Group Photo w. names - Our Lady of Guadalupe Province

Volume 29
Number 8
September 2015
Harvest Time
Official Newsletter of the
Franciscans of the
Province of
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Albuquerque,, NM
Solemn Professions, Ordinations, First Mass
O
n Friday, August 14th Jorge Hernandez and
José Luis Peralta made their Solemn Profession at Holy Family Church in Albuquerque.
O
n Saturday, August 15th Jorge Hernandez
was ordained to the transitional deaconate
and Andrés Gallegos was ordained priest by the
Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico, John C.
Wester.
O
n Sunday, August 16th, Andrés Gallegos
celebrated his first Mass at Holy Family.
(See the pictures.) He later celebrated a first Mass
at his home town in Mexico.
Thanks to Gino and Gerry Steinmetz for the information on the
pictures, to whomever sent me the pictures, and to Duane
Torisky for the information above.
The three blood brothers from Acambaro, Mexico from l to r Fr.
Enrique Hernandez (diocesan Priest from Mexico), Friar Andres
Hernandez (4th year theology at Oblate and Sol Professed), and
Friar Jorge Hernandez (newly ordained transitional deacon)
From l to r: Deacon from
Holy Family Parish,
Deacon Tino, Fr. Enrique Hernandez (blood
brother of our own
Andres and Jorge Hernandez), Fr. Erasmo
Romero (Vicar at Holy
Family), Fr. Gino, Friar
Jorge Hernandez (our
new transitional deacon),
Fr. Andres Gallegos
(newly ordained priest),
Fr. Rommel Perez
(Sacred Heart Province
and classmate of Fr.
Andres), Fr. Gerry
Steinmetz (Pastor of
Holy Family), and Friar
Ephren Quintero
(Liturgical coordinator)
Our Brother Berard
Part of the appropriate care, the need for
which is clarified in the clinical material below, includes not taking Berard out of the surroundings to
which he has become accustomed without dire necessity. Berard has a physician who visits him at Casa
Rosa, with all lab work, even x-rays, done by a mobile service on site. None of us should attempt to
take Berard anywhere in a car. Berard can decide to
"elope" at any time, grabbing the steering wheel if he
is in the front seat of a car or even attempting to leave
a moving vehicle. When Berard moved from St.
Clare Friary to Casa Rosa, a nurse rode along with
him in the back seat with child safety locks engaged,
all at the suggestion of his physicians.
Berard at 2014 Regional Meeting (Photo by Larry Bernard)
Several Friars have expressed their fraternal concern
to me with regard to our Brother Berard Doerger.
While not wanting to violate confidentiality or Berard’s personal dignity, I believe it is important to
share with you some understanding of Berard’s condition and the steps that we have taken to help him. I
also wanted to offer some information so that all of
us can offer our support, fraternal love and care over
what may be several years of struggle with the debilities brought on by Alzheimer’s Disease for Berard. I
asked Marta Ortiz, our Health Care Coordinator, to
draw upon her medical training, expertise and experience to prepare some clinical material, which she has
contributed to this letter.
Berard is in the mid-phase to early-late phase
of Alzheimer’s. The progression of the disease
means that he requires a level of care simply beyond
anything that Bros. Michael and Gordon and the friars at San Juan could provide, no matter how much
they wanted to be able to take care of him. After an
in-house hospital assessment of Berard’s condition,
we tried to have him stay with his brothers at St.
Clare Friary in Rio Rancho, but his needs are beyond
what could be provided there. So in July we were
obliged to move Berard to Casa Rosa, a facility once
operated by the Brothers of the Good Shepherd in the
North Valley of Albuquerque. (Brothers Art and
Pancratius both stayed there.) The facility is no
longer operated by the Brothers, but retains a very
Catholic ethos and is equipped to deal with the special needs of Alzheimer’s patients. Berard is getting
good and appropriate care.
