Reader Responses

“Yes, our hearts are breaking, but the great grace of how God is with us in our pain is that the breaking need not be a breaking apart. It can be a breaking open: open to the poor whom Mev’s photographs allows us to see, open to the reality of injustice that creates and sustains such poverty, open to responding in relationship with those who are suffering […] We will honor Mev best by taking her life seriously and allowing her passion for justice and her commitment to the God who struggles with us to become our own” (357).

The first day of Senior Seminar, I remember being told that reading The Book of Mev would break my heart. This has proven to be true. Each page of the book brimmed with poignant truths: raw honesty, the beauty of life, and the overwhelming pain of poverty and suffering. I did not expect to be broken open anew to the poor, to injustices, to responding in relationship to such a strong degree. The journals, poems, interviews, photos, and accounts truly did break me open, and will continue to do so. It is an understatement to say that reading this book is an incredibly powerful journey for me. Even more powerful was the opportunity to read it in the community of the senior seminar class, where we could be insightful, honest, supportive, and even confused together.

Journeying through this book, I felt an overwhelming sense of accompaniment: with Mev, Mark, Ilza, Ann, Maria Goreth, with the entire communion of saints. I immediately felt that Mev could be my sister, confidant, mentor, even a best friend! I was both refreshed and relieved reading her thoughts on the Church and her prayers to God, thinking “someone else has felt this way too!” Nothing means as much to me as her honesty about her struggles with her society, family, church, and purpose in life. The questions she asks are ones that I can relate to in my life right now. I feel as if Mev has met me exactly where I am at, bringing the entire communion of saints to encourage me forward.

In particular, I identified deeply with her Prayer from Autumn 1989, especially: “And it doesn’t steal me away from the poor, it doesn’t compromise my alternative lifestyle, it doesn’t dilute my intimacy with you. Rather, it energizes my commitment to the poor, it challenges me to be more true to and discerning of the lifestyle I feel called to, enhances my intimacy with you—opening chambers of my heart I never knew existed! So, while I’m in the tomb and I don’t know who Jesus is and […] what the hell is going on with my faith—I am also in the womb and something new is being forged and revealed. It is as awesome and dumbfounding as new birth” (100).

I have read this prayer probably twenty times, recording it in my own journal as a rock to cling to in this season of my life. She wrote this prayer at a time where her faith was growing and changing in many ways. Her description of feeling “raw” and fragile after returning from Brazil and Mark’s realization that he could not fix her but only listen and accompany her on this “faith-crisis” spoke deeply to my heart. Mark writes that Mev eventually “came to describe this time of her life as a ‘faith-crisis’, by which she meant that she could no longer believe in the same God or have the same spirited, easy, even chatty relationship with Jesus that she had heretofore enjoyed. Her previously strong faith was dispirited in Brazil, even as she realized that she was not so well put together as she had thought” (74, 75). I am sure that re-reading this book several times in the future will lead me to several new points in her life that strike different chords, but right now these parts of her journey are continuously on my mind and heart.

These accounts from Mark brought me to silence, appreciation, and wonder that what I feel is my own faith-crisis is really a breaking open. Seeing the way Mev’s life unfolded was so beautiful. Reading of her relationship with Mark was encouraging dose of the reality and beautiful mystery of agapic love. From seeing the way her and Mark’s relationship developed, to her journeys to interview and be in solidarity, to her helplessness and humanness in living the deep mystery that was the suffering of cancer, I saw Christ in each page. Truly, even as Mark prays the Song of Songs to Mev on the day she died, their frustration, anguish, vulnerability, and pain gave me a deep glimpse into the mystery of suffering.

Truly, “In her last months Mev led us more and more deeply into poverty. It was, as Saint Francis de Sales called it, a destitution of love. She had wanted to give the poor a face, a voice. She always wanted to be identified with them. And so it came to pass[…] She became the poor she loved ” (326). Mev’s struggle and connectedness in her conviction that “the struggle is one” gave such a deep dimension to everything she did in her life. Her questioning was not “why me?” but “why not me?” shows that although she did not choose her sickness, she was willing to enter into the suffering of the poor, the suffering of Christ. The lessons this has taught to countless people who have been touched by Mev’s witness are a bold echo in the legacy of the communion of saints and a prophetic voice that speaks of the coming of the kingdom of God.

Journeying through The Book of Mev truly did break me open, and I thank God that I can be continually broken open, yet strengthened by the hope in building the kingdom of God, the inspiration of the communion of saints, and trust that agapic love endures. It is a consolation to know that although I have felt my own breaking apart, it really is a breaking open to something new. The witness I have learned through The Book of Mev connects me more deeply to the communion of saints. To her I would say, Mev, you are among the mirrors you spoke of, “and it sometimes chills me and embarrasses me to look at myself in your light. I feel disgrace, a need for mercy, a need for your strength to pull forth to me […]Help me. Move me. Be with me. We are one. Yes, the struggle is one” (374).

–Savanna is a student at Creighton University. This reflection was for a Justice and Peace seminar.

The following is from Sheila Donnelly, a student in the School of Social Work at Saint Louis University….

