Taking the Passion to the Streets

By Victoria Scott

Friday morning, regardless of the weather, Javier Coronel will put on a long dark wig and pull a thin robe over his everyday clothes.

Alone in the crowd of parishioners gathered outside St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church, Mr. Coronel will prepare himself to play a part he knows will affect him deeply.

Then, just before 9 a.m., he will hoist a large wooden cross to his shoulders amid the taunts and lashes of parishioners who, on normal days, call him a friend.

Again this year, Mr. Coronel will assume the role of Jesus in a drama played out on the streets of Evanston.

March 21 is Good Friday, perhaps the most solemn day of the Christian year, when penitents around the world relive Jesus' passion by participating in the Stations, or Way, of the Cross.

Like the other processions, St. Nick's tells the story of Jesus' final hours, crucifixion and entombment. But St. Nick's Neighborhood Way of the Cross also tells the story of a particular congregation and its context, the City of Evanston.

Dan Maloney, longtime parishioner and coordinator of St. Nick's Way of the Cross for the second year, looked into the evolution of the church's observance.

"There is evidence [St. Nick's Way of the Cross] started in the 70s," he says, and that it followed a route from the church south to Howard Street. Traversing Howard, participants encountered social service agencies whose work helped them "relate the sufferings of Christ to contemporary struggles of people," says Mr. Maloney.

Around 1999, a parishioner named Gabe Huck, then director of Liturgical Training Publications and a champion of social justice, re-drew the map and set The Neighborhood Way of the Cross in booklet form.

The booklet, still distributed to all participants, is a guide to the morning service. It names each of the 14
Stations of the Cross according to Roman Catholic tradition (for example, "#8: Jesus falls the second time" and "#10: Jesus is stripped of his clothing.") and includes prayers, scripture readings and songs of devotion for each.

A separate sheet maps the journey, from its starting point at the church (Ridge Avenue and Main Street), west on Washington Street, north to Lake Street, east on Lake to Ridge, and south on Ridge to St. Nick's.

Many of the Stations are stops at the doorsteps of local institutions whose goals are highlighted in the text (for example, "Unitarian Church … The church draws from religious and ethical teachings without imposing a particular dogma.").

The script for the Stations provides a snapshot of St. Nick's multicultural makeup. Haitian parishioners will find a number of devotions in French. This year, members of the Syro-Malankara (Eastern Rite) Catholic Church (formerly Ascension Church and once the parish home to many of St. Nick's Spanish-speaking parishioners) will offer prayers in the Malayalam language of their native India.

But above all, the Way of the Cross owes its current form to the large Mexican congregation that moved to St. Nick's when the diocese closed Ascension Church. From their home state of Guanajuato these congregants brought the tradition of reenacting the crucifixion story. Gina Ramirez, the narrator, recalls her brothers walking the Stations from their Mexican village to the mountains outside town.

At St. Nick's, the reenactment began as a play presented by Hispanic parishioners during Lent. It became more central to the church's Easter programming when Father Robert Oldershaw, now retired, suggested they stage it on Palm Sunday.

Eight years ago, at Father Oldershaw's urging, the reenactment was also incorporated into the Neighborhood Way of the Cross, lending dramatic immediacy to the walk.

On each of the six Sundays of Lent, the cast of 20 gathers in the church sanctuary after the Spanish mass to practice the play. Their script, in Spanish, is based on the differing gospel accounts - this year, Matthew's - in rotation. And every year, says Ms. Ramirez, "we have new players. Bringing their tradition to the community makes them feel at home."

More than just entertainment, the play "represents our community," says Ms. Ramirez. "It is a very good experience for the immigrants, showing our culture and values."

They do not take the responsibility lightly. At the final Sunday rehearsal, those offstage sit silently in the pews, intent on the unfolding drama. Even eight-year-old Mary Luz Flores confines her excitement to a shy smile.

This is dress rehearsal. Alvaro Gomez, impressive in the black garb of a high priest, acted as a teenager in Mexico, he says, and played the traitor Judas twice before beginning his four-year run as Caiaphas. Perennial participant Florencio Canchola wears a Roman soldier's tunic and helmet, as does Edgar Vega, after eight years in other roles.

Despite playing "bad guys," these veterans say performing is "a very good experience." But sometimes, Ms. Ramirez confides, she and her sister, Lupe Mendoza, the coordinator of the play, have to spur them on. "As Catholics, it is very hard for them to hit Jesus," she says.

As for the central figure, Mr. Coronel talks about why he decided to play Jesus a second time. He "loved what he felt" last year, he says. Along the Way of the Cross, he says, he "first felt cold, and then I didn't feel cold at all."

He looks down, searching for a way to explain. On that long, painful walk through Evanston, he says, "something changed. I can't describe it. Jesus was
with us."

