Teaching With A Touch Of Grace

Earlier this month I covered the dedication of Pinecrest Academy’s new John Paul II Lower School Activities Building. During the ribbon cutting ceremony, sandwiched between the Lower School principal and the construction company’s project manager was a woman named My Thi Huynh. To my surprise she was listed in the press release as “the teacher who has taught in the Lower School the longest.”

I met My Thi and her husband, Deacon Hung Viet, for the first time back in 1998. I was covering the annual Eucharistic celebration of Our Lady of LaVang at Riverdale’s Our Lady of Vietnam Church. Even though it was not her official role, My Thi was like the parish ambassador, and she made me feel very welcome during that initial visit to the parish. 

In August of 1998 Pinecrest Academy broke ground on what began as its 53-acre Cumming location. I was there as Archbishop emeritus John F. Donoghue presided over the ceremony to turn over the dirt, mixed with Georgia red clay, marking the beginning of its Forsyth County existence. Today it has grown into a sprawling campus with 15 buildings, two gymnasiums and three athletic fields.

Through it all My Thi has been a part of the Pinecrest Academy growth and expansion. Initially she served as a parent volunteer when her youngest son John attended the school. In 1997 she became a teacher’s assistant at the Lower School. My Thi said it’s a wonderful opportunity to work with the young children at Pinecrest Academy. “It’s like a family at Pinecrest and there’s a love expressed by all at the school,” said My Thi. Before the students arrive, the teachers come together in the hallway each morning to pray that the Lord will show them the way to help and guide each child through the day.

My Thi came to the United States from Vietnam in 1975. She is the seventh of 10 children. My Thi and her husband were married at St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Morristown, N.J., in 1978. In addition to John, they are parents to Peter, 30, and Jason, 29. Both young men are seminarians with the Legionaries of Christ in Rome. In her spare time My Thi said she likes to cook, garden and take walks so she can meditate and reflect.

I’ve always known My Thi as a kind person who exudes a jovial and peaceful disposition. I also know her to be a devout and faith-filled Catholic woman. She told me she attends 7 a.m. Mass in the school’s main chapel every morning. Even though she resides in Norcross, occasionally I see her at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta; yet, until recently I never knew that since 1994, she spends one hour a week praying before the Blessed Sacrament in the adoration chapel.

My Thi said the innocence and pure souls of Pinecrest’s youngest students provides an example to her. “The parents give their children to me so I can look after and care for them, so that’s a big responsibility for me and all the teachers. But what a blessing and a gift,” concluded My Thi.  

Michael Alexander, Staff Photographer

See the story and photos surrounding dedication of Pinecrest Academy’s new John Paul II Lower School Activities Building in the Oct. 27 issue of The Georgia Bulletin.

50 Years later, here they are, Earl and Barbara Beck

50 Years of Marriage Begins with Mutual Dislike by GeorgiaBulletin




Please listen to Barbara Beck tell how her marriage of 50 years to her husband, Earl, began with mutual dislike. It's a great story.

You can read my article in the Georgia Bulletin about the annual Mass honoring couples in 2011 who celebrate their 50th and 60th wedding anniversaries. The story appears in the Oct. 13 issue.


On a side note, my own parents - who marked in September the 45th anniversary of their wedding - were set up by their parents. My dad's mother worked at Syracuse University as did my mom. My grandmother suggested my dad take out her co-worker and the rest is history (Although, as my father tells it, at the proposal, my mom tried to talk him out of it. My mom is mum on the subject.)  Anyhoo. I wonder if it was common for parents to play the matchmaker back in the day. How'd your parents meet?


-Andrew

Voices of the Nigerian Catholic Community Choir

I set out for the inaugural Mass of the Pan African Catholic Organization of the Atlanta last weekend.
Wandering around before the service began, I found a choir of women, wearing colorful clothes, practicing for the upcoming Mass. You can hear the choir below.

Here's my lede for the story:

Worshippers recited prayers in five languages as they praised God African-style.

Crowds filled the pews at Stone Mountain’s Corpus Christi Church, with many wearing vibrant African clothes and women in elaborate headdresses.

At the start of Mass, five women danced down the center aisle of Corpus Christi Church to the drum beat of African rhythms, as one carried the book with the day’s Bible readings on her back.

Choirs from the communities of Cameroon, Gambian, Nigeria raised their voices to lead the faithful in song.

The Pan African Catholic Organization of Atlanta in the archdiocese held its inaugural Mass on Saturday, Oct. 1, bringing together nine different immigrant nationalities and ethnic groups.

Some details about the African Catholic community came from a survey done four years ago:

A 2007 survey for the Office of Black Catholic Ministry estimated in the archdiocese there are more than 22,000 black Catholics.

And in the survey, about one in three respondents identified themselves as African. The largest number of people born in Africa came from Nigeria, followed by Eritrea and Ivory Coast. (Cote d’Ivoire).

Finally, the choir.  (To enlarge the photo, please hover the cursor over the photo.).

listen to ‘Church choir practice ’ on Audioboo

-Andrew

What I Saw:

Song at a funeral for an Atlanta Catholic priest by anelson-1

I attended the funeral of Marist Father Larry Schmuhl last week, and I wrote about it in the Sept. 1 "Georgia Bulletin."

There's a custom I first noticed at other funerals for priests. And I don't know if it's part of the funeral rite for priests, or a nice tradition that has been adopted by clergy. (Or perhaps lay people also have this custom, but I am not familiar with it.)

After the prayer of commendation and the conclusion of Mass, priests gather and circle the casket before it's placed in the hearse.

