(A version of this appeared in the San Antonio Express-News, July 14, 2019,
K-3)
St. John's Orphanage for Boys, San Antonio, Texas, early 1900's
“Total Death List Eight” – so read the
October 1912 Express headline. I was
doing research in the Archives of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word,
when our archivist showed me newspaper clippings describing the fire that
burned down St. John’s Orphanage, October 30, 1912. Five of our community, the
Incarnate Word Sisters who cared for the orphan boys, burned to death as they
tried to get all the boys out of the blaze. They managed to get about 90 boys
out, and three were lost.
The Express published the story and invited people to help. In the
following days, the newspaper listed generous people who responded. Among those
the Express noted: “Collections
from the children of Temple Beth-El religious school, for the benefit of the
little orphans of St. John’s Orphanage, by Rabbi Samuel Marks, $25” -- the
equivalent of over $600 today.
The children must have
been led by adults to reflect, “How would I feel if I didn’t have my home?” The
children were given an opportunity to act. The children were developing
compassion. Compassion is like a muscle that can get stronger.
This past May, fourteen of us,
including graduate and undergraduate students from the University of the
Incarnate Word, were on a Women’s Global Connection trip, “Peru: Service and
Solidarity.” We were in areas where many homes did not have running water, and
many people did not have clean water. The students reflected, “Do I recognize
my social situation in the world or
just assume that my circumstances are ‘normal,’ that having clean water is the
reality for all?” One in nine people in the world lack access to safe water.
The students were given an opportunity to act, helping teach workshops on clean
water, sharing water filters and how to use them. The students were developing
compassion.
Families that did not have water in their homes, Chimbote, Peru
Do I recognize my
social situation in relation to that of
others? Do I see how many
benefits I have? Will
I reflect on the humanity I share with those in other circumstances? Will I act for the
common good?
Opportunities are growing in our city.
The Interfaith San Antonio Alliance is inviting us as local faith communities
and as individuals to see the homelessness, lack of affordable housing, and
gentrification. The
City of San Antonio’s Faith-Based Initiative is also calling for cooperation to
address the
root causes of those and related ills—generational poverty and economic
segregation. SACRD.org empowers us to connect our
struggling neighbors to abundant resources and transformative relationships. As
the little children at Temple Beth-El reflected on the children at the Catholic
orphanage who were homeless after the fire, will we reflect and act in ways
that we can?
UIW has a new Interfaith Youth Core
grant for building understanding and compassion in the face of growing hate
crimes in the world. How are we as San Antonio Buddhists, Christians, Hindus,
Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, those of Native religions, and others of good will
uniting in compassionate actions from first grade on?
In June a group of UIW students through
the Ettling Center for Civic Leadership and Sustainability went on a “Service
and Solidarity” trip to the Rio Grande Valley and worked with ARISE, a network
that offers summer camps for disadvantaged children.
A couple of years ago when I was getting information to help our students understand the context of ARISE near the border, I discovered that the Mexico-US border is the only place in the world where such an extreme contrast of average incomes meets. The average income in Mexico is $8,610/year, in contrast to $56,850/year for the US. However, on the World Happiness Index, the contrast between the two countries is not as great. In “happiness,” the US ranks 18 out of 156 countries and Mexico ranks 24 out of 156 countries. The Happiness Index not only considers income, but also social support, trust, generosity, healthy life expectancy, and freedom. Mexican generosity and social support are bringing happiness. What could we who are focused on making money learn from them?
A couple of years ago when I was getting information to help our students understand the context of ARISE near the border, I discovered that the Mexico-US border is the only place in the world where such an extreme contrast of average incomes meets. The average income in Mexico is $8,610/year, in contrast to $56,850/year for the US. However, on the World Happiness Index, the contrast between the two countries is not as great. In “happiness,” the US ranks 18 out of 156 countries and Mexico ranks 24 out of 156 countries. The Happiness Index not only considers income, but also social support, trust, generosity, healthy life expectancy, and freedom. Mexican generosity and social support are bringing happiness. What could we who are focused on making money learn from them?
How can my small daily actions contribute
to our “San Antonio family plan”? How
can actions contribute to our “global family plan,” the United Nations
Sustainable Development goals? Am I recognizing local and global connections? Connections
with the environment? Am I connecting with my own family more? How do my actions
align with the Charter for Compassion?
I listen to young people who are serving
others. I hear them starting to realize that what we give in life can bring more
joy than what we get. The hearts of the children of Temple Beth-El connected
with the orphaned children. My retired cousins Ann and Ray used to take their
grandchildren to help serve the hungry once a week. How am I spending my
summer? How am I leading youth this summer?
Sister
Martha Ann Kirk and the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word are the 2013 San
Antonio Peace Laureates. Sister Martha Ann works with the Ettling Center for
Civic Leadership and Sustainability at the University of the Incarnate Word.
