St. Francis Borgia Deaf Center

Fwd: Written testimony

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:48:51 GMT

This Monday, March 8th, there is a meeting at Access Living to discuss the issue of poverty in our community. The question to be discussed is, "How can we cut poverty in half in our country by the year 2015?" Because I had to attend another meeting this evening, this is the testimony I submitted via email.

My name is Reverend Joseph A. Mulcrone. I have been a Catholic priest for almost
39 years, and have worked full time in the deaf and disability community for
over 32 years. I am writing this to be included in the testimony to be given at
Access Living this Monday, March 8th on the issue of Poverty. (Once again,
Access Living has demonstrated its commitment to address the REAL issues
confronting the lives of all people, not just those with disabilities.)
While I could give you a telephone book list of all the things that should
be addressed, let me simply address two that I feel are most important.
First, A LIVING WAGE. The idea of a "MINIMUM WAGE" made sense at a certain
time. It no longer addresses the life situation of millions of the working poor
of our country. We must ask how much does a person need to live, not how little
can companies get by with paying their workers. The arguments that increasing
wages to this level will doom business simply does not wash. People paid a
living wage will have money to spend on the products companies produce. Every
effort must be made to create the intellectual, social, and political climate to
establish the concept of a "Living Wage" for the workers of this country.
Second, CRIME. The largest group of victims of crime in this country are the
poor. Whether it is the physical violence - domestic, sexual, drug-related,
etc. - that pervade their neighborhoods or the political/public corruption that
is a constant, the poor and working-class poor of our country are burdened by
the costs of crime. Too often, "war on crime" has been a "war on the poor"
instead of a "war on those who target the poor." A reduction of crime,
especially in poor neighborhoods, will automatically strengthen families,
increase educational achievement, provide more opportunitiers for business and
employment to thrive. I cannot blame the poor for often being suspicious of
such efforts. Too often, crime-fighting has been nothing more than a political
gimmick. Yet, effective crime prevention and interdiction would have a dramatic
effect on the lives of the poor.
Thank you for your attention.

SEXUAL ABUSE & DEAF CHILDREN

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:08:19 GMT

I have worked in the deaf community for over 32 years. Most of my experiences have been wonderful. Unfortunately, some are tragic. In particular, deaf people have trusted me with stories of how they were sexually abused as children. In most cases, they have never shared their experiences with anyone else.
I thought of this again last Monday, March 1st. DR. HAROLD A. JOHNSON, teaches at Michigan State University. He has been involved with deaf education for decades. He had come to Chicago to give a talk at the EDHI Conference. His talk was on CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT: What Teachers of Deaf Children Should Know. However, before he gave the talk, he had sent his outline to me and several others. He asked us to meet with him to give him feedback on his presentation.
Dr. Christine Pawelski from New York, Dr. Meg Creedon from Chicago(an expert on Autism), and I met with Dr. Johnson. The facts are very clear:
In the USA, 9% of children without disabilities and 31% of children with disabilities(including deaf) suffer Child Abuse and Neglect(CA/N)
CA/N damages children in ways that they never can fully recover.
Many teachers and school administrators, ESPECIALLY IN SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTINGS,
a) Do not understand the requirments of Mandated Reporting;
b) Do not fully cooperate with law enforcement citing confidentiality issues with the IEPs;
c) Do not know a great deal about the signs of CA/N;
d) Often miss or misinterpret behavioral clues re CA/N; worse, may often try to change or eliminate the very behaviors that are "red flags" that something is wrong in the child's life;
e) Often do not believe that someone will want to sexually abuse a child with a disability.
I spent some time at the meeting explaining to Dr. Johnson that "nice" people think that sexual predators are just like them. They are not.Many teachers think of sexual abuse in terms of physical attractiveness. Sexual predators are not attarCTed by beauty but by vulnerability. Those who sexually abuse children with disabilities or the children of parents who are deaf and/or disabled, know exactly what they are doing. I have interviewed both deaf and hearing sexual abusers. Sex, children, hurt, boundaries, rights, consequences-they think about these differently than you or me.
Dr. Johnson is trying to get all the major Special Education organizations and teachers' groups to work together on this issue. We all hope he succeeds. Here are a couple of websites that are helpful:
1 The following is a website that trains professionals about sexual abuse and children with disabilities:
http://childabuse.tc.columbia.edu/cred.jsp
2 The following is Dr. Johnson's site: http://deafed-childabuse-neglect-col.wiki.educ.msu.edu/
This is an issue we all must continue to address.

Special Education, Deaf Children, Chicago, and the State of Illinois.

