They’re probably years away from owning a home, but 15 teenagers know firsthand the sacrifice required to maintain one.

There’s sanding, painting, deep cleaning, moving in large furniture and area rugs, drilling, hanging curtains and art plus adding personal touches such as flowers and decorative lamps. The girls did it all in a home that they’ll never live in nor likely step foot in again.

Xavier’s Young Vincentians simply did it because they heard about a family in need and jumped at the chance to meet them in their own environment instead of in a soup line. The Xavier girls completed their first home makeover May 5 through St. Vincent de Paul’s Vincentian Fresh Perspectives program.

The month-long project started with meeting the single-parent family of six to discuss their needs and desires. It ended after a full day’s labor transformed the tiny, three-bedroom house into a more stylish, livable space.

“I was skeptical about the project because it’s a lot of work, especially for a group of teenagers,” admitted Samantha Swift, president of Xavier’s Young Vincentians club.

She’s right. Corporate volunteers, church and community groups have been responsible for most of the 61 home makeovers since St. Vincent de Paul launched the program over a year ago. Some brought groups of volunteers that seemingly rivaled the crowd doing a home makeover for the long-running television show.

Xavier’s Young Vincentians didn’t let such statistics stop them. They spread word about their project to the school community who purged personal belongings from their own homes and donated other items brand new. They ended up with more items than would fit into the family’s south Phoenix home.

“We didn’t want to let them down,” Swift said.

She spoke about them as if the kids — ages 10 to 22 — were her cousins and was among several volunteers who willingly got up early the day after senior finals to help the St. Vincent de Paul family.

“Each one of these girls is really driven to do the best they can for this family. They want this family to have a life that they have — comfortable in their home,” Swift said.

Comfort is something the family has lacked in their rental home for the last year. , have They share a single bathroom in a less than 1,000-square-foot space and only one person could really fit in the kitchen at a time. A portion of the old couch was usable, but barely.

“They’ve been sleeping on the floor and a couple of air mattresses,” Swift said.

Irene, the mom, is without a job and uses the living room as a master bedroom. Her adult son, 22, has a disability and is the only one to have his own room.

“They’ll still be a little cramped, but it will be nice for them,” said Elaine Carpenter, a senior who wants to go into international nonprofit.

Irene knew she would be returning to an improved home and began doling out hugs at the driveway. Once indoors, they were astounded by the transformation. One of the older kids quickly told the younger ones to help mom with chores so their “new” home stays nice.

Gabriela Bova, director of outreach programs for St. Vincent de Paul, said pride has been a common theme among the makeovers.

That’s something Swift, president of Xavier’s Young Vincentians, projected would finally sink in with the family later that night. She especially wanted the younger kids to have a place that they’re proud of.

The family lives near a Boys and Girls Club, but hoped the makeover would lend itself to more family time at home.

Gavin Ahern, moderator for Xavier Young Vincentians, said the home makeover was about being God’s hands in the world. When people come together in His name, Ahern said, the result is much great than the sum of its parts.

With the help of their parents, 19 junior high ambassadors from Blessed Pope John XXIII School in Scottsdale furnished and decorated a home for a family of 10 in October. The family, displaced by flooding in the Midwest, was rebuilding their life in Arizona. ✴

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For more about St. Vincent de Paul’s Vincentian Fresh Perspectives program:

• Xavier photos from The Catholic Sun (mixed with other events the same day)
• Xavier photos from St. Vincent de Paul
• St. Vincent de Paul blogs/photos of previous home makeovers
• Home makeover guide (pdf)

Heidi Czerkes has given birth to three sons, but with each pregnancy, complications arose. When she and her husband Mike, an obstetrician-gynecologist, wanted to expand their family, they thought of adoption.

“Ever since I was little I felt called to adopt,” Heidi said. “After this last pregnancy, we started talking about it more, just praying about it to see if this was where we were being called in our family.”

At the time the couple first discussed adoption, they were living in Maine while Mike completed his residency. Their eldest son was attending a Catholic school that included a large number of interracial and adoptive families.

The Czerkes started asking school families about the adoption process. That led them to Reece’s Rainbow, an international adoption ministry geared toward children with Down Syndrome and other conditions.

