www.theleaven.com | Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas | Vol. 31, No. 5 August 28, 2009
At home on our range A group of Italian teens find the heart in the heartland
Leaven photo by Joe Bollig
Francesca Leali (left) and Luca Sartorio join their schoolmates at the serving line for lunch at Let’s Help, a social service agency in Topeka. They were part of a 21-student contingent from Our Lady of the Snows School in Adro, Italy, who were invited to learn more about America by Father Tim Haberkorn, pastor of St. Joseph-Sacred Heart Parish in Topeka.
By JOE BOLLIG
T
Leaven staff
OPEKA — America? Sure, Italian teenagers know about America. They’ve seen America on TV, in magazines, and in the movies. Recently, however, a select group of 21 Italian teens and three chaperones from Adro, Italy, discovered another America seldom seen in international news — Topeka, Kansas. They were here at the invitation of Father Tim Haberkorn, pastor of St. Joseph-Sacred Heart Parish. During the Italians’ sojourn in middle America from Aug. 7 to 20, they had the opportunity to practice their English, perform works of service, pray, and encounter all kinds of Americans — and a few surprises.
The accidental ambassador What brought the young Italians to Topeka was pure serendipity. About 10 years ago, Father Haberkorn got lost while on a trip to the northern Italian city of Brescia. “I, being the relic hunter that I am, was in Brescia looking for the convent of the Ursuline Sisters to view the incor-
rupt body of [their foundress] St. Angela Merici,” said Father Haberkorn. Instead, he got turned around and wandered into a parish served by the Carmelite friars. Being the convivial sort that he is, Father Haberkorn hit it off splendidly with the Carmelites and was “adopted” by them. During subsequent visits to Europe, he often managed to go to Brescia. It was during one of those visits that he got to know the Carmelites at a school, La Madonna della Neve (Our Lady of the Snows) in the nearby town of Adro. “I was talking to the priests there, and I said, ‘Why don’t you bring some kids over [to Topeka] sometime?’” said Father Haberkorn. Lay teachers from the school visited Topeka in January to lay the groundwork. Father Haberkorn helped with the itinerary and finding host families for the students from among his parishioners.
At home on the range The students, ages 15 to 17, were led by two Carmelite priests — Father Claudio Grassi, OCD, and Father Elie Massad, OCD — and a lay teacher, Francesca Tamimi. Only the very best students were al-
lowed to go. All of them could speak some English, but with varying degrees of fluency. Most had some travel experience, but none had been to the United States before. “Everyone wanted to come to the USA, but we couldn’t afford to bring them all,” said Father Grassi. The student’s 14 days in the heartland of America were filled with activities. The group itinerary included a swimming and barbecue party; a trip to the World War I Museum, the Nelson Art Gallery, the Country Club Plaza, and Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Mo.; a tour of the state Capitol and the Kansas Museum of History; and a visit to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Topeka. In addition to seeing the sights in Kansas City, the Italians made a side trip to the old and new cathedrals in St. Louis, and a quick pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Snows Shrine in Belleville, Ill. The Italians’ curiosity about Native Americans was satisfied by a visit to the Potawatomi Reservation, where they found something in common with Adro — the Our Lady of the Snows Shrine. They also encountered American food — pizza, tacos, hamburgers and barbecue. On the whole, consuming American food was a positive experi-
Leaven photo by Joe Bollig
Massimiliano Berardi and Emanuele Delledonne sort through piles of donated clothes at Let’s Help. The Italian students spent their time in prayer, fun outings, English practice, and works of service. ence and several teens said they liked American food very, very much. One boy, however, acquired a hor-
Turn to “Hospitality” on page 6