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:43:40 GMT

On Thursday, Feb.19th, I attended a meeting at Access Living re: proposed cuts to the CPS (Chicago Public Schools) Special Education budget. In the past, the ISBE (Illinois State Board of Education) has given a special "block grant" of money to CPS to fund the Special Ed. program(including deaf programs). Presently CPS spends $888 million dollars/year on Special Ed.(69% of that is salaries and benefits for teachers and staff).
ISBE wanted to cut this block grant over the next three years for a total of $214 million dollars. This would mean that CPS would have to replace this money with money from other programs. If this happened, then CPS would have to lay off teachers and cut programs at hearing schools; the Teachers' Union would probably go out on strike; and there would be a "crisis."
This year, because of strong efforts of Access Living and Equip for Equality, ISBE will give the money ($53 million) to CPS. However, there is no gaurantee for the future. The meeting was meant to develop ways to keep the State of Illinois funding Special Education into the future. However, there are some HUGE difficulties:
1) The State of Illinois owes $15 BILLION dollars to school districts, universities, hospitals,not for profit agencies, etc. Also, the State of Illinois has a HUGE debt to pension funds that it MUST pay.(CPS owes its own teacher pension fund $500 million dollars!)
2) The State of Illinois legislators have done NOTHING to correct the above problems.
3) Whenever school districts decide to "save" money, who gets cut first? SPECIAL EDUCATION; children with disabilities!
4) In the past, CPS has NOT been a friend to children in Special Education.. Now that CPS is facing a problem, CPS wants all people with disabilities to help CPS! Whitney Young is a perfect example. Whitney Young High School was built with Special Education money from the federal government. Whitney Young was supposed to be a DEAF high school. CPS has done everything it can to get rid of the deaf: let all the deaf teachers go; keeps reducing the space for the deaf program. CPS says it has 29 deaf and hard of hearing programs in 28 Chicago schools.
Several years ago when there was another "crisis", CPS cut $25 million from the Special Education programs.
Maybe CPS is beginning to wake up. At the meeting, I told staff from CPS that many parents do NOT see CPS as a friend because of the way these parents are treated in IEP meetings.(Other people from disability groups told CPS the same thing!) If CPS wants people who are deaf and disabled to help CPS, then CPS has to start showing more respect to deaf people, people with disabilities, and families who have deaf or special ed children.
Everyone - school districts, universities, hospitals, not for profit agencies - are all screaming for help. The economy is a mess. The only way that really seems to be an answer is a hike in the rate of the State of Illinois income tax. Nobody wants to pay more taxes (By the way, even though I am a Catholic priest, I pay federal and state income tax, too.) We have to let our State Representatives and State Senators know that. However, at the same time, we have to tell these people in Springfield that we want no more FRAUD, HIRING INCOMPETENT PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT JOBS, CONTRACTS FOR GOVERNMENT WORK GIVEN TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THESE LEGISLATORS.
As far as CPS, I am willing to support CPS, but I want CPS to show more concern for the needs of deaf and hard of hearing children. I want CPS to be more supportive of our deaf teachers. I want CPS to handle IEPs in a more professional way.

DEAF CATHOLIC CONFERENCE, ROME, ITALY

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:49:21 GMT

11/22/2009: at 7am, a group of us boarded a van to travel north from Rome. At 8:30am, we arrived a the beautiful, small town of ORVIETO, ITALY. This is a city of about 25,000 people with a huge, amazingly decorated cathedral. Why is there such a large church in such a small town? Because in 1240, a Catholic priest was celebrating Mass. When he broke the host at Mass, blood came out of the host. In order to honor this miracle, the people of that area built a huge, very fascinating church.The church was built in 1253. In that church, the people keep the corporal(altar cloth) with the blood remains, of that miracle. The entire front of the cathedral carved into stone is the entire teaching of the Bible.
We walked through the town, then had a special tour of one of the 1,200 caves in the town. We learned a lot about the history of the area going back to 1,000 BEFORE Jesus.From there, we traveled another hour to Assisi.. We stopped for lunch at a unique food/wine store.This area of Umbria/Orvieto is famous for olive oil(excellent) and its white wines. The meal was very special, and at the end everyone surprised me with a very Italian birthday cake! Then, a short drive to the mountain town of Assisi. This is so hard to describe. Assisi is a place of great peace and holiness. We visited and prayed at the church of St. Clare, the woman who became a devoted follower of St. Francis.(She founded the religious order known as The Poor Clares.) We walked through this very old town with its little shops and coffee houses(and incredible desserts!!!!!). Then, we were all able to visit, tour the church where St. Francis of Assisi is buried. This was a very humbling experience. Finally, back on the bus to Rome(2 hours.)
11/23: we fly back to Chicago. In about a week, I will publish the notes from the Deaf Conference I participated in at the Vatican. The notes will be on the website of the Catholic Office of the Deaf. Many people to thanks:
1 COLLEEN CURRY at the Catholic Office of the Deaf. She kept everything running smoothly while I and our Religious Education Coordinator were gone.
2 FR. TONY SCHUERGER from Cleveland. He and I worked together at the Conference to gather notes and information. He is a good source of wisdom and humor!
3 JIM SMITH who did a terrific job keeping my computer and Fr. Tony's running.
4 JIM DUNNE who inspired us all, at age 80+, by his desire to learn about the Faith, history, and the deaf world.
5 MS SARAH ROSANI, our tour leader for this trip, who did an outstanding job coordinating all our trips, van rides to meetings, etc.
Time to go home!

CATHOLIC DEAF CONFERENCE, ROME, ITALY

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:08:45 GMT

THREE REMEMBRANCES:
1) Yesterday afternoon, 11/21, our group was on its way to the Post-Conference meeting and Mass. Our van driver took us to a beautiful spot that overlooks Rome.There is a large fountain that was built over 400 years ago(it still works!). While we were there, there was a very attractive,welldressed couple standing off to the side of the fountain. The sun was shining; the fountain was flowing.Suddenly the guy got down on his knees, opened a small box, and asked the young woman to marry him! (In the box was the ring!). She yelled in surprise "Si, Si!"(YES!). We all started clapping. Then, Fr. Tony and I walked over. We asked our tour guide to tell the couple we were Catholic priests and did they want to be married right then and there???(We were teasing.) They were stunned that two priests were with them at that moment. So we took some pictures, and gave them a blessing for a happy life together!
2 FR. CYRIL AXELROD is a deaf-blind priest. He was born to Jewish parents before World War II.He was deaf. The parents gave him to a Catholic family to raise him because of the Nazis. In fact, the Nazis did kill his parents. Cyril was ordained a Catholic priest, went to work in South Africa, but then began to lose his vision.Cyril now lives and works in London. He travels around the world, giving Missions and Retreats to deaf communities(he just got back from Slovakia, and his next trip is to China!). He has a wonderful sense of humor, a great curiosity about life,a strong Faith, and is way to busy to ever feel sorry for himself!
3 It is November21-22nd here in Rome, a city of over 4 million people. There are NO Christmas ads, displays, almost nothing to convince us to do Christmas shopping! When I left Chicago last week, there were signs and ads everywhere telling people that they had to start their Christmas shopping early. In America, the Wal-Mart, Kohls, Target, etc have stolen Christmas from us. These businesses(and so many others) have convinced us that Christmas is about buying things. Here, people are getting ready for ADVENT, the time of preparation for the Birth of Our Savior. I asked someone who lives here if there is a Christmas shopping "season". She said that it is about two weeks before Christmas; that's all. I told her that Christmas ads in Chicago were up at Halloween. She said, "now that is REALLY scary!"