So, as I read books, articles, or whatever else that hit me in a sort of way, put words to thoughts I couldn’t articulate, or provide me some insight to another’s experience or wisdom, I write on sticky notes passages, sentences, or phrases that most stick out. I do this for some class readings, but mostly for reading strictly for what others call pleasure and I call exploration. Anyways, I just finished The Book of Mev, and had 34 sticky notes.

After finishing, I have always wanted to explain to the author that she/he has impacted my world-sense as well as me as a person by writing what they wrote and have never really been able to do so so personally before. So I guess I just wanted to let you know that the personal AND global sides of your book were enlightening to me.

I feel like you included so many wonderful and horrific stories from both your own life and the world. It was so beautiful to see the parallels and the divergence between the two.

Rarely do I read books where the author is so honest and vulnerable about his experience, but at the same time the awareness of the larger struggle within humanity.

So, some of what I put on sticky-notes were quotes from interviews by Mev, one by Kathy Kelly and another by MLK, but I couldn’t fit the entire experience of this book onto sticky notes.

I just wanted to once again thank you for sharing your experience and I wanted you to know that it truly reached my soul.

With love for a common humanity,

Sheila

Wednesday 2 February 2011

Dr. Chmiel,

And you opened your inbox to find an email from a former student you haven’t heard from in quite a while! Yes, how are you? I am currently sitting in a not so modest community JVC house here in El Paso, TX. I have found myself committed to a ‘year of service’ (whatever that means) at a Catholic Parish working in the pastoral center. These last few months have been incredibly life giving, especially being out from under the suffocation of required term papers! I have found a wonderful community, people that make me think and a real space for healing and laughter.

Anyway, this summer I found myself with my family in ‘comfortable’ suburbia and dealing with some not-so-fun life stuff. Needing an out, I picked up The Book of Mev (yet again) and too stumbled across your blog. Turned out to be exactly what I needed. And I wanted to express my gratitude (as many before me have and many after me surely will) for your openness and willingness to share so much of yourself. THANK YOU. Yes. This book and your other writings always seem to open me up to my own mystery. And they help to remind me of what I found in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and that sense of urgency I knew/know. And words of gratitude I could compose for a good while. However, I think instead I would like to share a piece I wrote last night. Take it as my thank you for sharing yourself and Mev with me and with the world.

la paz

laura mcdowell

social justice-fall 2008

(Just a bit of context, I go over to Juarez once a week to accompany in a small clinic. There is a group of mothers and their children that live in Juarez that come to do therapy and community building. The sisters who do this ministry are incredible. They started this ministry a few years back and continue to go, despite the violence. Their commitment is a crazy inspiration.)

Absurdity/1

“So what is it you do in Juarez”, a question commonly posed to me. “Well, I go with the Sisters of Charity who run a clinic for children with special needs”, is usually my rote response. This seems to be an acceptable answer that avoids raised eyebrows, and then allows for an approving nod or two, and a return to the previous conversation.

But what if I was to fiddle in more specifics? “Well, today, I crossed that border, you know, the one you always hear about on the news. The one that separates the ‘land of milk and honey’ and ‘the den of drug dealing thieves’. The one that keeps us safe from ‘those illegals’.  The one that, just on the other side is daily sprinkled with more murders, violence, red blood sacrificed. Yes, I crossed that border today…to color.”

What absurdity is this? I cross over this human erected border, separating first from third, and head towards this humble little clinic. And Tylee greets me with a box of crayons, half of which have been chewed, tasted or thrown at a sibling’s head. ‘Quieres colorear conmigo?’ Sure, I’d love to color with you!

‘Ey, ey, oye! Que color es este?’ It’s a color by numbers. Classic. Red, Green, Brown, Yellow, Blue and Tan. Neither Tracy nor I have the slightest idea how to translate, ‘tan’ into Spanish. ‘Es como cafe, pero mas clara’, seems to suffice for the moment at hand. ‘ORACION’! someone yells. Time to gather to pray in thanks giving for our daily bread and Virgin Mother’s protection. But the color by numbers has not yet been finished. Bien apurada he hurries to finish this task of the utmost importance.

‘Aqui viene Monce!’ She has made her way over in the rolling seat that allows her to move freely around the room. Her walk is more of a bounce than anything. “Quieres colorear con nosotros y nosotras’? I ask. She has no verbal cues to offer, nor many non verbal ones at that. But her little red-gloved hand seems to want to partake in this time honored child ritual. ‘Agarrelo bien Monce’. Grab onto it Monce. And she does. I hold out a coloring book for her and she draws a few lines as I move the book up and down, below her tan crayon. And her smile beams.

Her smile beams, as does Brian’s. Though Brian’s is less of a beam and more of a shocking flood of stadium lights used to light a football field. His face is nothing but pure joy and laughter. Brian too joins us to color, ready to wow us with his knowledge of colors in English. ‘Rojo significa red’. Ay pos si, es cierto. Que listo eres! I affirm him.

And then I stop. And I look around. And I am surrounded by seven children, all coloring. Some content with their purple penguins. Some looking for verbal affirmation of their ability to color outside the lines.

