Dear colleagues, When we were assigned back to Chicago from Rome, we were housed next to Father Michael. Naomi was just a year old, but she had risen to her feet three months earlier to chase her sister. When she walked down the hallway, she looked like a gyroscope on a loose string. I have so many images from that year of Father Michael going down the hall behind her, bent over with both hands outstretched to catch her if she fell. I always felt that a part of our deep friendship was that my daughters were named Esther and Naomi. Their names had given me great credibility in his eyes. I remember the privilege of walking around uptown with Father Michael and having to stop sometimes two or three times as we went to a community meeting so he could bless parishioners coming our way. Father Michael’s driving skills were legendarily poor. When we completed the new parking lot, I went out and painted his name on the stopper for the first parking spot to the left. (Those to the right were not angled to be as helpful.) I have always hoped that this ended his accidents in the parking lot. I took great grief from many of our tenants at that time for giving him the only reserved space. When I reminded them of his driving skills they usually got off my back. One day Fr. Michael came into the building with some of his parishioners and I was cleaning the floor of the elevator on my knees. I told them they were welcome to come in and go up to his floor. Fr. Michael introduced me to them as the mother of his first Naomi. One of the parish members with him also had a daughter named Naomi. Fr. Michael also came to Naomi and Colin’s wedding and participated in the baptism of Austin that day with the Ethiopian cross he had given the minister of their ceremony. It was used to sprinkle him in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He had given it sharing the story that it was from his local church there and they had given it to him the last time he had been home before he left for his full orders. I believe he said he was 17 at that time. I feel as if I could go on and on and I do not want to bore you. I was simply concerned that some of us may not have known him as well as others. Personally, it is a bit as if my father has died again. Emmanuel, Margaret Aiseayew Fwd: Father Michael Taffesse Hello Colleagues, Regretfully, I am informing you that Father Michael Taffesse, a longtime resident of the ICA community and colleague passed away Sunday morning. He will be greatly missed. His services are this Saturday March 10th . Mass is being held at 9805 South Commercial Ave. Chicago, IL at 7am with visitation until noon. As more information presents itself, I will email it to you. I will be paying my respects and invite anyone who would like to pay theirs a ride with me. If you would like to ride along please let me know at your earliest convenience. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, saying the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!’ Revelation 14:13 Best Regards, Lesley Lesley Showers Property Manager ICA-USA Ecumenical Institute 4750 N. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL 60640 (773) 769-6363 P (773) 944-1257 F