‘Gardens of Water'

A Book Review By Sue Brooke

"Gardens of Water," a brilliant first novel by Alan Drew, is sure to win much acclaim. The author was teaching in Istanbul in 1999 when the devastating Marmara earthquake hit Turkey.

This is the story of Sinan, a good husband and father who wants only to live a simple life and see his children grow into happy adults. His own father was killed for his part in the Kurdish movement for a free Kurdish State, so Sinan has moved his family south to a tiny village on the Sea of Marmara. He and his brother-in-law own a grocery store, and Sinan is pleased that he has enough money to get his 9-year-old son, Ismail, properly circumcised. Afterwards the family is planning a celebration of his passage to manhood. Sinan's wife insists they invite all the neighbors in their apartment complex, including the American teacher and his family who have come for the summer.

What Sinan does not know is that his 15-year-old daughter, Irem, and the American's 17-year-old son, Dylan, have been talking to each other out their bedroom windows. As a Kurd, Irem must keep her hair covered when in public and must be chaperoned around any male. But Irem has heard her neighbor's music and been drawn to his easy smile. In a life of cleaning, cooking and helping her mother, her only fun is talking to Dylan.

Then the earthquake hits, followed by a tidal wave that crushes everything between Sinan's apartment and the sea. Those who survive are dazed and homeless; many dig furiously in the rubble, looking for family members. The Turkish government, overwhelmed, provides nothing. Even the Red Cross fails to come to the rescue of this isolated village.

Finally, some American missionaries bring food and tents. Sinan and the others do not want anything from the Americans, whom they blame for providing the tanks and guns that put down the Kurdish uprising. Besides, the missionaries preach about Jesus, apparently stealing the children's hearts away from their parents.

But Sinan has no choice, since he has nowhere else to turn. Now living in a tent, he finds it is not so easy to protect the modesty of his women. Irem is out by herself, doing laundry and talking to people, experiencing a freedom she has never known before. And there is Dylan, with his warm heart and smile. The two teenagers are falling in love, a forbidden and unthinkable situation from Sinan's point of view. "Garden of Water" is a complex novel about a tragic clash of cultures.

‘A Poet's Bird Garden'

A Book Review By Mary Mumbrue

Being both author and illustrator gives Evanston resident Laura Nyman Montenegro a wonderful opportunity to combine poetry with visual imagery in her picture book, "A Poet's Bird Garden."

As Ms. Montenegro explains on the back cover, she was inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's "A Poet's Garden,"* which she loved as a child. Her colors are mostly warm and subdued, suggesting the ambience of southern France; the harmony of the tones she uses is delightful. There is also a hint of Matisse in the way the author/illustrator uses patterns and texture, especially in the design of the fence surrounding the garden.

The reader (or listener) is immediately drawn into the escapades of Natalie, the protagonist, as the little girl opens the door to her pet bird's cage and watches it fly to a nearby tree. Natalie runs to her adult friend Monica for help. A phone call from Monica brings a group of poets to try to work together to bring Chirpie back.

The diverse group of poets work collaboratively. One of the poets suggests that they must try to imagine the mind of a bird as to what beauty would lure Chirpie down from the tree. The goal, of course, is to create a bird's garden, a serene garden full of everything birds love, offering fresh water, planting tasty seeds and a bush in which to hide.

The poets even dance to entice Chirpie down. When Chirpie does not appear, they notice that all the other birds are staying away, too. Natalie and the poets soon realize the presence of Claude, the cat, is the reason for this and chase him out of the garden. The birds return to the garden, and Chirpie comes down from the tree.

The verse is kept simple, and the author uses meter and rhyme when it suits the narrative. If there is a message, perhaps it is the idea that if everyone works together toward a solution, a problem can be solved. This picture book is whimsical, and younger children will enjoy trying to find Chirpie in each colorful illustration.
* " A Poet's Garden" by Vincent Van Gogh may be seen at the Art Institute of Chicago.

'The Counterfeiters'

A Film Review By Brian Murphy

"Know why the Jews are always persecuted? Because they can't adapt."

This utterance indeed seems apt for a Holocaust film, but our perception of history is likely to attribute its source to a Third Reich soldier or Nazi sympathizer. In the realm of "The Counterfeiters," however, not only are the words spoken by a Jewish man, but he means what he says.

Director Stefan Ruzowitzky has adapted Holocaust survivor and former Sachsenhausen prison-camp detainee Adolf Burger's novel, "The Devil's Workshop," which details the harsh and incredible true-life story of a group of printers and criminals who managed to survive WWII by counterfeiting money for the Nazis.

Framing the story with a post-WWII trip to Monte Carlo by Salomon Sorowitsch, referred to during his generation as the "king of the counterfeiters," Mr. Rozowitzky presents a shabby-suited man with money to burn on gambling and expensive hotel rooms. When a high-class prostitute discovers the prison tattoo on his arm, we are taken back to 1936 Berlin, where anti-Semitism was at a fever pitch.