‘Pati, what color should this cat be’?, I inquire. ‘Em…’ Her little finger taps her bottom lip three times as she contemplates such a pivotal question. ‘Verde’. Green. Color the cat green. Green? What absurdity is this? This little girl, who can barely color inside the lines herself, requests a green cat. And yet I know that if I attempt any other conventional color, the world will quickly come to a crashing halt, per three year old ‘no…NOOOO’!

As I begin to color the cat green, Pati is eager to help me. And the cat begins to take on her new shade of life. She becomes green, as does her ball, and the basket, and the night sky. The lines tell Pati that there is a cat, and a ball and a basket. There are in fact separate identifiable objects. And when I point out the lines, and remind her that only the cat was supposed to be green, her big eyes smile at me with mischief flooding them, and she speedily scribbles over the entirety of the picture, even beyond the borders that encapsulate the cat.

What absurdity is this, to cross this border to color? To affirm coloring outside the lines? To color the cat green? Perhaps an absurdity of the utpmost importance. As adults, we seem to color by number. We want to know exactly what ‘rojo’, ‘amarillo’ and ‘azul’ mean. Then we know which crayon to grab, and can carefully trace each section so as to produce a picture pleasing in the eyes of superior beholders. This is safe. Comfortable. Secure. And who would not want to strive for this? I do my piece, color my section, and respect the lines placed by those who have come before me. After all, they must understand something I don’t.

But Pati understands something they don’t. She has not yet learned the convention of coloring inside the lines. She is a ball of sass and prophetic pigtails. Just as her teasing eyes eradicate the cat, so too do my eyes split this line between Juarez and the “land of promise”. We walk, so concerned with protecting our borders. Keeping languages, cultural norms, traditions and colors within their respective lines. God forbid these lines, these borders, be challenged.

Pati’s green cat reminds me of the absurdity of convention. What if we considered making the penguins purple? What if we considered the scandal of particularity. Christ becoming human, changing water into wine, and social boundaries to dust. What does this boundary, engulfed in desert dust harm/hinder/help/hold? What are we so afraid of? How can we forget the innocence in and of Juarez in Tylee, Pati and Brian? How can we ignore our call towards solidarity and the common good?

I go to Juarez, and color outside the lines. And by this very act beg those around me to at the very least consider the absurdity of this fence separating beaming smiles. The absurdity of not putting my personal safety before and above accompanying my sisters and tias. The absurdity of a green cat.

What absurdity it is to risk my life for crayons.

Yet, what a scandal it would be if I did not.

Hi Mark!

I am beyond thrilled that you contacted me. Yes, The Book of Mev, has been helping me to grow and change as I begin my journey into a year of volunteer service with Mercy Volunteer Corps. I am truly in awe of how honest and intimate you were about your relationship to Mev. It was quite bold and much appreciated to put out the love letters that you shared with one another. I’ve been telling so many people about the wonderful lessons that the book has taught me. The concept of “The struggle is one” is what I’ve been marinating about for long time. I’m especially drawn to Mev as a liberation photographer, as I too like to use my prints, videos, and artworks as a form of advocacy.

I would absolutely love a copy of the book. I’m so grateful that you would offer it to me.

And yes, MVC is enriching me beyond description and it’s only been my first week here in Detroit! I’ll be the Media/Marketing Coordinator for Matrix Theatre Co., a wonderful place that puts on plays about social justice issues, has puppetry, and works with young kids and special needs adults. If you would like, you can follow my journey through the link below.

Thank you so much for you openness. I am very appreciative of getting to know the story of Mev through you. I hope all is wonderful in your neck of the woods!

Peace & Love,

Danielle Daguio

Dear Mark,

I finished the book this morning.  It is a beautifully written testament of your love–and your intelligence and spirituality.  I appreciated your candor.  Although I am not personally acquainted with you, I can sense your integrity.  I want to wish you something–but I’m unsure how to phrase it and I also think it might be a bit arrogant to think that I could add anything to a life that I am not intimately connected with.  So, with that admitted, I will simply say thank you

Nancy D. McDonald

Nancy worked with Mev on Haiti activism in the early 1990s. She is an associate professor of English at Palm Beach State College in Florida.

Mark,

I am reading The Book of Mev through Dr. Bergman’s senior seminar class at Creighton University. I am incredibly inspired. Thank you for sharing Mev’s story, your story, and the story of so many poor and marginalized that have a voice through your book. The Book of Mev has put words to so many unspoken thoughts and ideas in my heart through Mev’s example and the examples of others that you both came into contact with.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing a marvelous testament of a person who lived out ‘faith that does justice’, and showed us how to love in a deeply real way.

Paz,

Catherine Keating

Senior at Creighton University

by Sara Rendell

I am not sure why, but when I finished reading The Book of Mev, I hugged it.

Maybe my body wanted to be closer to tangible truth.

Maybe I was trying to express my gratitude to Mev and Dr. Chmiel for providing me with an example of pure love; not just in their intertwined spider-web of each other, but also in the way they felt with and fought for the poor.

Maybe I needed to acknowledge that The Book of Mev is more than a book of something; it breaths, cries, moans, and laughs.