Padres Trail Volume 29 Number 8 September 2015
Marta offers the following important clinical
information to help us understand the symptoms from
which Berard suffers as the four "A's" of Alzheimer's:
Amnesia is defined as loss of memory, or the inability to remember facts or events. We have two types
of memories: the short-term (recent, new) and longterm (remote, old) memories. Short-term memory is
programmed in a part of the brain called the temporal
lobe, while long-term memory is stored throughout
extensive nerve cell networks in the temporal and
parietal lobes. In Alzheimer's disease, short-term
memory storage is damaged first.
Aphasia is the inability to communicate effectively.
The loss of ability to speak and write is called expressive aphasia. An individual may forget words he has
learned, and will have increasing difficulty with communication. With receptive aphasia, an individual
may be unable to understand spoken or written words
or may read and not understand a word of what is
read. Sometimes an individual pretends to understand
and even nods in agreement; this is to cover-up aphasia. Although individuals may not understand words
and grammar, they may still understand non-verbal
behavior, i.e., smiling.
Apraxia is the inability to do pre-programmed motor
tasks, or to perform activities of daily living such as
brushing teeth and dressing. An individual may forget all motor skills learned during development. Sophisticated motor skills that require extensive learning, such as job-related skills, are the first functions
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that become impaired. More instinctive functions like
chewing, swallowing and walking are lost in the last
stages of the disease.
Agnosia is an individual's inability to correctly interpret signals from their five senses. Individuals with
Alzheimer's disease may not recognize familiar people and objects. A common yet often unrecognized
agnosia is the inability to appropriately perceive visceral, or internal, information such as a full bladder
or chest pain.
Personality changes can become evident in the early
stages of Alzheimer's disease. Signs include irritability, apathy, withdrawal and isolation. Individuals may
show symptoms of depression at any stage of the disease. Depression is treatable with medication, even in
the latter stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Hallucinations and delusions usually occur in the
middle stage of Alzheimer’s. Hallucinations typically
are auditory and/or visual, and sometimes sensory
impairments, such as hearing loss or poor eyesight.
Hallucinations increase in the elderly. Hallucinations
and delusions can be very upsetting to the person
with the disease. Common reactions are feelings of
fear, anxiety and paranoia, as well as agitation, aggression and verbal outbursts. Individuals with psychiatric symptoms tend to exhibit more behavioral
problems than those without these symptoms.
Berard has exhibited a number of behavioral
changes since the onset of Alzheimer’s, which are an
expected part of the disease. They include:
Anger and Aggression - Dementia affects the parts
of the brain that control mood and behavior. An individual can become anxious and fearful, which often
manifest as anger and aggression.
Sundowning - Sundowning is a dementia-related
symptom that refers to increased agitation, confusion
and hyperactivity that begins in the late afternoon and
builds throughout the evening. Most sundowning
emerges in mid-stage dementia and slowly worsens
as the disease progresses. What causes it? Dementia
may damage the body's internal clock, causing a disruption of sleep-wake cycles. Secondly, individuals
with dementia become fatigued by their inability to
process information; the more hours spent on this
process, the more exhausted—and irritable—they
Padres Trail Volume 29 Number 8 September 2015
may become.
Paranoia/Suspiciousness - Individuals with dementia may become paranoid as a result of false beliefs,
or delusions, which are a symptom of the disease.
Examples of paranoia are accusations that someone is
poisoning their food or stealing their money, or accusations that even people they know well are not who
they say they are.
Traveling - A change in routine or environment can
be upsetting and confusing to an individual with
dementia. New and different surroundings can
produce anxiety and disorientation.
At this point, Berard is seldom able to follow
TV shows, even sports, so he falls asleep in front of
the TV or wanders off. Berard can no longer follow
along in a breviary or even printed sheets. Berard can
sit quietly during an event if everyone around him is
doing that, but then may decide to stand up and "take
charge" of the group, disrupting what is going on. So
what we can do?
First, please keep Berard and the health of all
of our brothers in your prayers.
Second, crowds, noise and altered routines
can aggravate confusion and behavioral problems,
but short visits by one or two friars at a time – especially in the morning – are a good thing and a sign of
our fraternal concern for Berard.