CATHOLIC DEAF CONFERENCE, ROME ITALY

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:16:25 GMT

11/21/2009: today was, like all the other days, pretty amazing. We began the last day of the Conference with an address to us by Cardinal Angelini.. He is 93 years old,and will be celebrating his 70th anniversary as a priest next Spring. In Italian, he gave a very powerful and emotional speech about the need for the Church (all of us) to be concerned for those suffering in the world. At one point he said, he really said this, "the Church is not to be found in the great basilicas and cathedrals of the world. The Church is to be found in hospitals, rehabilitation centers. Where the sick and suffering are, there is Jesus!" After that, the leaders of the Conference asked me to present a summary of the proceedings. Following that, there was alively discussion from the audience, hearing and deaf, re: what the Church should be doing to improve the lives of deaf people and help deaf people participate more fully in the life of the Church.
Then, we left our hotel at 2pm to travel to the parish church of ST.FRANCIS & ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA, the twin patron saints of Italy.We had a follow up meeting re: future directions for our Catholic deaf community. Then, Mass at 5pm in the same church. (Every Saturday, there is a 5pm Mass for the deaf at that parish.) The Mass was celebrated in multiple sign-languages and spoken Italian. PATRICIA SLISZ & BRIAN SWATEK did some of the readings at the Mass.Following all this, was a social reception at the Catholic Deaf Center in Rome, near the church. Everyone enjoyed themselves.
This Conference came after a year of very intense planning. Like any Conference, we did not accomplish EVERYTHING. We did not solve ALL problems. We did not answer EVERY question. What we did accomplish was to have over 500 people(more than 100 deaf) from over 60 countries come together with Vatican officials to describe honestly the needs of deaf people in the Catholic Church. There is MUCH work left to do. However, it was obvious to me that the bishops and other Church officials who attended the sessions were very moved by the testimonies of so many, especially deaf people who have worked for many years in the life of the Church. I believe that from this Conference, there will be some improvements and changes made. In the next two weeks, I will post on the website for the Catholic Office of the Deaf the pages of notes that I took during the Conference. Hopefully these will give you a better picture of the discussions.
A personal note: my deaf grandparents could have never imagined that one day there would be deaf pastoral workers and leaders, meeting at the Vatican, signing to Church officials in all sorts of different sign-languages their ideas and desires for the Church! They probably certainly could not have opictured me being there. As I sat in front of the entire Conference this morning to sum up the three days, their presence and mom's face flashed into my mind. For a moment, I was overwhelmed by the sense that they were there in that room, with me. They were! Their love made all the work of getting to this day worth it.

CATHOLIC DEAF CONFERENCE, ROME, ITALY

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:55:04 GMT

THURSDAY, 11/20: At the beginning of our trip, someone asked JAMES DUNNE, an 80 year old, deaf man, why he had come on this journey. He said/signed, "Because I wanted to be a part of history." Yesterday, Jim got his wish!
The morning began, once again, amazingly bright and sunny in Rome. The walk from our hotel to the meeting hall is several blocks, buy you have to keep your eyes open. Roman traffic means people on motor bikes coming from all directions, and "Smart" cars pulling out of impossibly tiny parking spaces. The morning session began with a number of wonderful speakers addressing, "THE FAMILY AND DEAF PEOPLE". MS. MAURA BUCKLEY, a deaf, married woman from Ireland, gave a beautiful talk about her life as a wife, mother, grandmother; someone who lost a son at age 32; a dedicated teacher and catechist for over 30 years with deaf children.Then, we had three couples from Italy: a deaf couple with hearing children; a couple where the husband is deaf and the wife is hearing with "2 1/2" children(she is expecting); and a hearing couple with three children(2 deaf, one hearing). All talked very honestly about their struggles to make their marriages work and raise families in a truly Catholic/Christian way.Each family said that deafness at times made these efforts more difficult, yet ALL said/signed that the deafness had also strengthened their love with the family.
How did communication work at these meetings? At every chair, there was an ear phone for hearing people.If the presenter was hearing and spoke, there were four voice interpreters(English, Spanish, Italian, French) who translated the talk into one of the four languages. If the person signed, then the voice interpreter spoke into a microphone, the message was translated. The sign-language interpreters had special ear phones to hear the presentation, then translate into sign. At one point yesterday, I counted ten different sign-languages being used in the hall.
At 10:45, the entire group of 500 people left the hall, and walked around the back of St. Peter's Basilica through a beautiful garden. Then, we climbed four flights of marble stairs to the meeting hall of St. Clement VIII. (It was in this hall decorated with fantastic art that the wake for Pope John Paul II was held for bishops, priests, and the Vatican workers before his public wake at St. Peter's.) We filled this large room, and then...HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI arrived. The room went crazy with cameras flashing, people cheering, and deaf people waving their arms/hands in "applause".. The Pope spoke in Italian. Luckily, MSGR GLENN NELSON from Rockford, IL who knows Italian was able to translate into American Sign-Language. The Pope spoke of how blessed the Church was by the presence of our group. He encouraged us to continue the work we do. He said that, "the deaf people of our Church have received the Good News of Jesus, but now have the duty to go and share that same Good News with the rest of the world!" Jim Dunne got his wish; he witnessed history happen!
After, I had a lunch meeting with a group of deaf, including a deaf priest, from Spain. They wanted to talk about World Youth Week in Madrid, Spain in 2011.They have developed a good plan for deaf young adults to participate in the entire week, Aug. 15-21, 2011.
The afternoon session, beginning at 4pm, had terrific presenters, including a deaf-blind priest, FR. CYRIL AXELROD, who works in London after years of working in South Africa; IAN ROBERTSON who is a good friend and co-worker from FLORIDA; and Sr. VITTORINA CARLI, a deaf Sister who works with deaf children in Italy. Finally, after all this, I had a meeting with a group of Pastoral Workers from Mexico who asked me to come to Mexico next year to talk to the priests there about pastoral work with the deaf.
It was a long, busy, exhausting, inspiring, historic day. God has blessed us throughout this trip and Conference.

