Michael Chies is the administrator at New Brighton Care Center, and I think his words would speak for all of the places where we minister. I think that this message is helpful for all of us to hear and ponder. A couple of years ago, all the nursing home ministers were invited to write to their legislator regarding funding for care for our seniors. Some took the challenge and expressed themselves in this regard. I offer to you these words from Mr. Chies:

"I make it a practice to help educate those people I come in contact with regarding long term care and the growing number of people getting older. When I explain the financial difficulties in the regulation on the way we get paid, most respond by saying, 'That isn't right.' When I talk about the 25 nursing home that have closed in the last five years, they usually respond by saying, 'Who is going to provide care and services to the growing number of people getting older?'

"When I inform people of the projections done by Care Providers of Minnesota which predict that another 100 nursing homes will close by the year 2015, most people can't believe that is the case. But it is, and will be the case unless, and until, more people speak loudly enough to our legislators and governor. This is not just a nursing home problem; it is part of a larger societal problem...

"... The next step is assisted living. Now things are starting to cost more as additional help and services are required. Again, fine, if you have the money. Most assisted living is private pay with some financial help from the counties. Currently, medical assistance does not pay for assisted living. What happens when the money runs out? The next step, if a person has no money, or if the individual has skilled nursing needs, is the nursing home. Currently, over 70% of people in Minnesota's nursing homes have their care paid for by medical assistance.

"Remember, the number of people getting older is growing exponentially. So here lies the problem to society and taxpayers. The dollars needed to support a growing senior population will place extreme pressures on society. This does not, however, mean that less dollars are needed by Minnesota's nursing homes. The current high dependence on the state medical assistance program is the major problem facing Minnesota's nursing homes. Unless the state and taxpayers are willing to pay adequately for the services expected from us, the problem will only grow larger, resulting in more nursing home closings...

"... assisted living is not the answer for many of the admissions we see here. Most of our admissions these days come directly from the hospitals. We have turned into "sub-acute" mini-hospitals by comparison just 10 years ago. Yet, our reimbursement has not continued to keep pace with the needs of the profession...

"... I ask each of you to help us provide the stimulus the legislators need to address this very serious problem."

Social Mission Advisory Board
Anne Marie Bartlett, St. John's Social Justice Coordinator

As I was preparing a letter for the Social Mission Advisory Board, I was recalling everything I could think of off the top of my head about what has been going on at St. John's the last couple of months concerning Catholic Social Teaching & Social Mission work. I thought this would be good information to share with all of you as well. It was invigorating, gratifying, and, I suspect, will make most of you feel quite good about this Gospel living that goes on here at our parish home. 

First of all, I want you to know who is on the Social Mission Advisory Board. You can talk to these folks if you have any questions about something the parish is doing, or the process by which things happen, or whatever it may be. They are, in no particular order:

Nancy Kozen, Ann Riley, Carole Beggs, Sharon Hansen, Jeanne Ayers, Liz Modesette, Steve Steffl (school staff), Marilyn DeMarais, Teresa Neuman (staff), Libby Dupont (staff), Tom Fruth, Mary Anne Gruetzman, Julie Irving, Kathy Kieffer, and Jerry Tiller.

We've had much activity around:

þ FAIR TRADE products;

ý Families Moving Forward has been here, and two of the  four families who started the week with us found housing  by the end of the week;

ü ISAIAH has held a retreat here, and we are moving on  with more work around this legislative session;

þ The Parish Council has been talking about St. John's   become a tithing parish (preliminary);

ý San Miguel students came and celebrated the Feast of  Our Lady of Guadalupe with us at Sunday Mass;

ü Faith Formation and School students collected  money  over Advent to help buy computers for San Miguel
Middle School in South Minneapolis (our sister school);

þ Parishioners, on their own initiative, have sent in enough  money to build a school in Bull Bay, Jamaica. The next  pilgrimage to go there and dedicate the school is in the  planning stages;

ý The St. Vincent de Paul society collected "zillions" of  socks and underwear for Simpson Shelter;

ü Loaves & Fishes and Branch III continue their ongoing  ministries of feeding the hungry;

þ Our food shelf has been stocked and re-stocked by your  kind donations;

ý The Angel Tree has gifted many in and around our city...

... WOW! I am sure that I have missed something, but this gives you a feel for all the good work that this parish does. You are the parish, you do the work, and you will be blessed.

Let us all pray for continued guidance for our world leaders to help bring us to peace, and for our state leaders to put fair and just systems in place, so that we can all really understand what the "common good" means in our place in time and history. Thank you.