Spiritual epiphany

Faith helps man find solace with disease

By Debbie Shelley

The Catholic Commentator When he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1998, Jack Kellerman wrestled with the natural pull to focus on his condition in terms of it “stripping away” what he can do.

But through a journey of faith, God has given Kellerman the gift of showing him that the Lord is with him and giving Kellerman abilities to do more than he could have ever imagined.

A native of Morganza, Kellerman, 54, moved to Baton Rouge after graduating from LSU with a degree in landscape architecture and land planning. While at LSU, Kellerman dated his wife, Suzanne, a New Roads native whom he already knew. The Kellermans married at St. Mary of False River Church in New Roads.

With an expanding family, the Kellerman’s welcomed a son in 1998, the third of five children. About a week later, Jack got out of bed and was so dizzy he fell. He went to the emergency room and the doctors thought he had vertigo.

Two weeks later Kellerman, who was 30 years old at the time, went to see a neurologist and after an MRI and other medical tests was told he had MS.

Over time, Kellerman’s symptoms have progressed. He went from walking with a cane to using a walker, then to a wheelchair and is now bed-ridden and paralyzed, except for his right hand, which is becoming an increasing challenge.

“When I was first diagnosed I thought how am I going to be able to take care of my family and am I going to die at a young age; what’s going to happen in the future?” said Kellerman.

Once bed-ridden, Kellerman occupied his time with television and social media.

“After doing that for three years I had a spiritual epiphany,” said Kellerman. “I said, ‘Enough is enough. My body is failing me, but my mind is not.’”

In October 2021, he started praying more and when Communion was brought to him at home, it had much more significance “than it ever had” in his life.

He also began to accept the limitations of his disease.

“It took stripping everything from me to get to a place where I now put my ultimate trust in God,” said Kellerman. “The suffering and struggles that Suzanne and I have been through have brought us closer together and brought me much deeper in my faith.”

The couple prays the rosary together and use the daily rosary mediation app with Dr. Mike Scherschligt.

Kellerman said despite the trials and difficulties, God has made his presence known in his life. As Kellerman was struggling with his worries about his family and his future shortly after his diagnosis, he had a dream.

“I can remember it like it was yesterday,” said Kellerman. “I was in a room and there was no furniture and everything was white. And I heard a voice saying, ‘I will always be with you and I will never leave you.’ And I thought to myself in the dream, is this God? And the voice said ‘Yes, it’s me.’”

About three months went by and Kellerman began to doubt himself.

But God sent Kellerman a personal confirmation following a youth confirmation at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge, their home parish.

The Kellermans, who actively served OLOM, assisted Kathy Screen, then religious education director, with the confirmation program.

The Kellermans were talking with Screen following the confirmation when Archbishop Emeritus Alfred C. Hughes, then bishop of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, walked up. Archbishop Hughes knew Kellerman, who had received the Mercy Men’s Anchor Award in 2018, through the confirmation program.

“And the bishop said, ‘(then-pastor Father Mike Moroney) has told me about your diagnosis and I have a message from God. And God wants you to know that he will always be with you and he will never leave you,’” Kellerman said.

Someone then came up and requested to have a picture taken with Archbishop Hughes and he walked away.

“We couldn’t even speak; we were all teared up. And the three of us were just looking at each other with awe,” said Kellerman.

He told then OLOM parochial a

PHOTO PROVIDED BYJACK KELLERMAN

Jack Kellerman’s family and faith bring him support as he keeps a productive life in the midst of battling Multiple Sclerosis. Pictured with Kellerman and wife, Suzanne, is their grandson, Walter Hogan.

vicar Father Vic Messina about his dream and the archbishop’s message, and Father Messina told him that “God knew that it would carry a lot of weight (in settling the doubt) with a comment from (Archbishop) Hughes.”

As God has blessed Kellerman spiritually he allowed him to use his gifts and talents to invent the Zip Quicker, which makes for an easier, neater process of putting foods and liquids into a plastic storage bag.

Kellerman had the idea for years, before his diagnosis but never acted upon it. The product quickly grew in demand and today he has an “overseas virtual assistant” and works full time managing his company from his bed.

Kellerman said he is grateful to be able to live to his fullest ability and has the love and support of his family.