I think my hug was a “thank you” for Dr. Chmiel’s honesty in revealing Mev and for Mev’s honesty in her face, gestures, words, and vitality. . . A thank you for a candid depiction of what grief is and does; a thank you for a view of my professor, who seems to draw from an internal fountain of love and understanding, as a human being. A view of him not always knowing how to help Mev or even himself, and not finding the strength to breathe in and out—to be serene while riding a malfunctioning roller coaster.

I think I hugged the book because it is Dr. Chmiel’s choice to transcend his suffering—so unfair, vicious, brutal . . .etc. and to reach out to people as a catalyst for the recognition of human suffering.

I think it was because The Book of Mev was already hugging me that I hugged back.

–Sara is a sophomore at Saint Louis University.

Mark,

I am a senior at Creighton University studying Justice and Peace Studies. I just finished The Book of Mev. It was a most brilliant, touching, and motivating read! One of my favorite books I have ever read. Mev was truly an amazing individual whom we could all emulate for the better. The struggle for social justice is embodied in Mev and inspires me to carry on with austerity and determination. Thank you for sharing your story with such passion and fortitude. The layout and depth of the story is beautiful.

Mev and her work were particularly touching because I am a brain tumor survivor. I was recently at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN for a check-up. I was reading The Book of Mev, and while waiting to hear the results of my MRI scan, I came upon the page(s) where Mev was diagnosed and given her prognosis. It gave me goosebumps.

Thank you, Mark, for your work. If you are ever in Omaha, speaking or visiting Dr. Bergman, let me know. I would love chat over coffee.

Be well,

Sean Kenney

Dear Mark,

My name is Anna Green and I am currently at sophomore at Creighton University. A Senior Seminar class within the “Justice and Peace Studies” Program here was assigned to read The Book of Mev for the duration of the semester. This class is instructed by Dr. Roger Bergman, who knew Mev very well. I, however, am not in that class. I heard from a friend that they were reading this book, thought it sounded interesting, and went to the library to pick it up. Needless to say, I was hooked. Whenever I had free time, I picked up Mev. Before my 8 am class (which I am not a morning person), I would read. It only took me about a week to read this, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Despite her out pouring love for others and energy for life, I had some connections to the book that really caught me off guard.

The first was in the Acknowledgements section of the book. It isn’t very often that I find myself skimming through the long lists of names at the beginning of the book. This time, though, I happened to notice a few. First was Michael Bartz. I attended Nerinx Hall High School in Webster Groves and he was my teacher for four years. He described the community he lived in and his friends from SLU often and with such pride. After telling him that I saw his name in the book, he wrote me a long description of how grateful he was to have spent some of Mev’s last months with her. He wrote, “She was a great photographer and inspirational Catholic feminist. My life is so much better having known and loved her.” I was also taught by Cathy Hartrich who was mentioned in the book. Finally, I saw the name Kate Linden in the acknowledgments. Because I attend Creighton University, I have met the infamous Kate Linden. I met up with her one day to discuss her interest in social justice and hear about where life has taken her and since then I have loved getting to know her. She is a great role model and inspiring woman!

So after reading within the first few pages of the people I knew were connected to Mev’s life, I also have that special connection of being from St. Louis (and Italian). I really enjoyed hearing about the Tower Grove neighborhood and other places in that great city!! It reminds me of home, which is a warm feeling. As you and Mev also worked and spent time at Karen House, I went to Karen House weekly for the four years at Nerinx Hall. Cooking dinners, hearing the stories of the women there, and spending time with the children was my favorite. It was such a hospitable community and hope was alive. Go Cardinals!!

Thank you thank you thank you for sharing your life with Mev in this book. The love between the two of you seemed endless. I smiled when you said that you “loved her more every day”. That is what marriage should be like. Also I thought the “kissering” was cute. Before moving on to Mev, I just wanted to tell you how supportive, caring, and real you were with Mev, especially during her times of being sick. It made my heart sink to think that she was losing her ability to use her speech and be independent. But it also hurt me to know that she wasn’t the only one suffering, you were too. You are doing exactly what Mev would have wanted you to do- continue on her enthusiasm for life and positivity and determination to change the world for the better.

What Mev did is an aspiring dream of mine. I am majoring in Justice and Society with a minor in Spanish. But this is just a title. I want to travel the world, learn about new cultures, and immerse myself in uncomfortable places. It is when we find that discomfort or that uneasiness that we have the desire to change what is unjust and reach out. Instead of walking away from things that look difficult (like most people do), I want to step forward and help. Not only do I want to go international, I want to find the issues facing people right here in Omaha or St. Louis. A quote by Eduardo Galeano completes my thoughts, “I don’t believe in charity. I believe in solidarity. Charity is vertical, so it’s humiliating. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other and learns from the other. I have a lot to learn from other people.” Mev never went to these places, took pictures, and kept the experiences for herself. She shared it with others, like what the people she met would have wanted her to do. They don’t want to be hidden or put on the back burner. I loved in the book when it was said that she wasn’t speaking for those without a voice, she was simply listening.