Catholic Deaf Conference in Rome

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:40:01 GMT

THURS, 11/19: an amazing day. Again,another bright, sun shining day in Rome with temperatures in the 70's. Today was the first day of the Conference on the Deaf Person in the Catholic Church. We all went over to the Vatican to meet in the Synod Conference Hall with the meetings beginning at 9am. There was one Cardinal, five archbishops, and four other bishops there along with 400 people(100 of whom were deaf) from 60 countries! We had four spoken languages(English, Spanish, Italian, French) and four sign-language interpreters on large video screens(ASL, Spanish, Italian, British Sign-Language), then seven other sign-languages going on: Mexican,German, Polish, Irish,Australian,French, and deaf-blind sign-language for Fr. Cyril Axelrod a deaf-blind priest.
The morning session went from 9am-12:30pm with many talks. Several highlights:
a representative from the World Health Organization pointed out that 80% of all the deaf people in the world live in working-class and poor situations. They have no access to technology, special education, appropriate medical care, employment, or legal protections.
DEACON PATRICK GRAYBILL gave a great presentation about his experience as a deaf person in the world and the Church;
MARY ANN BARTH & CHELO MANERO presented their paper on 'THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WORLD OF THE DEAF PERSON; many deaf people were in tears because they signed afterwards that Maryann and Chelo were the first people to truly and honestly address the life experience of deaf people in a public way.(That paper is available on the website of the Catholic Office of the Deaf).
12:30-4pm: afternoon break.At lunch, I had the chance to talk with Fr. Charley Dittmeier who works with the deaf in Cambodia. Till 1997 - 1997 - there was no official sign-language in that country.Only now are they actually putting a sign-language dictionary together. Ran into Fr. Harry Stocks from Toronto, Canada. he worked with the deaf in India for many years. However, the Indian government would not let him return. Why? Because Harry tried to build schools for the deaf and the governement bureaucrats were stealing all the money. When Harry protested, the government cancelled his visa and would not let him come back.
4pm: we came back for more talks and discussions, including a presentation by a religious Sister who works with the deaf in Indonesia and a young Catechist who works with the deaf in Malaysia. Then, questions and comments from people of Malta, Chile, Italy,Guinea(Africa), and Britain. Finally ended at 7:45pm. People went off to eat or walk around Rome this gorgeous, cool evening.

Deaf Catholic Conference, Rome Italy

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:02:16 GMT

Wed., 11/18: the weather here continues to amaze people. 75 and sunny everyday is NOT Rome in November where it is usually 50 and rainy! The World Summit on Global Hunger is here this week with lots of "important" people coming and going, so the traffic is even worse than usual. Most Romans travel around the city on motor bikes or driving Smart Cars; the parking is crazy. There seems to be no rules except...if you can park here, then it's okay!
IN the morning, Fr. Tony Schuerger from Cleveland and I walked over to the Vatican, about ten minutes walk from our hotel, to get the passes and badges for all the people in our group to attend the Deaf Conference beginning on Thursday. Then we went shopping. Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE to shop...except for books! I did pick up some religious items for the church and deaf community. Fr. Tony went touring; I had a meeting.
5:30pm, our Chgo group left the hotel by bus to go to the Venerable English College. This college was set up 400 years ago. Why? Because at that time, the English kings(Henry VIII) and queens (Elizabeth I) were persecuting Catholics and killing priests and bishops. So, the Church set up this College to train young men as priests, ordain them, then secretly send them back to England and Ireland. Many of these young men never regturned; the English rulers tortured and killed them.We celebrated Mass in the Chapel of the English martyrs, a magnificent place to pray. (So many places in Rome and Italy are inspiring places for prayer!)
The Mass was a great reunion. Fr. Paul Fletcher (London) was there, as was Fr. Charley Dittmeier(Kentucky priest) who now works with the deaf in Cambodia. Archbishop Patrick Kelly from Liverpool celebrated the Mass in Italian, spoken English, and British sign-language! We had over 30 priests; five sign-languages. BRIAN SWATEK represented us by bringing up the bread and wine for Mass; PATRICIA SLISZ offered one of the Prayers of the Faithful in ASL. PATRICK GRAYBILL was the Deacon. After the Mass, about 90 people from many different countries gathered for a wonderful meal. I sat next to two deaf ladies from Ireland. A wonderful evening and great way to begin the Conference which officially starts Thursday morning. fr. Tony and I are the official note takers; JIM SMITH is our computer expert for those days.