“We always felt we had the ability to care for a child with special needs,” Heidi said. When they checked out the Reece’s Rainbow website and saw the photo gallery of children waiting to be adopted, they discovered Peter, a 2-year-old boy with Down Syndrome who has been living in a hospital in Hong Kong since he was 6 months old.

He’s currently in remission from AML, the form of leukemia that Downs kids are susceptible to, but he will require treatment for the next couple of years. The Czerkes say they want to make Peter part of their family.

“He needs a home and he needs a family,” Heidi said. Her husband agreed.

“These children are gifts from God,” Mike said.  “I think that they have special gifts that we’ll never understand. I look at all these children as God’s children and our children as well that we need to protect and bring home and make sure they have loving families.”

The Czerkes, who belong to St. Timothy Parish in Mesa, said they appreciate the birth mother’s choice.

“Part of our adoption journey has also been to thank these mothers for choosing life and to really validate that and to bring this child home,” Mike said.

Along the way, they’ve come to be friends with Eli and Charles Smith, who are trying to adopt a boy with special needs from Eastern Europe.

Malcom, who turns 5 this month, has cerebral palsy and was also featured on Reece’s Rainbow.

Knowing how expensive international adoptions can be — bringing Malcom home will require about $48,000, mostly in travel costs — the Smiths weren’t sure they’d be able to do more than contribute to help someone else adopt.

Then Charles saw a video of Malcom. “I saw it and I was sunk,” Charles said. “I fell in love and I thought, ‘I’ve got to bring him home.’” His wife Eli required no convincing.

“He needs us,” she said of Malcom. “He needs a safe place to become the man God intended he be and that he is destined to be.”

Time is of the essence in Malcom’s case. The practice in Eastern Europe, Eli said, is that after age 5, children are considered unadoptable and are placed in an institution with adults up to age 35. Although a volunteer in Russia has assured them that authorities have been notified that the boy’s “parents are coming,” the St. Thomas the Apostle parishioner still worries.

“It makes me cry just to sit here and think about it. I can’t imagine how you would throw somebody away at 5 years old,” Eli said.

The Smiths, who have managed to raise about $15,000 so far toward the cost of adoption, are completing their paperwork and other requirements and hope to have Malcom in their arms by next fall.

Social media — Facebook, blogs and Twitter — have played a big role in helping them raise money. They’re raffling off an iPad and a friend recently hosted an open house and auction.

For years, the Poirier family has toured the country, visiting almost all 50 states, sharing music, stories, and testimony in hopes of encouraging renewed faith in the lives of those they meet.

“We want to invite the world to take a prayer break,” Michael said of their outreach, Holy Family Apostolate. It’s a prayer break that’s also available via the Internet at prayerbreaks.org, where listeners can hear the psalm from the Mass of the day set to music by Michael.

On board their motor home, the Poiriers will carry the Divine Mercy image as well as a relic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, signed by Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, the archbishop of Mexico City.

Though they don’t present with their parents, the Poirier kids — Joseph, 16, John Paul, 12 and Therese, 6 — love to sing and are used to the troubadour lifestyle. They’re anxious to reconnect with friends they’ve made along the way at parishes across the country.

“They are excited about going back on the road,” Mary said. “We want to focus more on doing things together to help families pray.”

The family visits parishes, schools and homes where they share songs, stories and personal testimony. Michael also leads songs of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. The Poiriers often revisit the same areas around the country and Mary said they are encouraged by the feedback they receive.

“What is really cool is that when we make our rounds, people tell us what has happened since we saw them last,” Mary said. Oftentimes, it’s how God put someone’s marriage back together or answered a prayer.

“God gives us the stories to encourage us,” Mary said. It’s moments like those that keep the Poiriers focused on serving God and relying on Him completely.

Mary, who said she comes from a business-oriented background that fostered a go-getter approach to life, said living month-to-month and embracing utter dependence on God has been a radical change for her.

“It’s really been a huge transformation for me,” Mary said.  “Sometimes it’s so hard but God shows us every month that He provides — it’s amazing how He comes through.”

The Poirier’s recently decided they would no longer sell CDs after Masses, receive free-will offerings at events, or require a stipend. Instead, they pray God will inspire subscribers to their website, PrayerBreaks.org. For $9.95 a month, subscribers support their work and gain multiple privileges, among them, access to a rapidly growing archive of at least 25 new psalms set to music every month.

