Cousins at Play

This morning we went to the Baptism of Lochlan Cullen, the 22nd, so we think, grandchild of our friends Michael and Nettie Cullen, co-founders of the local Catholic Worker house in Milwaukee, Casa Maria. I met Michael and Nettie when they had two children and were just starting the Catholic Worker house of hospitality on 21st. Michael, as well as I, was part of the Milwaukee 14 nonviolent action destroying selective service 1-A records. We both went to prison but Michael was deported since he was an Irish citizen. By the time they left Milwaukee for Ireland, which everyone thought would be a brief period, they had four children. However when they returned, 17 years later they had 12 children. As the children grew up, were educated and were married they had children. So now baby Lochlan has 21 Cullen cousins with more on the way. Lochlan mother is from another former Catholic Worker family who are our friends and has a number of cousins also on that side of the family. Many of the cousins ranging in age from 6 months to 17 years old were in Church.

Michael is now a Deacon in the Catholic Church and performed the baptism in a splendor and style, with a bit of the Irish coming out. After the baptism in Church we all went over to park to have a grand picnic in the park. There was lots of good food, many good people and lots of children, many of them cousins. It was a great joy for me seeing the children enjoying the food and play, each other and the attention adults were giving them.

Going to the baptism and picnic my mind was crowded with thoughts, concerns about people, worry of what people may think of me and so much more. After the baptism and the picnic and the experience of so many innocent children enjoying the present many of my worries disappeared.

I did not want to leave the picnic but had promised a friend to help him in a small task at his house. We left but the spirit of the Baptism of Lochlan and the children at play lives on in me.

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