Actor Karl Markovics is outstanding as Salomon, a career criminal living in a world of swindlers and prostitutes before the war. When arrested and thrown into a concentration camp, he tells a fellow inmate that he must behave as in any
other prison to survive, that is, trust no one and look out for oneself. As morally complex a character to ever grace the screen, Salomon uses his artistic abilities to draw flattering pictures of SS soldiers and guards to get more food and better treatment. Only when Mr. Ruzowitzky's camera closes in on him in solitude do we see Mr. Markovics generally icy eyes ablaze, wrestling with the moral conflict that is tearing his soul apart.

After several years, he is transferred to Sachsenhausen prison and grouped with several other men. They are greeted by a smiling Inspector Herzog (Devid Strisow), the former German police officer and current Nazi commander who originally put Salomon in prison. They are offered clean suits to wear, and the prisoners happily oblige until they notice the nametags and realize that the suits used to belong to men who had been killed at the camps.

"The clothes are secondhand," Herzog casually remarks.

The men, including author Burger (played by gifted actor August Diehl), are given clean quarters, clean beds and decent food - a virtual heaven in the midst of hell to these tortured men. Each one of them has to deal with the maddening fact that Jews are being slaughtered all around them, and that they are helping to fund those responsible. This is the reality that brings these men together and pushes
them apart.

It is little wonder that the war's end is not viewed by those who witnessed the atrocities firsthand as the inflated balloon Americans perceive it to be; rather they seem to see it hollowly, a vacuum, as portrayed by Elie Wiesel in "Night."

Mr. Ruzowitzky's use of washed out, muted tones creates a realism that is punctuated by sudden bursts of violence,
as prisoners are beaten and shot. An innocent conversation between a prisoner and a guard ends with an execution, the guard explaining that the man had TB, and needed to be put out of his misery like a dog.

"The Counterfeiters" is a gripping, powerful film that, as does last year's "The Lives of Others," explores the relationship between authority and prisoner, and the devastating reality of what it means to be subjugated by evil. It is one of the best films of the year.

98 minutes. Rated R

'How Green Is My New Condo?' Questions to Ask the Developer

By Ellen Galland, AIA

During the next few weeks, discussion at the City Council will center on whether the proposed 49-story high rise is appropriate for the site at 708 Church St. in the middle of downtown Evanston.

The developers of this proposed new high-rise promise it will be a Silver LEED-certified building, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, which designates the gradations of LEED. (For more on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), see http:/www.usgbc.org.

One green aspect of the proposed tower as it is now planned is the green roof of the three-story base of the building. Other green features are yet to be confirmed. (For some of the pros and cons, see the minutes of the Plan Commission meetings held so far, on the City's website, www.cityofevanston.org. To sign a petition opposing the high-rise, see http://www.evanstoncrd.org.)

Evaluating Green Claims
How will the City Council, interested citizens and future buyers evaluate such claims to energy efficiency and sustainability?

A building can be "registered" with the LEED program before construction begins. Certification as a LEED building occurs only after the building is completed and requires verification by an independent third party.

Since promotional materials are no guarantee that a building ends up being as green as its developers claim, a potential buyer can ask the developer for what points the building is registered, and then at the end of construction ask what points and what rating it has achieved.

In the case of the proposed tower, even the architect for the project does not have a definitive answer about how green the final building will be.

When asked about the Silver LEED rating that the developers have promised, George Halik, project architect for the proposed high-rise at 708 Church St., said there is "no way of guaranteeing what you are shooting for." He said, though, his firm, Booth Hansen, has achieved a greater number of LEED points than expected on previous projects.

Further, the commissioning agent for a LEED-rated building deals only with mechanical systems, and the performance of these systems can be confirmed only when the building is operational.

Just a few blocks south and west of the site of the proposed tower, the developers of Winthrop Club, an 15-story condominium high-rise under construction at 1567 Maple Ave., promise many green approaches and say they are committed to achieving a LEED Silver certification.

According to the project's website, www.winthropclub.com. the developer "is committed to pursuing development that measures up to the Council's LEED rating system."

Chad Baugh, sales and marketing director for Winthrop, says a developer should be willing to explain the evaluation process. In this case, Winthrop Club has hired a LEED consultant to oversee the process. The consultant reviews every change and receives necessary documentation. The building envelope is tested regularly both during construction and before the building is occupied.

The developer says that Winthrop Club has been designed to achieve an unusually high level of indoor air quality.

First - per LEED requirements - no smoking was allowed on site during the construction phase. Paints, adhesives and sealants used were low-VOC.

Second, the developer took steps to reduce cross-pollination of smells between dwelling units, something that is very important in multi-family buildings. Mr. Baugh said Winthrop is using a filtration system that, by creating positive air pressure within the units, provides ventilation superior to that of most single-family homes.

