Religious Brother's Life-Long Collection of Original Poetry Published

CHICAGO, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexian Brother Eugene Gizzi, C.F.A., whom everyone knows affectionately as "Brother Gene", says he knows nothing about poetry. "I do poetic reflections," says Gizzi, who is the designated Brother Visitor at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Yet Brother Gene's heartfelt poetic reflections -- conveyed on handmade bookmarks and cards he has created and distributed to thousands of patients and families during his 55 years in the religious order -- have had a powerful effect on many people.

People such as the mother who asked Brother Gene to recite a prayer at a service for her baby, who had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Empathizing with the woman's suffering and humbled by her request, Brother Gene composed a poetic reflection, which captured the intense feelings of love and loss experienced by the baby's family.

And people such as the family that decided to use Brother Gene's poem, "Sensing Transformation," on the Mass card for a relative who had passed away. The poem focuses on life as a series of transitions through which people learn and grow until "the final transformation of leaving this life and entering the life hereafter," Brother Gene says.

The varied perspectives of Brother Gene's poems reflect the varied experiences in Brother Gene's fascinating life of serving others in healthcare. His poetry has been helpful to patients, family and friends throughout the years. Many have found solace, peace and relief through Brother Gene's poetic reflections, which are now available in a new book, Sensing Transformation (Alexian Publications Group, 2004). Themes touched upon in the collection of poems include life's transitions, learning and growth, and spiritual awareness.

Brother Gene, 74, who founded the Alexian Brothers' ministry in the Philippines, always has enjoyed writing, sketching and creating other artwork. The son of Italian immigrants, he also has a strong appreciation of nature. Images of butterflies, for example, appear throughout his book and in much of his artwork because he views butterflies as an important symbol of transformation. "There's a poetic something within my nature," he says.

Brother Gene began writing poetic reflections regularly while working as an evening chaplain at the former Alexian Brothers Hospital in San Jose, Calif. He often consoled people in the midst of personal tragedies and found that meditation, followed by writing, was therapeutic for him after work. As his poems grew in number, friends and relatives encouraged him to publish them. But he never seriously considered the possibility until a former patient urged him to do it.

"I can't believe this has happened," Brother Gene says. But he is glad that it did, and he hopes his book encourages others to uncover their unique talents. He also hopes the book will be "comforting and healing to somebody," he says.

"That's what love and ministry are all about -- to reach out to other people in need of healing, support, comfort or consolation ... in some small way, we all are supposed to be instruments of healing."

Sensing Transformation is available through http://www.amazon.com or the Alexian Brothers Health System (ABHS), by calling 1-866-253-9426. All proceeds benefit the ministries of the Alexian Brothers, http://www.alexianbrothers.org .