Brother’s final ministry helped New Orleans youth

Brother's final ministry helped New Orleans youth

Editor's note: Brother Martin Joseph died unexpectedly July 12 during a visit with former associates and friends in Schenectady. He spoke with The Evangelist shortly before that.

The skills Brother Martin Joseph Fragala, CFC, used while teaching driver's education in Manhattan and serving as a guidance counselor in Schenectady are the same skills he used in his most recent position at a restaurant training program in New Orleans.

"Brother Joe" ministered at Café Reconcile, a program located in the severely distressed Central City neighborhood of New Orleans. The program strives to address the issues of generational poverty, violence and neglect there.

Café Reconcile was founded by a Jesuit priest and is currently headed by a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Brother Joe told The Evangelist that young people between the ages of 16 and 22 spend nine weeks in the program learning life skills, interpersonal skills and work skills.

In addition, the youth can receive assistance in pursuing their GEDs, learning computer skills and taking parenting courses.

Sweet Schenectady
Brother Joe, an Edmund Rice Christian Brother, served at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady prior to moving to New Orleans in 2007. He also taught in New York City and Florida, but the Bronx native said his times in Schenectady were his favorite. He served at ND-BG twice: from 1974-'84 and from 2001-'07.

"I've been fortunate in the assignments I've had," he said. "The best assignment I ever had was Schenectady."

The move to New Orleans was in response to Hurricane Katrina. Brother Joe's order wanted to aid those affected and sent a contingency to New Orleans to see where the brothers could best serve. Brother Joe volunteered his services as a mentor at Café Reconcile.

On the job
Cooking has always been a hobby for Brother Joe; recently, he improved his skills while working alongside the chefs who teach the program's participants. His job was to help and encourage the young people as they learn job skills.

The youth in the program with come from a much different background than the students Brother Joe taught over the years. "The kids I'm working with now are from a different culture," he said. "These kids are struggling with so many things."

He said the neighborhood where the café is located has the highest crime rate per capita in the country, and the young people who enroll in the program come from impoverished families. Divorce and out-of-wedlock pregnancy are common; the average Café Reconcile participant only completed 10th grade before dropping out of school.

Barriers to success
"The culture here is that they sit around," Brother Joe explained. "They don't have the same work ethic I grew up with. My father had two jobs to support us."

In addition, many program participants are already parents themselves, Brother Joe said: "The kids I work with think it's a manly thing to be able to say, 'I have a child.' The girls are so lonely, they have a baby in the hopes it will ease that loneliness. The kids are just raised in that culture."

While in the program, the youth learn skills that are usually taught at home. "They don't know to call their boss if they can't make it to work," said Brother Joe. "You learn that responsibility watching responsible parents."

Another skill the young people learn is budgeting and planning for their financial future.

"They live in the moment," Brother Joe noted. "If they have $100, they spend it not thinking about future expenses."

During the nine-week program, the young people can earn $1,400 through a combination of grant money and tips.

Brother Joe's biggest job is to listen and encourage: "When I taught driver's ed and I took the kids to drive, it was the same. Kids bring up stuff while you're in the car and I just listen. It's the same at the café - I listen and I try to encourage them. Kids are aching to have someone listen to them and not be talked at."

In May, Brother Joe marked his 50th anniversary as a brother with a celebration at Café Reconcile. In addition to prayers and Scripture readings, participants enjoyed crab cakes, calamari and fried chicken prepared by students and staff.

"I don't know where the 50 years went," Brother Joe told The Evangelist. "I've been blessed."

(07/29/10)