Latin America has a special place in my heart. I have been to the rural jungles of southern Mexico (near the Chiapas) my junior and senior years of high school. During the immersion trip we stayed with families and did the work they do- painted a grade school the first year and worked in the bean fields the second year (talk about physical labor)..It was incredibly eye opening and humbling. I learned simplicity, the importance of family, and the ability to truly listen to others. I am also planning to study abroad in the Dominican Republic in the fall of next year. Mev’s photographs of El Salvador and Haiti were beautiful. I bet it broke your heart when the earthquake hit Haiti. I have a feeling that Mev would have been down there instantly helping the people.

I so badly want to meet Mev. She is my role model, not because she did extraordinary things, but because she was an ordinary person who found her passions and ignited them!! I admire her confidence and ability to talk to anyone. I would love that strength. Also, I know Mev was a very spiritual person. After reading this book, I believe my spirituality was strengthened. I would not consider myself very religious, but spiritual is a good word. I loved hearing about the way she said the rosary with gratitudes. Thank you again for writing this book. I strive to be more like Mev every day. As Dorothy Day said, “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”  I truly believe this.

Have a wonderful day!

Sincerely,

Anna Green

P.S. Would you consider coming to share at Creighton University?

by Sara Talken

The Book of Mev really opened my eyes to new levels of poverty. I always knew that poverty existed in third world countries but I never knew to what extent. Mev’s photojournalism really helped me understand just how severe the poverty in the Caribbean and South America really is. I am a visual learner. Seeing pictures and diagrams of how things work is my ideal way of learning. Seeing Mev’s pictures in this book really helped me to comprehend the severity of these people’s situations. Like the cliché says, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” the looks on the children’s faces and the sadness I could see in their eyes really hit home with me. These pictures spoke a stronger message to me than any lecture I’ve heard about the poverty in El Salvador or any article or news report about the poverty in third world countries. I admire Mev for creating such a touching and thought-provoking tool to show the world about the effects of poverty.

Mev came from an affluent suburb of St. Louis, yet she didn’t look down on the people who had less than she did. I can relate to Mev in this way. I grew up in a wealthy suburb of Kansas City. People at my high school received brand new BMWs for the fifteenth birthday. It is not a big deal, for some people, to go into Nordstrom and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on clothes, shoes and accessories that will be out of style in a year or two. I’ll admit that I have gotten caught up in this storm of materialism and I would use shopping as a stress reliever or a way to get rid of my boredom. Now that I am in college and have burst out of my “Johnson County bubble,” expensive clothes, shoes, cars, and houses are no longer what encompass my thoughts. Sure, I’d love to live comfortably one day, but my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of people through my college experiences. I was taken aback by the amount of homeless people that wandered the sidewalks around the SLU campus. Also, the number of African American people really caught me off guard because where I am from an area where the dominant race is white/ Caucasian. I had never witnessed true diversity before college and I was quite sheltered and naïve about the world outside of Overland Park, Kansas.

My dream of becoming a doctor inspires me to change the way all people are treated, just as Mev wanted fairness and equality for all. I do think the fight against worldwide poverty is something everyone should participate in, but this cannot be accomplished until each country works to fix their own poverty problem. The United States falls into this category. There are hundreds of thousands of people that live below the poverty line in our country. I know that this needs to be addressed in much more detail than is being done. One issue that falls in my field of interest is the universal health care plan proposed by the Obama administration. I believe that each person has the right to care, no matter what their financial status. This isn’t exactly a way to fight the issue of poverty, but it is a step in the right direction for equality for all people. I feel that if Mev was alive today, this is a topic she would have a lot to speak about.

Mev lived a very inspirational life. Her devotion to the poor and having their stories heard in order to bring them a better life gives guidance to others who want to follow in Mev’s footsteps. Her journey was not an easy one, but having someone to look up to give hope to others with dreams like Mev.

–Sara is a pre-med junior at Saint Louis University.

by Sandra Tamari

Am I deserving of that kind of love?

Would she have been my friend?

Would she have had kids by now?

What happened to the cats?

Waiting for Jad’s Tae Kwon Do

to let out

Tired suburban parents yawn

and comment about all they need to do for Christmas

rather than all they need to do for Christ

12-foot plastic trees don’t go up by themselves

I want to shove one of Mev’s photos–

the one of the beautiful boy from Chiapas–

under their noses

and tell them

Wake Up! We are the Eyes of the World.

I want Arco Angels of my own

I want to have long discussions over wine and chocolate

with Mev and Mark

I want to be good

I want to be worthy

I want to live my life fully

rather than tell kids with big hopes that

they don’t

make the cut

for the American dream

Suffering can be beautiful

Why have I avoided it?

I will look at suffering in Gaza

and witness the beauty and the dignity

and the sorrow and the sadness

and I will be better for it.

Dear Dr. Chmiel,

I just finished The Book of Mev! I journaled a bit as/after I read, and I just feel like sharing my writing with you. I’ll see you Sunday evening.