DEAF CATHOLIC CONFERENCE, VATICAN CITY, ITALY

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:09:57 GMT

Usually in November, Rome tends to be very rainy and 45-50 degrees. Every day here has been 75 and sunny! The Romans are in shock. They can't believe how good the weather is.It's strange because already we see Christmas symbols and ads, but the weather is more like May-June than 40 days till Christmas.
TUESDAY, 11/17: a group of us with our guide(ROSELLA) and our sign language interpreter( ILARIO STOCCHERO) went off for a tour of ancient Rome. First we went to the Colliseum. To this day, famous architects cannot figure out how people 2,000 years ago could have built a stadium that held over 75,000 people safely, and is still standing today. From there, we walked though the Roman Forum, these are the ruins of where the government of ancient Rome was established. This was where JULIUS CAESAR, CICERO, and so many other famous people met, spoke, and ruled the world. During our walk, a woman stopped to watch us signing. She is a professor at Gallaudet University, now living in Italy. She knew Mary Ann Barth who was in our group. Small world!
From there, we kept walked to where our bus was waiting. The bus was not there. Why? Because there was huge demonstration of unemployed workers blocking the streets of downtown Rome. This happens in Rome often! The police know there will be a demonstration; they set up road blocks; the demonstrators refuse to move.So traffic becomes a mess! We walked another four blocks to the restaurant.
Eating in Italy is a JOY! The food is all fresh; the people here do NOT use chemicals or preservatives; and Italians know how to cook! Lots of vegetables, olive oil, etc. Lunch is often: bread, some pasta, then a salad! Dinner here often means fish dishes. The fish is so fresh and cooked so well! Even in a small restaurant with reasonable prices, you feel like you are having a feast! And, of course, afterwards, you go to a place for some GELATO----as one person signed to me ther other night, "I feel like I am eating some of heaven!"
After our meal, we walked to the Trevi Fountain, a place made famous by two movies, "Three Coins in a Fountain" and "La Dolce Vita". This is one of the most popular tourist areas in Rome with lots of restaurants and shops! We took the bus to my favorite church, St. Paul Outside the Walls. This the church where St. Paul is buried. I always feel very humbled to be in this holy place. Finally, back to the hotel through the crazy Rome traffic.
Our interpreter, ILARIO STOCCHERO, isa good friend, a man who taught in the deaf school in Padua, Italy for 38 years. He and his wife and two children live in Padua. He came to be our interpreter for the day. A wonderful man. I feel blessed to call him a friend.
JIM SMITH who is on our trip has helped me and others get our computers set up here. He really has been most helpful. Sadly, BERNIE FAIRWOOD, a deaf man whose wife won $3,000 at our raffle last Saturday died sudenly on Tuesday. I am in shock at this news. he was a terrific guy and I am sad I will miss his funeral.
Finally last night, a group of us went out to celebrate the surprise birthday of Mary Ann Barth who will soon be turning 60. We ate in a restaurant that is basically a fish restaurant and everyone there,e ven people who don't normally eat fish, said it was the best place they had ever eaten at! Of course, having a home made cannoli birthday cake helped! Got to bed at 10pm and slept all night; first time I had been able to do that since arriving here. Jet lag, ugh!

DEAF CATHOLIC CONFERENCE, VATICAN CITY, ITALY

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:12:05 GMT

Sat-Sun, 11/14-15: Sat., 11/14 was an incredibly hectic day. Thanks to a wonderful committee (and beautiful weather!), the day was a success. From the racetrack, a group of us took a van to O'Hare airport. At 8:45pm, we flew out of Chicago on British Airways. en though I tried to sleep, it was impossible. I was too stressed from all the prepaprations during the week for Hawthorne, then this trip.
We arrived at Heathrow airport, London, England at 9:45am Sunday morning. We had to check ourselves through security there (very thorough), then waited to board a second flight from London to Rome. We left at 12:45pm and arrived in Rome at 4pm. After getting our bags, we walked out the door and there was a welcome smile, MS SARAH ROSANI, who had been our tour guide for the pilgrimage last summer. She had a van waiting to take us to the hotel. Rome traffic: is ALWAYS crowded, and Sunday night was no exception.However, our driver was very skilled and we arrived at Hotel Michelangelo in good time. This hotel is about a three block walk to St. Peter's basilica. Our whole group went out to eat dinner at a very Italian restaurant near the hotel. DELICIOUS! After that, we found a "Gelataria", a place that serves Italian "ice cream", GELATO. By that time, everyone was exhausted and went back to the hotel to try to sleep(Rome is 7 hours ahead of Chicago time!).
SMALL WORLD: at the hotel that evening I met Fr. John Nolan, a priest from St. Joseph parish, Chatham, IL. He was leading a tour of Rome with his parishioners. Many of them remembered my uncle, Msgr. Mulcrone, and Fr. John and I laughed about how strange for us to meet each other in Rome, Italy!

Mon, 11/16: Most Italian hotels serve a large buffet breakfast: cereal, fruits, yogurt, breads, rolls,great coffee, and...salami & cheese! After breakfast, our group met at 8:30am. MARY ANN BARTH (deaf,from KY), her sister and husband joined us.Richard & Kathy Kush, Minette Strenke, Fr. Tony Schuerger(Clevleand, OH), and Sr. Pat Francis had been to Rome before. They decided to go on their own tours that day. Our tour group for the day was Nancy Huber, Brian Swatek, Jim Smith, Jim Dunne, Bob and Maggie Swatek,, Mary Ann Barth and family, and me! We had a tour guide, ROMI who was born in Puerto Rico but had lived in Rome for 5 years. Our sign-language interpeter was named PAOLA, who is an expert in international sign-language, but also knows ASL.
We walked to St. Peters. (One thing about travelling in Italy, YOU WALK!) Romi, our tour guide, was excellent. Standing in the plaza outside of St. Peter's, she gave us an excellent introduction to the history of this amazing church.While she was speaking and Paola was interpreting, I noticed a group of eight people watching us intently. I signed to them, and they signed back to me! This was a group of deaf from Seattle and Vancouver, WA who were touring Italy. They were not here for the Conference and had no idea that there was a deaf conference. We all chatted for a few minutes. This other group, all deaf, had a deaf, Italian guide! There is in Rome a group of deaf people who are certified by the government to be tour guides for deaf people.
We continued walking. As we were walking to the Vatican Museum, a young deaf man from NEW ZEALAND spotted Jim Dunne's Cochlear Implant (because he had one, too!). His name was David and he was in Rome to come to the Conference beginning Thursday. We went into the Vatican Museum (there is ALWAYS, everyday a long line).Somedays, 30,000 people - yes, 30,000 - go through the Museum. ROMI & PAOLA did an outstanding job explaining the exhibits, helping us go through the Museum As we were staniding in the garden and signing, there was a young deaf couple who were watching us. Theyw ere from MADRID, SPAIN and were fascinated to meet other deaf people. (Many deaf people love to tour Italy. Why? because Italy is so visual - art, buildings, etc - and because it has good tour services for deaf people.)
We went to the Sistine Chapel - amazing! Then, toured St. Peter's Basilica-inspiring. I ran into two people from Australia here for the Conference beginning Thursday morning. Thery remembered Fr. Mike Depcik from his travels there.I prayed at the tomb of Pope John XXIII to thank him for what he had done for our Church. After that, we were tired and hungry. We had a delicious luncheon (salad and pasta; oops, in Italy it is pasta and salad!). In the afternoon, the group toured St. Mary Major Basilica and then the Catacombs. That evening, people went out to dinner. I had a meeting/dinner with several people on the planning committee for the Encuentro for Deaf Youth that will happen next summer in Mexico.We ate in a small, neighborhood Italian restaurant that served excellent fish! (Most Italian restaurants, even in Rome, only have about 8-12 tables. They are not large, but very welcoming. The food is outstanding. Why? Because the food is fresh, few chemicals are added,often the people working there have been in this business for generations of family, and they cook with olive oil, not butter or fats.) By the time I got back to the hotel, I was full and exhausted.

