Sisters and staff attend poverty immersions in Louisville and Memphis

LOUISVILLE
From page 4
not equipped
with the same
tools.”
Sister
Kathleen was
impressed by
two places on
the tour that
were former
churches: Saint
Paul Church on
South Jackson
Street is now
the Open Hand
Kitchen and serves free weekday
lunches, and Saint John Church on
East Muhammad Ali Boulevard is a
day shelter for homeless men.
The Saint John Center in
Louisville provides day
shelter for men.
“It felt like the present use of these buildings spoke so strongly
about Jesus of the Gospels, perhaps even more than some of my
Sunday church experiences,” Sister Kathleen explained. “This is
Eucharist! These are the folks that Jesus hung out with!”
The shelters were full when the tours were conducted. Due
to a heat advisory (95+ degrees), operation white flag was in
effect which meant clients did not have to leave during the day.
Normally, they must be out looking for work, going to school, or
attending a treatment program.
At Saint John, men sat at every available chair and table. Some
watched television, while others got coffee, took showers, or met
with case managers.
On this visit and throughout the immersion, the sheer number
of people in need surprised me. Thinking about their daily
struggles was heart wrenching.
Sister Kathleen said she was “struck by a sentence on the wall of
Saint John Center that read: The strength of a society is measured
by how it treats its weakest members.”
Sister Kathleen Sheehan, SCN, executive director of Saint John,
worries that homelessness is not on the radar anymore. “Everyone
is going to the well (for donations), and it’s starting to go empty,”
Left to right, Sister Maureen O’Neill, Shavon, Sister Kathleen Kaelin,
Laura, Sister Grace Simpson, and Jennifer Kaminski gather together
at Saint Jude Women’s Recovery Center in Louisville.
she said. Funds from the Catholic Church and individuals keep
their doors open. She lamented the fact that billions of dollars are
being spent on the war in Iraq while Hurricane Katrina victims
and people in poverty suffer in the U.S.
She said that a lack of housing for the poor is a primary
concern, but equally important is addressing alcohol and drug
problems and mental illness. Otherwise, clients with these issues
end up losing their housing.
According to Eleise Passafiume, director of support services
for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Louisville, a person’s
development stops at the age he abuses alcohol and drugs. While
showing us the Ozanam men’s shelter, she said the recovery
rate for substance abuse was not great, but “we celebrate our
successes.”
Budgeting is also a big issue because clients often have credit
card debt, child support, and past due utility bills, Eleise said.
“We’re the richest country in the world, and we’re losing our
fight against poverty. We still have to offer all of these services,”
she said.
At the Open
Hand Kitchen,
our group got in
line and was served
hot potato soup,
a sandwich and a
glazed donut for
dessert. Many in
line were men,
some wearing work
uniforms. (The next
day, actress and singer Hilary
Duff paid a visit to the kitchen to
commemorate the 20 th anniversary
of the food bank Kentucky
Harvest). The kitchen serves over 150,000 meals each year.
Sister Grace Simpson goes
through the food line at the
Open Hand Kitchen in Louisville
during the poverty immersion.
Sharon “CeCe” Cecil, who gave us a tour of Wayside Christian
Mission, said that in the movie, “Pursuit of Happyness,” Will
Smith has to leave his internship early each day to get a shelter
bed for himself and his son. She said he would be guaranteed a
bed in Louisville if he were working on his education.
“Sharon shared the reality that those who are homeless want
what we want. We’re not all so different,” said Sister Kathleen
Kaelin. “I have held onto a line of hers that I want to remember
in my daily interactions with others: What you expect of me, I
have not yet learned to be.”
At Saint Jude Women’s Recovery Center, a client told us how
the facility changed her life. After constantly moving, abusing
drugs, and losing custody of her daughter, she asked for God’s
help and then got a call from Saint Jude. The treatment center
made her realize she could have “clean and sober fun.”
Tamela Johnson, who gave the group a tour of the Healing
Place, said clients have to become “spiritually fit.” As she went
through the stages of treatment, she said she stopped thinking
about herself and became concerned with helping others. Now
employed by Healing Place, she said, “I’m free to give back now.”
The immersion included a stop at SVC where Ursulines and
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