Take care,

Linsey

9/11/2009

Page 299: Book of Mev. Here comes the sobbing I knew was inevitable. Sitting on the bed, propped up against four pillows in Walsh 352 clutching the hard, hardcover book with my ugly hands and losing it completely. My shoulders rattle a bit, more like a shiver than anything, and I adore the sunshine streaming into the window on my plain white bedspread, my toes, my jeans.

My God! Mev was real. Now she is in heaven and I’m reading this book about her and loving her and I am in heaven too, because of this. Thank you, Mev! Writing to a dead person. Maybe a little queer. Never mind that. This is Truth.

Tears pile up along my lower lashes. I wait for them to spill, but instead they dribble messily around the creases where one day I’ll wake up and find crows feet in the mirror. I’m reminded that I’m getting old and one of my tear ducts is deformed and I have a painful lump in my breast but six months, three breast exams and an ultrasound after finding it in Spring ’09, I know it’s benign.

There is no room for mascara in my life anymore. I’m always, ALWAYS brought to tears. Tuesday/Thursday/Markchmielday especially, I’ve learned not to risk it because I’m certain to cry at least a bit in his 9:30 seminar class and watery charcoal smudges on the bags above my cheeks would be a dead giveaway. Pause from writing.

The book is finished! My tears are dry and a smile is eating my brain. Mev took great pictures. The book closes with one of Dr. Chmiel in Brazil writing. Or is he sketching? He is happy. Same face I met with the first day of the semester in Beracha Hall on Laclede. Monsoon Wedding soundtrack playing and I wanted to dance and sing ‘Aaja Nachle’ at the top of my lungs.

Now Mark is my teacher. This beautiful book-its dust jacket already tattered on the front right corner-mine. Mev-like exuberance, laughter and over the stories just imbibed, mine.

I am rich, obviously, to claim all this. And now I’m brimming with desire: to sit quietly, reread all my favorites mentioned throughout seamlessly as a bordered bolt of turquoise silk for a sari-Being Peace, Song of Songs, Dorothy Day-or better yet, to run outside barefoot, find little Dikaksha, Diwas, or ah! maybe even an unsuspecting classmate, and scoop them in my arms panting, because all that is mine is TOO good not to share. I need to watch the sun come up over the Arch again, from my favorite spot-the roof of the East Hickory Garage-and worship God and video the horizon as the change from night to day bursts forth.

I have no more words, just excitement, a mental photo montage and a homeless bandaid that served as a book mark for four days. Wait! It’s not homeless anymore! I’ve just stuck it to my favorite page in the book. Go and find it, dear reader. I dare you!

Dear Mark,

Almost a year ago, I was reading a book called ‘Blessed among women’ which contained a short profile of Mev. I was instantly captivated, and went online to find out more about her. I stumbled on information about her books on Amazon, and ‘the Book of Mev’ was recommended to me.

I ordered the book, and it arrived two weeks before I was to leave Australia to work with the Jesuits in Paraguay.

The reason I am so captivated by hers and your story is its humanity, sanctity and extraordinary ordinariness. It lifts my spirits, and I have read it almost three times over 4 months – bits and pieces here and there speak to my heart and soul.

I’m an Australian journalist and teacher, photographer and musician living in Asuncion, Paraguay in one of the poorest urban settlements here. I am challenged on a daily basis to live my faith authentically, and view things through the eyes of the poor.

For me, Mev’s story speaks to me on so many levels – her struggles in Brazil, her righteous anger at times with the institutional church, but her faith that light can shine through the darkness. The list goes on.

I wanted to express to you my gratitude for sharing this book with the world, and for your own very personal story which is intertwined in its pages.

Que Dios te acompana!

Beth

Hello Mark,

So I have been struggling at Yale. I came here to be exposed to new ideas and learn from world renowned academic minds. Instead I have found myself nose deep in old Hebrew or Greek Lexicons every night wondering how I can discover God and how God works among His people when I’m parsing Hebrew Qal Active Participles.

I began reading The Book of Mev again. I remembered how she thought about doing Biblical Studies but was turned off by all the ancient languages. Now I find myself in the same boat. :)

So I have decided to go down another path. I’m switching my concentration from Bible to a new program here in World Christianity and Missions! I’m going to focus on Africa and do work in anthropology, theology, and comparative studies with Christianity and Islam.

I’m so excited and I feel like this is what God wants me to be doing!

Reading about Mev again has really helped me look at myself introspectively and remember how enriching it is to see how God is present in the experiences of people in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

I just wanted to thank you again for sharing Mev with me and for the wonderful experience I had taking your course at SLU. I hope you are doing well and are enjoying the semester. I’m planning on making a trip back to St. Louis – perhaps we can meet up for coffee or something if you have the time and are in the area.

Talk to you soon!