Subscribers will automatically have their seat reserved at a May 21 farewell concert that will feature Michael’s meditative, soulful music as well as that of well-known Catholic musician Danielle Rose. Tickets for the concert will also be available for purchase at the door.

Money raised at the May 21 concert at Xavier College Preparatory will support the work of Holy Family Apostolate, but some of the funds will be set aside to help children in need.

“A portion of the proceeds will go to China Little Flower Orphanage,” Michael said. “It’s a ministry that has a U.S. anchor but they provide care for orphans in China.”

The Monday evening event will also be broadcast live online for those who wish to donate to their outreach but may not be able to attend in person.

During her 28 years as principal, students, parents and teachers at St. Mary-Basha Catholic School have learned to rely on the leadership of Sr. Mary Norbert Long, SC.

On May 25, the school community will bid farewell to the longtime principal as she takes on a new role in her religious community, the Sisters of Charity, in Greensburg, Penn.

Sr. Mary Norbert was elected first councilor of the community in March. Fr. Daniel McBride, pastor of St. Mary Parish, broke the news to parents in a letter, informing them that she would finish the school year, then assume her new position in Pennsylvania.

“I will immediately begin a search for someone to be principal, not to replace her,” Fr. McBride wrote. “No one could possibly replace the great work she has done here. We would not be the highly effective school we are without her tireless and strong leadership.”

Michelle McCarthy, who has taught language arts at St. Mary-Basha since 1994, sent all five of her children — including a set of triplets — to the school and said Sr. Mary Norbert has been a driving force in her life.

“She knows how to drive, motivate, and initiate change in people,” McCarthy said. “She has high expectations for her students, her staff, and her teachers — that is why our school is an amazing community.”

McCarthy said Sr. Mary Norbert often helped her and her husband when their triplets were born.

“We are connected, committed, and truly Catholic because Sr. Mary Norbert is the head and the heart of this community,” McCarthy said. “She will be dearly missed.”

When she took on leadership of St. Mary-Basha in 1984, the school, with fewer than 100 students, was on the verge of closing. Sr. Mary Norbert set a goal of five years, agreeing to recommend closure if the school couldn’t be saved within that time frame.

She met with teachers, parents and students and formulated a plan based on their recommendations. Within three years, there was remarkable improvement. Enrollment peaked at 532 students during 2002-2004 and is still high at 481. In the mid-1990s, parents were camping out in line for two nights just to be able to enroll their children.

Though there have been many highlights through the years, Sr. Mary Norbert said one of the best achievements was the 1993-1994 Blue Ribbon School Award.

“We were acknowledged not just by the Western Catholic Education Association, not just the North Central Association, but also acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Education, that we were doing a great job,” Sr. Mary Norbert said. “And that’s something that can never be taken away. There’s a standard we have to continually maintain.”

She’s also pleased at the results of an evaluation by a visiting committee during the past year, which found the school to be highly effective in 12 different areas. She said those findings influenced her decision to open a new chapter in her life by becoming first councilor and relocating to Pennsylvania.

“I’m looking back 28 years ago at where the school was and I’m leaving the school and passing it on to somebody else in pretty good standing,” she said. “They don’t have to have the multiple struggles that I had over the years.”

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Farewell, Sr. Mary Norbert

Mass to honor Sr. Mary Norbert will be held at 6:30 p.m. June 8 and will be followed by a reception. She will also be available from 8 to 11:30 a.m. May 20 in Hurtado Hall during a meet-and-greet reception. For more information, call the school office at (480) 963-4951.

Ron Johnson is executive director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, the legislative arm that represents the Dioceses of Phoenix, Tucson and Gallup, N.M. as well as the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Eparchy of Phoenix.

Best legislative session ever for pro-life, religious freedom issues

On May 3, the Arizona Legislature adjourned sine die at 8:25 p.m. after spending 116 days in session. While there were many items of historical significance this year, including the celebration of Arizona’s Centennial, perhaps the most significant item is that the 2012 legislative session can be called the best session ever for pro-life and religious freedom issues!

The Arizona Catholic Conference is appreciative that Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law an important measure we initiated (HB 2625) pertaining to religious liberty. While there were many distortions from our opponents about this bill, HB 2625 simply exempts religious employers from being coerced by the government to pay for abortifacients and contraceptives in their insurance plans if doing so violates their faith.

