Spirituality

Being Human

Staffers at a Catholic
child-care center help
hospitalized Jewish co-worker

SHELLI DORFMAN
StaffWriter

hen a Jewish employee in a Catholic hospital fell ill this fall,
her non-Jewish co-workers and associates erased religious
lines and bonded together for the sake of a family in need.
Suffering from a brain aneurysm, this teacher in an employ-
ee-sponsored child care center at St. Mary's Hospital in Livonia, has been
hospitalized since Nov. 6.
That prompted her boss, Sister Joyce, a Felician-Franciscan nun, to
begin a drive to purchase Chanuka gifts for the two children of the sick
woman, a five-year employee of the center.
Julie Bussell, the only other Jewish staff member, says Sister Joyce and other
employees "don't know much about the Jewish faith, but are doing this to do
something nice for someone."
Not only have the child-care workers "rallied to help the family," Bussell
says, but parents of the children in the center also have contributed cards of
support and monetary donations. Sister Joyce says from the minute a sign was
placed on the day care center's door,
informing parents of the situation,
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gx Une4
they've been asking, 'What can we do?
•
What can we do?'"
Help is being given to the Jewish
tE tt. ,
. At et st
employee not because the crisis hap-
pened near the holidays. Sister Joyce says
A Catholic hospital nun
the concern would have been the same at
organizes fund raiser
any time of year.
Using $250 in donations, Sister
for
Jewish
employee.
j o
Joyce purchased eight gift certificates
from area restaurants, Sears, Meijer
and Kmart for each of the woman's two teen-aged sons. With Bussell's
input, she made certain each item was wrapped in paper appropriate
for a Chanuka gift.
Bussell says she and other teachers at the center converted their unused sick
days and vacation hours into $600 cash, which then was presented to the
woman's husband.
Repeating the words she shared in a letter to day-care employees, Sister
Joyce reads, "At a time like this when someone's life is in danger, it doesn't
matter which faith they profess, what matters more is our expressions of love
and caring. A tragedy becomes a means of sharing Christianity with Judaism."
With the usual focus on differences between Jews and Christians, and with
their December holidays being so near one another, Bussell says this project
was done by those who "don't know anything about Judaism, but know a lot
about being human." ❑

•

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.1 7.14

12/31
1999

68

Julie Busse. ll lights a candle with Sister Joyce, Allison Carvalho, Cameron Gale and Mary
Frances Zelmanski at the St. Marys Hospital Child Care Center.

Shelli Dorfman can be reached at (248) 354-6060, ext. 246, or by e-mail
at sdorfrnan@thejewishnews.com