ITALY TRIP

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:21:59 GMT

A couple of final notes.
1 Europe is incredibly expensive. Why? Because our American dollar is so weak. We live in America and sometimes think we are so powerful. Our money is worth very little here because of the mortgage lending disaster in our country, our corrupt banks and lending companies, the war in Iraq, and all the money we spend on oil. Italian people LOVE the USA, but think our politicians are totally out of touch with what is really happening in our world.
2 Immigration in Italy is a huge problem, too. The people from Romania, Albania, Morocco, and Libya are causing immgration problems here.
3 The food here is out of this world, yet the Italians are all thin. Why? Because everything they eat is fresh (no chemicals or preservatives) and they walk everywhere.
4 The Chicago people were a big help on the trip. Carol Mullis, Lisa Masciola, and Diane Russell did a lot of interpreting. BRIAN SWATEK was very dependable,as always, in a couple of crisis situations. PATRICIA SLISZ did a terrific job with liturgy, and photography. RALPH AND VIRGINIA HINCH were always available to help with our Masses. RICHARD AND KATHY KUSH were very supportive.
5 time to go to bed. Ciao!

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ITALY TRIP

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:07:40 GMT

JUNE 26. AN HISTORIC DAY. St. Peter s Basilica was orginally built over 1600 years ago. The latest building was constructed over 400 years ago. Today, for the first time in the entire history of this building, something happened that has never happened in that building before. 1,200 deaf people joined with 44 priests and two bishops to celebrate Mass at the Altar of St. Peter s Throne, under the magnificent stained glass window of the Holy Spirit. The entire Mass was in voice and sign_language celebrated by Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool, England. There were deaf priests from the USA (Fr. Mike Depcik, Fr. Joe Bruce) along with other deaf priests (Fr. Peter McDonough form England and Fr. Park from Korea). Deacon Ralph Hinch was assisted the bishop. Virginia Hinch and Mary Jo Scanlan led a choir of deaf people from the USA. Never / NEVER/ has there been such a Mass at St. Peter s Basilica. The joy people felt was overwhelming as many people were literally crying for joy as they signed the prayers in 18 different sign languages!
That afternoon, everyone 1,000 of us had lunch together at the Divino Amore Conference Center on the outskirts of Rome. I sat down with deaf people from Wales and Hong Kong, along with Fr. Charley Dittemeier who works with the deaf in Cambodia. We ended the Conference at 4pm with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. As we left, a number of people came up to me and asked, so, when will you do this again?????? I was too amazed to give them any answer. A lot of people thanked me for what we had accomplished this week. I say this with all my heart. It was not me, it was the Lord. Whatever credit goes to the success of what happened belongs to the Lord in whom we placed our trust at the beginning of this project.
Tonight, I ahd my last dinner in Rome with a number of people from Chicago. We all just sat there in awe at everything we had experienced during the ten days here.We leave tmw, FRI, for Chicago. I look forward to seeing you soon. This Sunday is the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. I was able to visit the tombs of both of them this week, I am very blessed. Thanks for all your support and prayers for the trip.