With the passage of HB 2625, Arizonans will now be better able to assert their rights by suing the federal government over the HHS contraceptive mandate, and if it is overturned, religious freedom in Arizona will be much better protected.

The ACC is most grateful to Representative Debbie Lesko for sponsoring HB 2625 and her unwavering support in the face of the tremendous national attention garnered by the bill.

In addition to HB 2625, a number of very substantial religious liberty and pro-life bills were also passed into law this session, including conscience protections for various professionals (SB 1365); a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy (HB 2036); and a prohibition on any taxpayer funding passing through the state to abortion providers (HB 2800).

Similarly, the ACC initiated another very important bill (SB 1009) that became law and is aimed at keeping abortion providers out of public and charter schools. Under SB 1009, any discussion of abortion during class time must present childbirth and adoption as the preferred options. The ACC is particularly thankful for the great efforts Senator Nancy Barto made in sponsoring this bill.

Huge school choice victories

Pertaining to school choice, there was a huge victory when SB 1047 was signed into law by Gov. Brewer. Essentially, SB 1047 doubles the amount of the tuition (scholarship) tax credit so that individuals and married couples can now get a tax credit for donations up to $1,000 and $2,000 respectively.

In order to further help save the state money, the new money will be primarily targeted to those switching from public to private schools. It is expected that an even larger number of needy students will now be able to attend the school that best fits their needs under this law.

Additionally, the Empowerment Scholarship Account program enacted into law last year for disabled students is now expanded under HB 2622 to include primarily students from failing public schools. Under this program, students leaving a public school are allowed to take 90 percent of the funding that was allocated for them and use it for other educational purposes, including tuition at private schools.

Problematic bills for immigrants, vulnerable populations defeated

Similar to last year, all of the problematic bills with regard to vulnerable populations were defeated.

Included among these measures was an effort to deny birthright citizenship to undocumented immigrants from Arizona, as well as bills requiring hospitals and schools to inquire about the citizenship status of those that they serve.

Efforts to eliminate or suspend tax credits for people donating to charitable organizations serving the working poor were also thankfully defeated as were efforts to eliminate tuition (scholarship) tax credits primarily benefiting low income children.

Last, but certainly not least, was the defeat of very problematic bills relating to the provision of morning after pills and violations of conscience rights.

Conclusion

The ACC is grateful to House Speaker Andy Tobin and Senate President Steve Pierce for their assistance this session as well as all of the people and groups who supported our efforts through prayers and e-mails. We look forward to always continuing our work on the issues of greatest importance to the Catholic Church.

As always, your assistance in encouraging anybody you know to sign up for free e-mail updates at www.azcatholicconference.org will help us continue to grow the influence of the Catholic Church on these matters.

PEORIA — Sometimes short cuts can be a good thing. Just ask Sarah Valles.

The 11-year-old, well known at St. Jerome School for having long hair, has never let it go to waste. Every haircut she has had — all two of them — helped provide a wig for cancer patients.

She never found the extra length cumbersome because there were more styling options when her hair was long, but after getting at least 10 inches chopped off May 5, looked forward to a cooler summer ‘do. So did some of her peers.

Valles was one of 13 students — largely from St. Jerome — and three adults who joined a “Cuts for the Kids” benefit May 5. Each ponytail will help provide a wig through the Childhood Leukemia Foundation’s Hugs-U-Wear program.

It was the second time Chris Birnbaum, librarian at St. Jerome, organized such an event as her own hair approached a length suitable for donating and the first time the school partnered with Cutting Edge, a student style academy in Peoria. The salon reserved seven stations for the event.

“I donate for my family members and friends who have been affected by cancer and its related hair loss,” Birnbaum said.

She made her third donation during morning announcements days before the school-wide benefit as a sort of pep rally.

Most of the students who went to the salon were first-time donors who simply thought it’d be fun. Some were nervous about having so much cut off, but were all smiles by the end.

Seventh-grader Tierney Dedonatis wanted to donate her hair to kids who can’t grow it and said her shorter hair will be easier to manage.

“It took a long time to straighten,” she said.

Isabel Love, a second-grader at Ss. Simon and Jude, could relate. She felt her longer hair was often untidy and likes how it hangs above her shoulders now.

