Martin Luther King Recuperative Care Center

Present: Debra Boudreaux, Salya Mohamedy, David Fields, Sabrina Ho, Bob Coppolino, Rev. Jongmae Park, Theresa Clarke, Bhante Chao Chu, Fr. Alexei Smith, Ven. Bampo, Dr. Frederick Chen, Ariel Agmon, Michael Kerze

Salya Mohamedy who works with the health team for Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas welcomed this opportunity to bring together resources for healing. Dr. Chen, director of the Recuperative Care Center presented the background of the Center. It first opened in January and will have a 100 bed capacity when all wings are brought online. Today it is at 50% occupancy. The Center is meant for chronic homeless who have medical issues. We visit them, help then in this transitional facility, address their medical issues, provide them with life skills, and then get them into permanent housing and continue to monitor them and work with local and other services. It takes from 3 to 6 months to transition them into permanent housing. We are service providers. Ariel Agmon is our contact person.

We discussed possibilities for our dialogue to be involved providing meditation, prayer, and other services, including continuing relationships in permanent housing where it is easy to be isolated. At the Center now there is a visiting nun and a Bible study group. Bob Coppolino pointed out that all church parishes have volunteers who are Eucharistic ministers for whom just having relationships with those being visited is often primary.

We decided to prepare a survey of needs and desires to see what is needed. Once we know we can supply volunteers, and then in permanent housing, identify services. Deborah Boudreaux said that they already have a survey developed. Salya will develop it for the Center. We hope to have it ready by Nov. 15, and then start around January 17.

Our next meeting will be on Dec. 2, from 10:30-12:30 at St. Andrew Russian Byzantine Church, 538 Concord St, El Segundo, CA 90245.

RSVP: FrARSmith@la-archdiocese.org 310-322-1892

Peace! Michael Kerze

Hsi Lai Temple

Present: Debra Boudreau, Theresa Clark, Sabrina Ho, Rev. Royoko Osa, Bishop Noriaki Ito, Bhante Chao Chu, Rev. Kusala, Ven. Man Kuang, Ven. You Heng, Dickson Yagi, Thomas, Michael Kerze

Rev. Ito discussed the International Jodo Shinshu conference held this year in Los Angeles that he organized with Rev. Osa and others. The conference was called: “Dobo: Seeking Unity in the Midst of Diversity” and had 310 participants from Japan, Hawaii, South America, and the United States. Dobo means “Travelers on the Path,” and the theme was “Remembering the Past, Living in the Present, and Looking to the Future.” In the discussion about it the suggestion of organizing a Buddhist/Catholic youth dialogue was explored.

Sabrina Ho reported on a meeting with supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas who invited our dialogue to help with the transitional homeless housing attached to Martin Luther King Hospital by providing spiritual services such as forms of meditation. The discussion considered sending one dialogue member each month to provide such service. Bhante Chao Chu said that we need to find out about the environment, who is there, so that we can see how to be effective. We agreed to explore this further and Sabrina will see if we can bring the dialogue to MLK for a meeting to see facilities and think through how we can help. Provisional dates for such a visit are Nov. 18 or Dec. 2. We can think of classes we could teach. Rev. Kusala volunteered to do one called: “8 Steps to End Suffering,” and mentioned how he has had been going to Leisure World for 2 years where a Buddhist Club has formed. We plan to work with Adrienne’s Mental Health Services on this where Rev. Hata at Higasi Honganji Temple is already part of a group working with on this.
Sabrina and Deborah also alerted us to a Memorial Service for the unclaimed bodies of homeless and others that will take place at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Covina on Oct. 26. And let us remember David Field’s invitation to join in with the blanket distribution for the homeless on Nov. 22. Please let David know if you are interested: dfields@svdpla.org.

We also discussed Buddhist-Catholic weddings thinking of Johnny Hsu’s recent marriage to Maria where Fr. Jim Fredericks presided with Fr. Alexei and Bishop Jongmae Park.

Rev. Kusala volunteered to help develop our Facebook page.

Our next dialogue will be Nov. 18 provisionally scheduled at Fr. Alexei’s St. Andrew Church in El Segundo if the visit to MLK doesn’t happen. If we meet at St. Andrew Church, Ven. Man Kuang volunteered to bring a lunch of Chinese food!

2016.10.8 dialogue