“Jack is an amazing person who has carried his daily cross with so much strength and grace,” said Suzanne. “He has truly been a witness to God’s grace and goodness, not only for our family but for so many people who see joy through his love for life. Jack has touched so many people through his daily outlook on his faith and on God’s blessings in his life.”

Kellerman shares his story in order to show God’s faithfulness to urge people who are in difficult situations to offer what they can to God and he will “multiply it.”

“I hope that our story will help people in challenging situations to know they can still be productive and have a wonderful life. And hopefully people who are ‘just going through everyday life’ not having any particular health issues or difficult challenges to see how good their life is and to be thankful for that,’” Kellerman said. BC

Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass

Am I not here, I who am your Mother? ¿No estor yo aquí que soy tu Madre?

The Hispanic Communities of Christ the Redeemer Thibodaux, St. Andrew Amelia, Sacred Heart, Cut Off, and Annunziata Houma,

Are pleased to invite you and all your family to celebrate together Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast December 12, 2022

Christ the Redeemer, Catholic Church 720 Talbot Ave, Thibodaux, LA 70301

6:00 PM Pray the Holy Rosary/ Santo Rosario

7:00 PM Holy Mass/ Santa Misa

8:00 PM Reception with Matachines and songs/ Recepcion y danzas con matachines y cantos

Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Office of Hispanic Ministry

HONORING

ST. MARTIN DE PORRES

Very Rev. Patrick J. (P.J.) Madden was the main celebrant of the St. Martin de Porres Mass for Black Catholics at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Thibodaux recently. The Mass, which was concelebrated by priests of the diocese, was celebrated in conjunction with the feast of St. Martin de Porres. BC

Photos by Maegan Martin

Let’s come together at Mass

Letter to the Editor:

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we were all looking forward to being able to be with all our loved ones again – to listen, to share, to celebrate with a meal.

And why? Because we’re in love.

We’re in love with our family and friends, with the life we share together, with our community, with this wonderful world God has given us. Mere on-line contact is not enough. We’re not content to phone in our love.

And so, the same can be said of our church. Don’t we miss our church family, gathering to celebrate at the table of the Lord? Or are we satisfied with livestreaming our relationship with the Lord and his people?

We know and believe that we have the greatest treasure ever given to humanity: The real presence of Jesus himself— body, blood, soul and divinity—in the Eucharist. He is there in every tabernacle and adoration chapel, longing and waiting for us to come to him, so that he can share his very self with us and fill us with his sacramental grace. Yes, he is with us always, wherever we are, just as he promised; but in the Eucharist, he enables us to sit at his feet just as the first disciples did.

So come, let us renew our love for the Lord and his church, and come together at Mass to celebrate this wonderful gift, this wonderful life, this wonderful world.

In Jesus and Mary,

Glenn and Theresa LeBoeuf

Houma, LA BC

CRS and reauthorization of 2023 Farm Bill

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

At a meeting recently at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Schriever, Very Rev. P.J. Madden, diocesan administrator; Chamon Williams, executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of HoumaThibodaux; and Very Rev. Simon Peter Engurait met with U.S. Congressman Garret Graves, and his aids Zach Barnett and Christian Bergeron to discuss the reauthorization of the 2023 Farm Bill. Also joining the meeting via Zoom was Catholic Relief Services (CRS) regional coordinator Amelie Desormeaux, and CRS representative Rob Gorman.

CRS has played an instrumental role in partnering with the U.S. government to enact important reforms to U.S. food assistance programs. A critical vehicle for change has been through the Farm Bill process – most recently the 2018 Farm Bill – in which CRS has engaged House and Senate Agriculture Committee members on policy proposals to improve impact and efficiency of programs CRS implements.

As Congress embarks on the 2023 Farm Bill drafting process, CRS is asking to reauthorize Title II Food for Peace, including the ability to use the Community Development Fund for nonemergency Title II programs. This food aid reform was created in partnership with InterAction, the largest alliance of poverty-focused INGOs working in the U.S.

Title II Food for Peace (FFP) programs provide emergency and development food assistance to combat hunger and malnutrition worldwide. Emergency food assistance is delivered primarily to communities affected by recurrent crises such as climate variability, violent conflict, extreme weather disasters, and chronic food insecurity. Development food assistance complements emergency food assistance, working where communities require agricultural system strengthening, improved nutrition services, livelihood diversification, and integrated adaptation approaches to effectively build resilience to unanticipated and recurrent shocks. BC