Two donors were twins with two other sisters part of a triplet set. Their brother didn’t donate although a man did donate his hair when St. Jerome held a haircut benefit in 2009.

The “Cuts for the Kids” wasn’t the first time local Catholic school students grew out their hair so others could have some. Blessed Pope John XXIII held its third annual haircut event in March in the Scottsdale school’s courtyard.

Six students donated eight to 12 inches of their hair to one of three organizations that make wigs for cancer patients and those with alopecia. The third- through seventh-graders donated simply to help others and, for some, in honor of family or friends who are cancer survivors.

St. Thomas the Apostle hosted its first “Mane Event” — the school mascot is a mustang — to kick off the school year in August.

Eleven students, two moms and a 4-year-old sibling had their lengthy locks cut off in front of the whole school. The hair benefited Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths Program. St. Thomas the Apostle is planning another “Mane Event” in August.

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More photos:

• from The Catholic Sun
• from St. Jerome School

Rachel’s Vineyard brings healing to post-abortive women

Sonia was out of options. She lost her business, lost her home and was living on the streets, pregnant and afraid. Although she was taking classes at a local community college, she had to drop out.

“It’s so hard to carry everything you own with you,” Sonia said. “Your feet hurt, and on the hot days, it’s really difficult. I just wish that people would realize that it can happen to anybody.”

Sonia, who said she once drove a Lexus and lived in a beautiful home, said she lost everything after the relationship with the father of her children fell apart. She filed for bankruptcy and although she could sometimes stay with friends, she often ended up on the street.

She wound up living in a shelter but wondered what would happen after her baby was born.

“It was a very nice place and it was clean. But the alternative would be to take my baby back to a shelter with four other women. I can’t even imagine that,” Sonia said. “I think about that all the time — how grateful I am for Maggie’s Place.”

It was at Maggie’s Place that Sonia found the stability, love and nurturing she and her unborn child so desperately needed.

The Phoenix-based organization has three homes in the Valley where pregnant homeless women can stay during their pregnancy and with their babies for up to six months after they give birth. Since its founding in 2000, 498 babies have been born to the women served by Maggie’s Place. There are currently 21 women residing in a Maggie’s Place house in Phoenix.

“They helped me tremendously in so many ways,” Sonia said of her experience. “They gave me everything I could have wanted or needed for my baby. It’s just a very loving environment.”

Not only did Maggie’s Place give her a roof over her head, staff there helped her get referrals for jobs and schooling. They also showed her how to live in community and gave her a stable place for her older three children to visit.

“The staff there is amazing,” Sonia said. “They helped me get back on my feet.” Today the mother of four is living in transitional housing and looking toward a brighter future.

Part of what impressed Sonia about Maggie’s Place was the central role of faith and prayer. She appreciated the onsite chapel and the daily community prayer.

“It really brought me closer to God and gave me a better relationship with Him, and I value that a lot,” Sonia said. “The staff is always in there praying.”

During Sonia’s stay at Maggie’s Place, she was referred to Rachel’s Vineyard, a retreat program for post-abortive women. Many women who have had abortions suffer intense guilt, shame and regret over their decision to end their babies’ lives.

Rachel’s Vineyard offers them a three-day retreat where they learn to express their bottled-up feelings and deal with the trauma of their abortion experience. Sonia had never spoken to anyone about what she’d done.

“For so many years, I just punished myself because I was ashamed and I regretted it,” Sonia said. “I still regret it to this day. I never told a single soul.”

The Rachel’s Vineyard retreat she attended helped her find God’s forgiveness and peace. Part of that process included mourning the child whose life was cut short.

“You have a funeral for the baby and they make you name the baby,” Sonia said. “The retreat is wonderful and I wish everybody who’s had an abortion could go there because it really made a big difference.”

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BECAUSE OF YOU

The Charity and Development Appeal supports more than 65 educational, charitable and spiritual organizations which counsel, feed, clothe, house, educate and comfort those in need throughout the  four counties in the Phoenix Diocese.

The CDA has raised some $7.3 million so far this year to support charitable organizations like Maggie’s Place and Rachel’s Vineyard. To learn more about the CDA or donate, visit the web:

www.diocesephoenix.org/cda