Another important air quality feature is the "flushing out" of the building at the end of the construction period, which ensures that any construction-phase airborne particulates will be reduced, he added.

When asked whether buyers are concerned about how much the green features add to the cost of the project, Mr. Baugh said that, for a larger, higher end project, the cost of LEED certification is "insignificant" in terms of cost to the buyer.

Realtor Questions:
Some realtors are organizing and attending seminars on green building practices and are themselves becoming LEED pro- fessionals. As realtors advise potential buyers, the following may be helpful.

Pocketbook Questions
The pocketbook category is usually the first question. Will these more energy efficient buildings result in savings on utility costs for the new owner? Since the exterior walls of most new condominium buildings are largely glass, this translates into the question of how energy efficient the building's windows are. A developer should be able to answer this.

The efficiency of the building's mechanical systems also affects how much a new owner will pay for heating and cooling. Some builders now include shading devices to reduce the air conditioning costs. Some are using geothermal systems to reduce heating and cooling costs. Green roofs help reduce cooling loads.

Green Amenities

The non-pocketbook questions relate to interior finishes and plumbing and lighting fixtures. Increasingly common are finish materials such as bamboo, cork or Marmoleum floors; carpets and countertops with recycled content; and low-VOC paints. Dual-flush toilets, low-flow plumbing fixtures and lighting fixtures for use with fluorescent bulbs are also worth looking for.

Other green aspects that are usually obvious are bike parking, proximity to public transportation, low impact landscaping.

Women Helping Women at the YWCA

By Anne Bodine

The aquatics program at the YWCA Evanston/Northshore has grown considerably since its induction in 1992. Today the program teaches 1,500 children how to swim each year and more than 500 registered Flying Fish team members and 80 adult swimmers on the masters swim team.

But the YWCA Evanston/Northshore is not merely a place for swimming lessons. Although the success of the aquatics program is a critical component of the YWCA Evanston/Northshore's purpose, its ultimate mission is far more complex.

"What we are about, nationwide, is to empower women and eliminate racism," says Karen Singer, current executive director. "Locally, our vision is to lead the community advocating for racial, gender and economic justice and serving and empowering women and girls."

Founded in 1931, the YWCA Evanston/Northshore was established in part to offer a place for recreation for women in Evanston employed as domestics. The association started in the First Methodist Church. After relocating several times, the YWCA eventually landed in 1969 at its current location on the northwest corner of Ridge and Church streets. The new facility offered living quarters for working women, daycare, swim lessons and other recreational programs.

"Through the years, the programs changed to meet the needs of the community," says program director Wendy Dickson. The YWCA Evanston/Northshore began to focus on leadership training for girls and services for victims of domestic violence.

The Emergency Shelter for battered women and their children began in 1981 and was originally staffed by women from the Evanston/Northshore Junior League. Initially a five-bed shelter, it has grown into a 32-bed residential facility in a confidential location away from the main facility to ensure the safety of the residents.

Women and children are able to access emergency shelter for up to 90 days. "During their stay, both women and children are offered counseling, as well as workshops, on topics such as health education, job readiness and financial literacy," says Ms. Dickson.

In addition to providing emergency housing for more than 200 women and children each year, the shelter addresses domestic violence on all levels. The program is now composed of several elements including crisis intervention, community outreach, violence prevention, transitional housing and legal advocacy.

One of the most critical improvements to the domestic violence program, says Ms. Singer, was the addition of two full-time working legal advocates positioned at the Cook County Second Municipal District Courthouse in Skokie. "The legal process for women can be very intimidating, and our goal is to help these women access the legal assistance they need to stay protected," says Ms. Singer.

The YWCA Evanston/Northshore is also committed to developing the next generation of leaders. Two new programs are being offered to young girls: "Kids Can Dance," a hip-hop dance group for middle school girls that helps build self-esteem through performance, and "Stand Up Girls!", a leadership development program for freshmen and sophomore girls. This course teaches participants to find their own voices while learning the importance of volunteer leadership, civic involvement and community action.

There are many ways for volunteers to support the organization. One way is through the "Adopt-A-Room Program," in which organizations, community groups and individuals can adopt and maintain shelter rooms. The sponsor of a room makes a commitment for a minimum of two years by maintaining the room on a quarterly basis and providing a fresh coat of paint, window treatments, new furniture or linens if needed. The purpose of the Adopt-A-Room program is to reduce operating costs and help the women and children who must flee their own homes feel comfortable, taken care of and empowered to overcome the abuse.

As the YWCA/Evanston moves forward, it works to make a long-term impact on the lives of women. Ms. Singer says, "We not only want to prevent the violence, but also to get the system to respond in a way that helps women lead self-sufficient lives."

To help someone suffering from abuse, call the toll-free YWCA crisis hotline, 877-718-1868.