Take Care,

Hope

Professor Chmiel,

Sorry, I am not in class today.  I made the long drive home last night.  However, I wanted to let you know that I am really enjoying reading The Book of Mev and am really glad that you decided to share it with us.  Unlike, many of the other books we have read in class, I feel like I can relate to  Mev in most ways.  Many of the questions that she asks in life are the same questions that I ask in life, and it’s interesting to learn about where she looked for answers to those questions and what she found.  I know it might not be the easiest book for you to teach, but I really think it is one of the most valuable books we have read in class.  All of the other books have been wonderful, but I am sometimes left thinking what can I do, here in this society today.  Most of the other people we have read about were forced into action by the harsh conditions or political changes in their lives, however, I assume that most of my peers and I have not been faced with such hardships or injustices so directly in our lives.  Sometimes, I wonder where we begin.  Mev’s experience with this is inspiring and gives us an example of how one woman who was in a very similar situation to myself at this age, made a significant impact on the world, even in her short life.  It has really helped me think about how I hope to go about my life. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Laura

Laura Kraus is in the Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University.

written by Miranda Portwine to Katie Lochhead

Hey Katie,

I was thinking about you today. Remember at the beginning of the semester how you were telling me you don’t know what to do with your life? You love theology and social justice but you are majoring in art. You are incredibly talented at art but it is not your passion. I know how passionate you are about just being with people–being present with them. You want to hear the stories and voices of those that don’t get heard and you want to share those stories with others.

I know in high school, you and your brother would volunteer at the soup kitchen on Sunday mornings. I thought you were crazy giving up a prime day to sleep in to go work your butt off at a kitchen. How foolish I feel now. I know that this sort of thing is effortless to you and it is just one thing out of a multitude that you do that I cannot even fathom having the time or the energy for. But like I said, you do it so effortlessly. You do not see it as giving up a day to sleep in. You do not see it as a sacrifice of yourself, but a chance to help others. I respect and honor you so much that you do that.

You are a role model in my life. Whenever I think about people who are just good right down to the bone, people who would sacrifice so much for the good of others, and people who will just be there for and with others, you are one of the people that come to mind. Another is Mev Puleo, but I have the honor and the pleasure of knowing you, being friends with you, and growing with you. I really do consider myself lucky. But you are probably wondering who this Mev is that I speak.

Well I will tell you. I took this class at SLU that I think you would be really interested in. It is a Social Justice class, and the professor is Dr. Mark Chmiel. My first encounter with Mev however was through a picture. I was at this woman’s house dropping off money for children in Haiti. Jane Corbett used to go down to Haiti and work with the poor there and when my grandma introduced me to her I know that I had to help somehow. While I was there, I saw a picture of a woman on her fridge and in the picture the woman was whispering something to Pope John Paul II. Jane noticed me looking at it and she told me that the woman in the picture also helped the poor and that she was a very nice, compassionate woman. She then went on to say that the woman was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and that we should keep her in our prayers. That woman was Mev.

It was a long time ago, however, and though some of the details are lost for me, that picture forever stayed burned in my brain. I would think about Mev from time to time, wonder how she was doing, and wonder what she had done. Years later, I found myself in a Social Justice class not knowing what I was getting myself into. I mean, I took it in high school and snored through most of it. I still had no idea what it was all about, and on top of that, after reading the syllabus for this one, I didn’t think I would have a chance to sleep at all. It was overwhelming but for some reason, I felt like I needed to be there. Well I ended up sticking with it and even friending my professor on Facebook! I was looking through his albums and there was a whole one devoted to Mev. To my surprise, I stumbled upon the very same picture! A chill went through me. A picture that I thought about for years, expecting my own memory to be faded, was staring at me exactly how I remembered it from so many years ago.

I told the professor about this happening and he told me a little bit about Mev, his late wife and even gave me a book he wrote on her, The Book of Mev. It sounded a bit biblical but I thought I’d give it a chance. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down. The book goes through how my professor, Dr. Chmiel, met Mev. It talked about her work with the poor in Brazil; it even has some of her interviews that she had with the people there: men, women, widows, priests, etc. It is covered with photos of her and photos she took of the people she interviewed and heard, and now we can hear them too. It went through her frustrations of finding publishers, frustrations of others not seeming to care, but also her determination and hope that we can make change. I learned more about her through this book not only her professional life, but her infectious laugh, her love for Ben and Jerry’s, and even some of her deepest fears. I feel like somehow, through the pages, I almost know her. It sounds crazy, I’m sure, but I think another reason I feel that way is because she reminds me of you: silly, goofy, loving, dedicated, motivated, hard-working, and a true friend.

I think you would really enjoy reading this book and I think it would really help you come up with what you could do through your gift of art and passion for social justice. I love you sweets; give me a call sometime if you want to talk more about it.

Until then, it is late and I should probably get to bed! J

Love you,

Miranda

Saturday 3 January 2009

I received this message from Katie Consumaus, who took Social Justice in spring 2008. Katie graduated from SLU in May 2008 and is an actor.

Dr Chmiel,

I just flipped on CNN after getting home from rehearsal and immediately thought of our encounter on New Year’s Eve as I watched a saddening report on Gaza.

My immediate reaction was desolation and helplessness– so often my response these days as I watch the news.

But then I became happier when I remembered I had good news to share with you that I neglected to mention the other day. My apologies for my forgetfulness– my mind was already on the show I was rushing off to perform in.

But anyway. This holiday, while riding around in the tour van between shows, I was able to start and complete THE BOOK OF MEV. I was so engrossed that I finished the last 100 pages of the book by the feeble blue light of my open cell phone late at night on the road. (It couldn’t wait until I got home, evidently, although I paid for it the next day with an eye strain headache. Haha.)