The group chants the prayer "Salve Regina" in Latin. The prayer may date to the 11th century, according to Wikipedia.

In Latin:

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae,
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

In English:

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

--Andrew

Sharing A Common Date In August

Today, August 11, is the feast of Italy’s St. Clare. This young woman left her life of nobility to follow St. Francis of Assisi and give her life over to God. St. Clare is also the founder of the order of nuns known as the Poor Clares. Back on Palm Sunday of this year the Poor Clares commenced a yearlong celebration marking their 800^th anniversary. The celebration will culminate on St. Clare’s feast day a year from now. St. Clare started the order on Palm Sunday in 1212.

A stained glass image of St. Clare inside the Church of San Damiano, Assisi, Italy.

(Georgia Bulletin Photo By Michael Alexander, June 2005)

My first encounter with the Poor Clares took place back in 1993 or 1994 when Mark Zimmermann, my former editor at The Catholic Standard, Washington, DC, assigned writer Richard Szczepanowski to do a story on the nuns who reside in the nearby neighborhood of Brookland. I joined Richard in an effort to provide photographs for the feature piece.

Initially I must have thought it was going to be pretty boring covering a group of cloistered nuns, but was I ever wrong. They were so happy, so full of life and so in love with Christ. We became good friends with the Poor Clares after the story was published, and at least once a week or more I would meet Richard at their chapel for 7 a.m. Mass.

Some mornings I would take our two children before I dropped them off at St. Gabriel School. At the time the youngest was in kindergarten and the oldest was in the fourth grade. We often enjoyed conversing with the Mother Superior Sister Margaret Mary and the other nuns after Mass in the parlor. The biggest treat for the kids was playing with the Poor Clares’ beagle hound name Kyra. To this day we remain friends with the Poor Clares, and we like to stop by their monastery and home at 3900 13^th Street, NE, during visits to D.C. In addition to their friendship, we appreciate their prayers on our behalf.

Today is also the our 27^th wedding anniversary. On this day in 1984 at 1 p.m. Tramell and I were married at St. Anthony of Padua Church, Atlanta. To be perfectly honest, we didn’t know it was the feast of St. Clare. We picked that day because it was a Saturday, the church was available and it was a good weekend for relatives and friends. While St. Francis of Assisi was probably delighted that Clare answered the call to religious life, I’m equally blessed and thankful that Tramell became my soul mate in our matrimonial life.

Wedding Day

(Photo by Julius Alexander, August 11, 1984)

Happy feast day St. Clare.

Happy anniversary Tramell. I love you today and always!

Michael Alexander, Staff Photographer

A Monk For The Ages

Last week writer Andrew Nelson and I went out to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, to interview and photograph Father Luke Kot, someone I would only describe as a real gem and living legend in monastic circles. It was a week before his 100^th birthday.

I arrived about 40 minutes ahead of our scheduled 10 a.m. meeting, so I could set up and scout out the historic barn, which is a central component of the monastery’s new Monastic Heritage Center.

Just a few minutes after the hour Brother Callistus, the monastery’s public relations and development coordinator, was seen approaching the barn, walking beside the 99-year-old monk. Pushing his walker, Father Luke stopped to pose for a photo and talk to a passerby he saw along the way. It was like he was walking the red carpet to the Oscars. “Come on Father Luke, come on Father Luke,” implored Brother Callistus.

As I held the door open Brother Calistus asked, “Do you know who this guy is?” Father Luke stopped in his tracks, formed a camera with his hands and said, “The photographer!” He walked to the center of the barn and sat next to Andrew for the interview. Andrew said he needed about 20 minutes, so I left so they could have their time alone. After Brother Callistus led me on my first tour of the Monastic Heritage Center, we returned to the barn for the photo session.

I decided I wanted to try three different poses within the barn’s interior and I was hoping he would be able to withstand the demands I was placing upon him. On top of that, the air condition was not on in the barn and I’m guessing the temperature must have been in the low to mid 80s. First I took some photos of him in front of a display featuring an image of the Abbey Church. It almost looks like we’re really outdoors in front of it.

From there we moved a few feet over to the front of a display with an old black and white image of three monks. There was one moment of brief laughter among all of us as we were moving from spot to the other. As Father Luke was getting up from his walker, unaware of what he was doing, Brother Callistus just instinctively grabbed the walker and moved it to the front of the black and white display. For a brief moment before Brother Callistus realized what happened, Father Luke was left standing there wondering, ‘Why did he just take my walker? Doesn’t he know I need that?’ It was an unforgettable look.

It was just further indication of what a trooper Father Luke was that day. He was so patient and so giving of himself. For the final shot I posed him in front of the monastic cowls and hats. It was also during these final series of shots that my sync cord started to malfunction and the strobe light would not fire. I had to use available light, in combination with the modeling light.

By the time we finished, nearly an hour later, I was sweating through my shirt. Brother Callistus asked if we wanted some water, but since the 99-year-old monk had made no such request or never asked to stop for a break, neither could I.

Father Luke has a great face, wonderful stories and a beautiful spirit. You can read Andrew’s story about Father Luke turning 100-years-old in the August 4 issue of The Georgia Bulletin.

Happy Birthday Father Luke and thanks for your time.

Oh, by the way, we did stop in the Abbey Gift Shop and Café on the way out and purchased two bottles of water.

Michael Alexander, Staff Photographer

Happy Birthday to Father Luke!

Today, Wednesday, Aug. 3, Father Luke Kot, a monk at the Trappist Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, turns 100.

You can see the multimedia slide show photographer Michael Alexander and I did when he was a young man at 98. We've done a few of the slideshows and this remains one of my favorites.

--Andrew