Third, as a Christian I believe in a loving God
who will make certain that at some level, whether we
can see it or not, Berard will always be aware of
spiritual things. Keeping things short and simple,
when we visit Berard, we should offer him a prayer, a
blessing or Holy Communion.
In Admonition XXIV, St. Francis said,
“Blessed is the servant who would love his brother as
much when he is sick and cannot repay him as he
would when he is well and can repay him.” Let these
words guide us in our dealings with Father Berard
and with all of our brothers! Finally, if you would
like to learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease, information is available online at: www.alzfdn.org
(Alzheimer’s Foundation of America) and
www.alz.org (Alzheimer’s Association).
Jack Clark Robinson, O.F.M.
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Float and Shrine for Centennial Prep
Text and Photos by Gilbert Schneider
S
ome pictures of the float in process. Part of the
100th anniversary celebration for O.L. of the
Blessed Sacrament Parish is to have a float in the Navajo Tribal Fair Parade on Sept 12. This project is
getting a lot of volunteer helpers. The Float will be a
model of the church h ere. They are cutting up and
decorating plastic bottles as flowers on the side of
the float.
Continued next paged
St. Mother Katherine Drexel will ride on
the float.
Padres Trail Volume 29 Number 8 September 2015
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T
hese are pictures of the shrine that is being built outside the
friary at Fort Defiance to house our new Kateri Statue,
which was ordered from Italy by our Kateri Circle.
San Diego Mission, Jemez Pueblo
Photos and text by Larry Bernard
V
acation Bible
School This was
the second VBS put on
by people from our mission! We had 45 children this year! Adults,
teens and children all
had a great time. Since
we no longer have a
Catholic School in the
pueblo this VBS is one of the greatest opportunities
we have to reach the children. Adults and teens are
ready to do another one next year!
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
Padres Trail Volume 29 Number 8 September 2015
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F
irst Communion of Kevin at Santo
Toribio Church, Ponderosa of the San
Diego mission.
Kevin repeated his baptismal vows with a candle in
his hand before receiving his first Communion.
Group pictures show Kevin plus the other students
who just made their first Confession this year.
A Proud
Pastor!
S
r. Karen saying goodbye after
serving 42 wonderful years in
the San Diego Missions
The pueblo of Santa Ana hosted a
marvelous banquet at the Prairie Star
Restaurant for her goodbye party. Almost
200 people came to thank her and enjoy the
tasty chicken dinner. Some Sisters from
Karen's community of the Sisters of Saint
Francis (Colorado Springs, CO) were there.
She is now in the Mother House making
the adjustment to a peaceful new environment.
Padres Trail Volume 29 Number 8 September 2015
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M
eet our two candidates.
Picnic at Wheatfields
Photos by Gerry Grantner
Arturo Hernandez (left on the photo and wearing a
white shirt ) and Juan Pablo Vergara (right on the
photo and wearing a red shirt) arrived on August 11
in San Antonio, TX. Arturo is from Valtierrilla Guanajuato Mexico and Juan Pablo is from Guadalajara.
They are excited to be here and will be busy learning
English while they also learn about our province and
the Franciscan life.
Charlie Martinez
About 12 friars came to the Wheatfields picnic on the
Navajo Res. including Ken Beetz on his way to the
Brothers Convocation with Bart Wolf
Gilbert Schneider, Jose Gutay, Don Billiard Ken Beetz
“This picture
(which I hope
you do not use)
is me with one of
the parishioners
from Holy Family named
Jorge.” Gino at
First Mass.
At least I put it
on the last page
Gino! Joe
Setember Birthdays
13 Patrick Schafer 1964
25 Ramon Smith 1923
30 Larry Schreiber 1932
Flowers (Orchids?) from Brother John’s Greenhouse.
Happy
Labor Day!
Photos by Gerry Grantner
Send Photos!
The Padres Trail is the newsletter for the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The editor is Fr. Joseph Nelson, OFM
Contact at P.O. Box 98; Oldenburg, IN 47036-0098 Cell phone 505-977-4110
or office 505-831-9199
Send articles, photos, letters or ideas for articles to
[email protected]
Padres Trail Volume 29 Number 8 September 2015
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