Social Justice as a course truly changed my entire perspective on life, and THE BOOK OF MEV only solidified my new perspectives into the deepest corners of my heart.

I am extremely grateful to you.

I have not yet processed my thoughts well enough to articulate an intelligible response to your book, but it is coming, and when I have come up with them, I will be sure to share them with you.

Thank you for sharing your words and your heart with your students and your readers.

Katie

16 September 2008

Dr. C,

Hello! Hope this email finds you well. Classes must be well on its way and I am sure you are enlightening many other students like myself as we speak. I’ve wanted to write you this email ever since I read the first chapters of your book about Mev. But I opted to wait until the end to write it. I picked an interesting time to read the book – a time of many changes. I first begin reading it while still in training, where I was constantly surrounded by 35 other Americans, either complaining or lamenting aspects of our lives. Just as I started to lose sight of the real reasons that I am here in Africa, your words reminded me. The “bubble” that you often mentioned in our classes still exists even here in the Peace Corps. It’s easy to surround myself with other Americans (or Chinese) and not step out of my comfort zone to “be with the people”. I thought I had burst the comfort bubble when I boarded that plane for Africa in June. Even just over these few months, I have learned that bubbles and comfort zone will always exist and one has to constantly fight hard to not be in it.

Thank you for sharing your stories with me. Not simply stories of Mev’s great work in the world, but stories of your love. Weeks ago, I was feeling lonely and thought to myself if I will ever have the “normal” relationship that others have due to the nature of my work and my goal to live in all continents minus Antarctica. Then I read your stories and know it can still happen. It took me a while to get through the book since lots were happening in my life. But last night, I picked it up again and began reading Part II and finished the book in a night.

It made me thinking about life and I can further understand the importance to live in the “present”. You just never know. I needed this inspiration as I am experiencing an interesting time as a Peace Corps volunteer – the first three months at post. Granted I still have yet spent a night alone since my friend Kate is having difficulty getting her house ready. But even so, I am experiencing a sudden loss of direction. I went from sleeping 4 hours a night to waking up without an alarm everyday. My French is better, but not great, so I struggle to really do much in my community.

However, round II is proving to be an excellent decision despite previous doubts. I haven’t felt so “Chinese” in a decade, thanks to the great Chinese community I stumbled upon here. Not sure how much of my blog you have been following, so I won’t repeat the stories here. I realized I have been making a clock-wise around the tour of the world, and the natural next step is going back to Asia, experiencing China. Things thus far haven’t been what I was expecting, but then I didn’t come into this with much expectation. Yesterday, I received news of Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy and I thought of our chats at Starbucks. I have friends whose life has been turned upside down this weekend because they lost their fancy jobs on Wall Street. I am glad I wasn’t among them and I am happy doing what I love in Africa. Again, you just never know. Even the “safe” option isn’t so safe. My friend said in an email, “I should have joined the Peace Corps, at least they don’t fire volunteers.”

I feel I could ramble on forever. I miss our chats. Hope you are well and thank you for continue teaching the others like me not only about social justice, about liberation theology, but simply about life, about following one’s heart and stepping out of comfort zone.

Future correspondences to come.

Peace and love,

Wendy

Wendy Lee is a Peace Corps Volunteer in Small Enterprise Development in Cameroon. She took Social Justice at SLU in spring 2008.

Monday 21 July 2008

Professor Chmiel,

Hi, my name is Jason Sengheiser. I graduated from SLU undergrad in 2000. I never took one of your classes, but a lot of my friends did and they always raved about you.

You may not recall this, but I was seated at the same table as you at Cab Gutting’s wedding.

Anyway, I am writing because recently another former student of yours, Katie O’Brien, gave me The Book of Mev to read. I just finished it, and I just felt like I had to write to express how much I appreciated the book.

On a basic level, I thought it was a beautiful love story between two extraordinary human beings and also their community. However, in addition it brought into focus so many questions about acting morally and living solidarity with the poor and persecuted. I suspect I will be reflecting on this book for years to come.

There are numerous points in that book to be contemplated, but the one that is currently resonating with me appears near the end. I think someone tells you “you never get over things, you just get through them.” There is wonderful wisdom to that statement.

I just want to thank you for writing the book and for sharing the story with the world.

Jason Sengheiser

Saturday 5 July 2008

Mark,

I just finished The Book of Mev and I want to thank you for writing such a sensitive book. I found the book on Linda Panetta’s bookshelf and began reading it, and immediately called the publisher and ordered a copy for myself. I’ve always had a high regard for Mev and your book just deepened my admiration. It is a beautiful tribute to Mev as well as to you. I am sure it was not easy to write, but I am very grateful that you did it.

We probably have met in the past. I think both you and Mev were involved in the Pax Christi Assembly in Santa Clara in 1994. It’s nice to reconnect through the book. I’ve already given my copy away and ordered another. When I get mine back (hopefully), I’ll keep it circulating.

Sincerely,

Bishop Tom Gumbleton