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ITALY TRIP

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:31:38 GMT

It is Wednesday evening, June 25th, the end of an amazing day. However, I owe you a few days reporting so.......
JUNE 22. AWESOME ASSISI. We drove through sunny Italy Sun. morning, and as we came through the fields of central Italy, the beautiful town of Assisi came to view, resting on a high hillside. It truly was an inspiring sight. We all got out and walked through this ancient, beautiful town. Many Americans live in this area.We all went to visit the church of St. Francis of Assisi and visited his tomb. The sense of peace while being there was tremendous.  The day was very hot and we found out later the temperature was 108! We had Mass at another beautiful church (all the churches in Italy are beautiful), then got back on our busses for another 2 hour drive to Rome. We arrived Sunday night just as Italy was beginning its big soccer match with Spain(the city was a madhouse) and go to our hotel.
A note about our hotels. All the hotels we have stayed at have been very nice. They all are very conscious about not wasting water or electricity.For example, the card key that opens your door, you insert in a slot that turns on your lights. When you leave your room, you have to take the card key, and 2 minutes later your lights go out.   We had a nice dinner, and went to bed.
MON, JUNE 23. REMARKABLE ROME. The weather thoughout Europe has been unseasonably hot. Monday was very hot. Luckily in Rome, there are food stands everywhere selling bottled water, Gatorade, etc, along with Italian pizza which is more tomato and less cheese than ours.
In the morning, we went to the Vatican Museum and Sistine chapel. Wonderful, but hugely crowded. The school year in Europe ended last week, so there are thousands of school age young people touring here. We then went into St. Peter's Basilica. There are really no words to describe this. Amazingly, there is a special altar where the body of Pope John XXIII is. We all stopped to pray for this good and holy man.
After this, we had an hour or so to shop and grab a quick lunch. Then, we drove to the Catacombs of St. Callistus. At one point in our history, 300,000 Christians were buried there. Now, about 30,000 remain. We walked down a steep set of stairs to tour the place which has a constant temperature of 56 degrees everyday of the year.We then went to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the walls(one of my favorite churches) to visit the tomb of St. Paul and celebrate Mass.After Mass, we were back in downtown Rome to visit the Trevi Fountain after a delicious pasta dinner. We met a group of deaf from Liverpool. England, then the deaf group from Washington, DC, all arriving for the pilgrimage.
TUES, JUNE 24. Again, blazing hot temperatures, even by Rome standards. Everyone is drinking bottles of cold water. We visited the Colliseum, toured ancient Rome, went to the churches of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran.(At that point I left the group to go back to st. paul s church to celebrate a First Communion Mass with Archbishop Kelly of Liverpool, England and the Robertson family of Miami, FL. Then, I took a cab to the English College to meet the various representatives of deaf groups who were picking up their packet of tickets for the events of the 25 & 26th. At one point in the room, we had 13 different sign languages going!
A NOTE ABOUT THE TOURING BUSINESS IN ITALY> Italy has a huge tourist business. So, being a tour guide is a very specialized and government controlled business. We have had two excellent guides, Sarah and Mary Agnes, throughout our entire trip. They manage everything about the trip and are wonderful. However, by Italian law, every city has its own certified guides for that city. The tourist agency must hire those local guides for whatever city we are visiting. Sarah and Mary Agnes cannot act as local guides.   I must say I have been very impressed by the local guides we have had, many of who have degrees in history or art. Recently, the Italian government has allowed a group of deaf people to become certified guides for deaf groups who come to this city.   You can also hire a private guide/driver who also must be licensed.
WED, JUNE 25TH. AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY. The heat was beating down on us as we gathered at St. Peter s Square this morning. Nobody cared. Over 1,200 deaf and hearing(mostly deaf) from 22 countries gathered in a special area of seating at St. Peter s. We sat and met one another for two hours, with all sorts of different sign languages flying around. then, 1030 am, the POPE! 10,000 assembled people went crazy!!!   The deaf were thrilled.   Then, during the Pope s remarks, he mentioned specifically our group and its presence. Later, he told Archbishop Kelly personally that he was thrilled we were there and gave us his blessing. Three years of work and preparation had paid off.I couldn t believe it had worked out.
Then, it was over. This afternoon, we had a conference on discipleship in the world, and especially what does it mean for deaf people to take responsibility for ministry in the Church.This happened at a wonderful conference center on the outskirts of Rome. I met with the deaf group from Puerto Rico who told me I should move there because they don t have a priest.
We had seven deaf people from England, South Korea, South Africa, USA, Ireland, Germany, and Mexico speak and sign of their experiences as a deaf person in the Church. Terrific day. One more to go with a special Mass for the group in St. Peter s. More tmw night. Ciao

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Italy Trip

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:29:00 GMT

I am sorry i have not gotten back to you. The last few days have been incredibly busy, and today I was busy all day getting ready for the audience with the Pope. What has complicated the trip has been the weather. It have been over 100 everyday since Sunday. Even the people of Rome are stunned by the heat.

Please check out the other blog for additional experiences about the trip. The other blog is:

http://cudeafministry.typepad.com/

I promise a full report tomorrow and a catch up report on the last few days. Ciao (good bye in Italian)!

Venice pictures

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 01:21:00 GMT

The group gathering in St. Mark's square

Side of St. Mark's Square

Example of architecture in Venice

Golden Staircase in Palace - gold leaf covers this ceiling!

Demonstration of glassblowing.

Front of St. Mark's Basilica

A group on the gondolas

The Bridge of Sighs

The altar we said Mass - the stone is from Syria, where St.
Mark reached. He actually stood on this stone!

Special thanks to the following for allowing us to use their
pictures on this blog:

Champaign-Urbana Deaf Catholic Ministry
http://cudeafministry.typepad.com/

ITALY TRIP

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:54:51 GMT

JUNE 21: FABULOUS FLORENCE. It is difficult to describe adequately the city of Florence. We arrived on another brilliant day, blue sky without a cloud! One thing about our trip: we walk everywhere! Europe is NOT America, and in many places there are no elevators, escalators or air-conditioning! However, everywehre there are little shops or outdoor stands selling bottled water, pop, etc. We toured the Santa Croce(Holy Cross) Church. In that church are buried Michelangelo and Galileo! Florence is also the city of the great Italian writer, Dante, who wrote the DIVINE COMEDY. We toured a leather making factory where the work with gold and leather was incredible. More walking through streets with buildings that are 500 years old and statues even older. Stopped for lunch, then on to the Duomo(Cathedral), then finally Mass at another parish church. No airconditioning and the temp was above 90, but we were happy to be together and pray for you and all the pilgrims coming to Rome next week.
FOOD: Italy is a terrific place to visit for many reasons, but one of the best is the food. A few things to share:
PIZZA: Italian pizza is very thin, more with tomato and less with cheese, always fresh ingredients.
WATER: water here is safe to drink, but no matter where you go you can buy cold, bottled water.
BREAKFAST: our hotels have offered us buffet breakfasts of cereal, eggs, ham, yogurt, fresh fruit,,,,and cheese and salami!
LUNCH: usually light and simple: a salad, individual pizza or sandwich, water or pop.
DINNER: bread, then always a pasta dish, then a main course, THEN salad, then a wonderful, sweet dessert.
GELATO: you see places in the USA advertise gelato. Nothing I have tasted in the USA coems close to what they have here. the taste of this "ice cream" is beyong anything youc an imagine.
Interesting: two of the people on our trip have suffered from headaches for years. Since we arrived, their headaches have disappeared. One of the medical people on the trip told me that is because all the food we eat here is Fresh: no preservatives, no chemicals, all natural ingredients.
Last comment: the trip has been very good. We have seen so much, but everyday we begin with the entire group praying for our safety during the day. Everyday we offer Mass, and many people offer intentions for their family and friends at home.
Tomorrow we are on the road a lot, and I am not sure I will be able to get to a computer before Monday, however, I will get the info back to you about our travles, especially on Sunday to Assisi, the home of St. fFancis.

If its Friday, it must be Pisa!

