part of the permissive will of God (He generally does not cause suffering, but allows it to happen as part of the human condition)…… offering all of the crosses to God for humanity of the past (time does not exist for God), present, and future.  See www.divinewill.org and www.divinewilltrinity.org.  All of our prayers were very useful; they helped Becky to get through all of this and climb the ultimate mountain to her heavenly reward and her ultimate healing.       

       The Quest for Holiness.  One priest commented:  “Those who die of cancer die like saints” because they have the opportunity to prepare.  That’s certainly true if one spiritualizes the suffering and continues to trust.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and every saint without exception have had to suffer to reach their glory.  Can we expect to be different and have an easy road to heaven?  That’s all part of the human condition that began with the Fall of Man (generic) in the Garden of Eden.  Suffering is an opportunity to attain holiness, an absolute necessity to come before the throne of God……..if not here then certainly in purgatory, that happy but extremely difficult place of purification.

   

        May the example of Becky’s courage and faith strengthen each one of us, who sooner or later will have to confront cancer, heart disease, some serious accident, the crosses of old age, or some other infirmity in our own personal journeys to eternity.   The way Becky carried her cross made her a saint.  With the help of God’s grace our crosses properly carried with faith, trust, and courage will also make each one of us a saint someday.  Thank you Becky for all that you did in our parish and are continuing to do with your prayers.  Becky, you victoriously climbed the ultimate mountain (your personal Calvary) to heaven.  May we follow you on the journey up this ultimate mountain and do as well with our personal Calvaries.   May we be faithful to Christ and His Church.  Then we’ll all be together again with joyful hugs of VICTORY! 

Appendix

Obituary

Elizabeth Ann “Becky” Skidmore Riepenhoff

By Larry Patrick | May 23, 2014 

Elizabeth Ann “Becky” Skidmore Riepenhoff, 57, of Jackson, Ohio, passed away Thursday, May 22, 2014 at her residence surrounded by her family. Becky was born April 28, 1957 in Gallia County, Ohio, the daughter of the late Warren and Mary Alice (Lawless) Skidmore. She was a member of St. Louis Catholic Church, Gallipolis, where she taught Catechism. A 1976 graduate of North Gallia High School, she was a member of the Jackson Garden Club.

Becky is survived by her husband, Jay Riepenhoff, Jackson, Ohio and children: Christopher (Amy) Skidmore, Evergreen, Ohio; Arthur Riepenhoff, Chicago, Illinois; Dorothy “Ciss” Riepenhoff, Wellston, Ohio; Joseph (Molly) Riepenhoff, Worthington, Ohio and David (Emily) Riepenhoff, Westerville, Ohio; eight grandchildren: Mason and Reagan Skidmore; Hunter, Lauren, Catherine, Amelia, Ethan and Will Riepenhoff; brother, Jimmy Skidmore, Evergreen and sisters: Peggy (David) McCarley, Dayton, Ohio and Penny (Bobby) Ratliff, Evergreen. Also, she is survived by brothers-in-law: Charles (Susan) Riepenhoff, Atlanta, Georgia and Jim (Ann) Riepenhoff, Westerville, Ohio; sisters-in-law: Linda Skidmore, Patriot, Ohio and Sally Skidmore, Brazil, Indiana as well as many friends and extended family members.

In addition to her parents, Becky was preceded in death by husband, David Grant and brothers, Ronnie Skidmore and Larry Skidmore.

Funeral services will be conducted at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, 2014 in the St. Louis Catholic Church, 85 State, Gallipolis, Ohio with Fathers Joseph Trapp and Thomas Hamm officiating. Burial will follow in the Skidmore Family Cemetery, Evergreen, Ohio. Friends and family may call at the McCoy-Moore Funeral Home, Wetherholt Chapel, Gallipolis Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. A Rosary Service will be conducted Monday at 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Pallbearers will be Arthur, Joseph, David and Hunter Riepenhoff; Eric Skidmore, Christopher Tackett, Jeff McAvena and Jeff Roach.

In celebration of her vibrant life, everyone is invited and encouraged to wear Becky’s favorite color – pink. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation in Becky’s memory made to: Heartland Hospice, 205 North St., P O Box 400, Lucasville OH 45648. Condolences may be sent to www.mccoymoore.com