Dear sisters, dear brothers,
I never thought that one could long for lights. When I got off the Kyiv train in Warsaw, I was surprised by the festival of brightly lit streets, buildings, and, above all, colorful Christmas decorations. When you add to it the snow that just fell in Poland in abundant supply, it all looked like a New Year’s fairytale. In Ukraine, the last couple months have been getting colder and darker. The longer this lasts, the more I squint my eyes in disbelief when looking at the bright streets and storefronts as well as entering warm houses and priories abroad.
Consider creating functional eco-systems as a spiritual practice. Taking our place with instead of over the natural world is essential for the survival of life on planet earth. Choosing to create functional eco-systems is to live within a land ethic in the midst of a crisis of species loss.
Dear friends,
All are welcomed into Shem Center’s Circle of Respect — people of all faith traditions, spiritual paths, those who claim none and those who may be searching for one.
Dear sisters, dear brothers,
Once again Fr. Misha, the volunteers from Saint Martin, and I traveled to Izium and Balakliya. This time we were joined by Mr. Bartosz Cichocki, the Polish ambassador to Ukraine. He’s one of the diplomats who didn’t abandon their posts in Kyiv at the beginning of the war. He and his wife Monika strongly support all kinds of activities and centers of aid, including the House of Saint Martin in Fastiv. We spent three days on the road. The ambassador unloaded the buses and distributed aid to the needy just like the rest of us. The children of the small village of Kun’je outside of Izium were in awe of the toys, reflective armbands, and backpacks. People here live very simply, so the colorful gifts for the kids caused joy and broke the dreariness of life. At the store in the center of the village where we were distributing humanitarian aid, our presence caused a substantial crowd to gather. I suspect that Fr. Krzysztof, the prior from Korbielów, a famous car and motorcycle enthusiast, would be in heaven if he could see this living museum of automotive industry.
Our sisters and brothers in Myanmar have been subjected to atrocities and human rights violation which has gone unreported in the main media. Recently, the military broke into the Dominican Sisters convent in Loikaw and encamped there while others moved into the friars’ convent. Luckily, neither the sisters nor the friars were in the convents at the time. We understand that the soldiers ransacked the rooms and took whatever was valuable.
Please pray each week for our sisters and brothers in Myanmar who continue to face threat to their lives daily. We ask that you remember our sisters and brothers in Ukraine who also continue to face life-threatening situations and destruction of property.
Yet still we trumpet silent nights, peaceful days keeping hope alive.
— Br. Joseph Kilikevice
Dear friends,
Warm wishes, holiday good cheer, contentment, and happiness is what I want to convey in my annual Christmas message. It’s traditional and expected. But I find I’m falling somewhat short of writing a positive, reassuring message this time. I certainly want our children to feel the delight of unwrapping gifts and the surprises they contain, the colorful lights and decorations on the Christmas tree and the creche under it depicting the reason for celebrating so liberally. Surely they deserve our efforts to give them memories to recall years later as lovely expressions of ours and God’s love.
Dear Sisters, Dear Brothers,
Evenings are now dark on the streets of Ukrainian cities. Due to the need to save electricity, most of the lights are off. Recently, when I was leaving the store, I saw a beautiful German Shepherd, which looked at me with curiosity. The dog then started speaking with a woman’s voice. I was astonished! After a few seconds, however, I realized his owner was sitting next to the dog. Disguised by darkness and invisible to the world, she was speaking loudly on the phone.
Dear sisters, dear brothers,
It has been 200 days since the beginning of the war. Although the Ukrainian army’s most recent military achievements and the lifting of Russian occupation in the territories of the Kharkiv Oblast and the south of the country brought us joy, hope, and expectation, we are all aware that the road to full victory remains long. Today, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, by the initiative of the Council of the European Episcopal Conferences, we are celebrating in Ukraine the Day of Prayer for Peace. It is celebrated under the motto: “Kneeling before the Eucharist crying for peace.” I’m very grateful to Archbishop Gintarasa for this idea. He visited Ukraine in July, and since he is Lithuanian, I’m sure he understands perfectly well how godless and terrible the ideology of “Russian peace” could be.
Long-time Male Spirit member, John Brown, MD participated in a storytelling showcase co-sponsored by the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Public Library called “The Opera In You.” John’s story, “The Gift” tells of his encounter with a young boy and his mother on his second medical mission trip to Haiti. The story is one of a doctor’s encounter with his own heartfelt desire to heal in the best tradition of his profession and of a mother’s gratitude. Listen to John read his story at the San Francisco Public Library.
Shem Center for Interfaith Spirituality
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Oak Park, IL 60302
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Photo Credits: Emory Mead, Stephen B. Starr, Joseph Kilikevice
The Shem Center for Interfaith Spirituality website is awarded a 2022 American Digital Design Award for excellence in design and user experience.