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:05:04 GMT

We left Venice this morning on a beautiful, sunny day. Our drive of over 3 hours brought us to the city of Pisa and its famous leaning tower. We walked to the center of the old city and came to the magnificent cathedral, Baptistry, and, of course, the tower. The weather was very hot by early afternoon. We celebrated Mass in the very historic cathedral that has so many gorgeous works of art, a person could spend an entire day(or days) doing nothing but looking at the art. The Mass was interesting because it was at the old altar, not facing the people, so with a deaf group we certainly had to adapt. Fr. Tony Schuerger from Cleveland has been celebrating Mass with us. Deacons Ralph Hinch(Chgo) and David Sommers(Milwaukee) have been assisting. It s funny to see the international tourists stopping to look at deaf people signing the readings and offering the prayers at the deaf Mass in these magnificent churches. This has been an education for many of the people on the trip, and many of the people throughout these cities in Italy who have encountered our group.
We ended up tonight in a smaller city near Florence (Terme) known for its hot springs. our hotel is very nice, a bit old fashioned but comfortable. Tomorrow is all day in Florence, then on to Assisi on Sunday,a nd finally Rome. I remember you all everyday in my Masses and prayers.

venice trip

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:38:00 GMT

JUNE 19: AMAZING VENICE. our day began with a half hour bus ride(the coaches are very comfortable) in bright sunshine-not a cloud in the sky. We reached Venice and at 10am it was already warm. There are no cars or busses in Venice-only boats. So we parked the bus and took a large(80) seat "water taxi" to the main island(there are 117 islands) of Venice. A special day began. We visited the palace of the DOGE(duke) of Venice: a building filled with magnificent artwork. These people lived in a splendid way. Yet, we also learned from the guide that these people often were very cruel and suspicious rulers who did not care about the rights of ordinary people. Next door, we toured St. Marks Cathedral, a very large and beautiful church. From there, we went to a glass factory(all of this walking) to see how Venetian glass(world famous) is made.We walk everywhere, there are few elevators, so a lot - A LOT! of up and down stairs.

Venice at this time of the year is filled, packed!!! with tourists, especially many teens and young adults. The "world" seems to fill St. Mark s Square with every nation of the world. By now the day was incredibly sunny and very warm.

After a short lunch of pizza(thin, more tomato/less cheese than American pizza), we had time for ourselves. A number of people went on a gondola ride(expensive). I had to finish a promise. I had asked the Blessed Mother for help. In Venice, there is the Church of Madonna Della Salute(The Mother of Health). To get there, I had to take a water bus(they have bus lines like any large city, but they are boats). I ahd promised her that in response to her help, I would offer a Rosary there. I went to the church that afternoon and offered a rosary in thanksgiving for her help, then jumped back on the water bus and made it back by 4pm.

At 4:30pm, we all gathered in the ancient baptistry of St. Mark s and offered Mass. The altar was a very large stone. I asked the sacristan why. He said that the stone was from Syria. (St. Mark was supposedly a Syrian by birth.) The tradition said that Jesus had stood on this rock to preach. When I told the group, people were stunned. At the end of Mass, all of us touched the rock in a very quiet, humble way.

Afterwards, we walked though the very winding, crowded, exciting streets of Venice to have dinner at one of the thousands of little restaurants that fill the city. The meal, as every meal here, was delicious and very filling. We then walked back to our water taxi, rode back through a great sunset over the waters, to oru bus, and back home. Today we travel to Pisa and end the day near Florence.
Everyday, we pray for you, our loved ones and friends. Please continue to pray for us.

Italy

Fr Joe Mulcrone — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:25:23 GMT

CATHOLIC DEAF PILGRIMAGE TO ITALY

JUNE 16: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. Our group left on two diffrent flights to Milan: Chicago to Munich to Milan. Chicago to Frankfort to Milan. Travelling these days is difficult. For example, in Frankfort airport, everyone must go through Security checkpoints twice. Then, go through Immigration checkpoints. Our two groups finally arrived in Milan, Italy on the morning of JUNE 17th. The weather was overcast and a bit cool. We were read to begin our trip through Milan, but....

JUNE 17:BETTER LATE THAN NEVER! As we were ready to begin our trip, we realized that seven people were missing. All of them were flying from New Orleans to Washington to Munich to Milan. The problem was they did not arrive in Milan, and the airline did not knw where they were! We began touring Milan, but kept up a frantic phone search for this group. We could not locate them. FINALLY, we got a call from the airport. What happened was that there had been a very bad rain storm in D.C, and their flight was delayed 3 hours, so they missed their connection in Munich, and arrived in Milan 5 hours late with no one to meet them. At last we were all united.
We had a wonderful tour of Milan, a large business city of northern Italy, and especially the DUOMO, the magnificent cathedral. People simply could not believe this building. We then a a three hour drive to our hotel near Venice which became a four hour drive because of horrible thunderstorms, as bad as anything I have seen, with hail. By the time we got to the hotel (very nice and modern), had a good dinner, we were all ready for bed. I was exhausted, but glad we were finally all together.

JUNE 18: PERFECT PADUA. Our day started early as we drove to Padua (Padova in Italian), a university city of 250,000 people(60,000 students!). The day was warm and sunny. We celebrated Mass ina special chapel at the shrine of St. Anthony of Padua. Twenty-four deaf from Padua joined us for the Mass(their sign-langauge is different). They were so thrilled that our group was there and invited them to share in the Mass. Afterwards, I joined their group for a lunch at a local restaurant.
That afternoon, we had a terrific tour of St. Anthony"s basilica. We prayed at the tomb of St. Anthony of Padua, and I remembered all of you, especially the members of the deaf community of Chicago. Then a street tour of Padua, and a chance meeting with a deaf mother from Ukraine and her hearing dughter who were amazed to see us signing.(The group is about 50-50 deaf/hearing. 74 people all together.) We finished with a tour of the beautiful church of San Giustinia(the true patron saint of Padua). I was able to visit with my friend Ilario who is a teacher for the deaf at the school for the deaf in Padua; it was good reunion.The day was wonderfully sunny and warm. Lovely Italy! Our busses are very modern and the drivers very professional. Fresh Salmon dinner tonight. Venice tomorrow!