Sue Silverstein worked through the holiday, buying tie-dye fabric and paint, unique silk flowers for making corsages, and planning the tent and decorations for Bishop Maginn’s farewell prom on June 11.

She enlisted me, Maria, and Zinnia to come and calm and distract the kids from school closings, new school worries, and their awful fears about violence in America.

(Hser Say, feature photo above, helped me train Zinnia to be a therapy dog. She has the sweetest smile and the biggest heart.)

Many of these fears have come true in the lives of the refugees and inner-city students.

 

(When Maria goes to Bishop Maginn, she plunges right in. She and Sue are also very close friends, and working with them is a joy. Maria can’t give as much time to Bishop Maginn as I can, but more and more, we are doing this work together. I could not be happier.)

Sue is a magician. We expected to find moody, scared, and silent children when we arrived at the school. Sue was way ahead of us.

The kids were thrilled to see Zinnia, and Maria went to work helping them put together corsages. Still, they were having a blast working on their prom, figuring out ways to make their corsages beautiful and original.

Sue came to me yesterday asking for help paying the tuition of one of the students we have helped before; he can’t go where Sue is going without some tuition help; I’m going to meet with him next week and may ask for some assistance. He needs to go with her.

 

(This is the first time I’ve ever seen Paris without a mask on. They are done with uniforms for the year. She knows how to pose, and her corsage was spectacular.)

 

Zinnia was a big hit, but Sue knows her students and thinks of them constantly. Sue is an angel visiting the earth in human form. She is all about good. She has helped, saved, and encouraged more children than I can count.

Today was corsage-making day, tomorrow tie-dye day, and nobody was thinking about school shootings or school closings.

Sue knows what she is doing. So do Zinnia and Maria.

The therapy dog went to work snuggling and licking; Maria was helping kids figure out how to make corsages and then got down to making some.

 

(The Round Table is the heart of Sue’s classroom. Everyone is welcome there, and this is where the creative work is often done. Today it is making corsages for the prom.)

It was like prom gown day; the kids were into it, proud of their work and excited about their prom. They are working day and night to make it a memorable evening. Thanks for helping them get there.

 

(Say K Paw is proud of her corsage, it’s the first one she’s ever worn.)

 

The Bishop Maginn experience has been a rich and rewarding one for me and Maria, who loves teaching sewing and art-making to these students, and has forged close and trusted relationships with many of them.

Sue has asked her if she would agree to teach some sewing and art classes at the new school in the Fall. I’m happy to say that the Albany Diocese is committed to continuing Sue’s work with the refugees, and how and where that will unfold is still under discussion.

 

(Sue is Zinnia’s Godmother, the two adore each other, Zinnia starts wagging her tail a block or so from the school and rushes to greet Sue as soon as she arrives. Sue calls her “my girl” and insists she’s her dog. Two sweet and loving women.)

 

I’m excited about the little Sue can tell me about the fall, but it will all be clear in a couple of weeks. The Army Of Good is much prized and appreciated in the Diocese, and we will be a part of the new and invigorated program in the same way we are now.

 

(Alysha made a beautiful mobile for the prom.)

When Maria was asked to show the art students how to make quilts for the Afghan refugees (I will be meeting some in the Fall), she got hooked, as I did. These children are beautiful people.

She can’t spend as much time as I can at the new school; she works hard daily on her art.

But she is happy about teaching some sewing classes. She has excellent chemistry with these children and is a born teacher.

 

(The Teddy Bear gifts at the prom come dehydrated in thin packages. You open the box, and they puff up like soft teddy bears. They will be prizes at the dance.)

 

Today, one of the girls was telling her about going to the prom without a date.  She was looking for a young man to go with. Maria assured her she would find the proper boyfriend one day. “I’d like one like yours,” she said. This made me blush. It was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard.

 

( I caught up with Abalena Mandray and Que Maria Brace at their lockers. They were shy but pleased to show off their corsages. This prom is taking shape between the jewels, the tent, games, prizes, food,  gowns, and the corsages.)

This was a lovely, uplifting day, a pleasure to write about and photograph. The prom is turning into something very special. Thanks for that.