A few weeks ago several members of our Service Commission, including 3 high schoolers visited St. Francis House for an extensive meeting and tour with Executive Director and Director of Development. They were “blown away by the size and scope of this amazing day shelter.” Here are just some of their thoughts:
Reflecting back on my visit to St. Francis House, I believe that, for me, the experience of seeing, first hand, the prominent issues of poverty and homelessness in our own area as well as what people are doing in order to solve, in whatever way they can, these problems, brought home an important idea that I know I easily forget in my day-to-day life. It opened my eyes to how immediate and essential it is to bring to light these issues, which stretch from being nearby to across the world. All of us who live comfortably can slip into a way of almost ignoring, as in not engaging with, the issues of those who have not had much success in life. The experience allowed me to open myself beyond my usual life to the needs of our neighbors. When Jesus spoke our ‘neighbors,’ I believe that he referred to all others in need, but I find it particularly significant that it is our actual neighbors who face this problem, people who live only a few minutes away, and yet can seem so distant from Wellesley. I believe it to be absolutely crucial to more directly involve the youth of the parish. It is my opinion that, if offered the opportunity to do something to really improve the world around them and make a difference through St. John Parish Community, many would respond enthusiastically.
Visiting St. Francis House in person definitely brought a new light to homelessness and its reality in a community so close to home. Simply speaking about the topic is fine when it comes to raising awareness, but actually being present and seeing the opposing effects of homelessness and St. Francis House’s care allowed me to better understand the issue of homelessness on a personal level as well as the complexity of ‘fixing’ it. Finding a solution to homelessness is more than just giving someone shelter; it involves food, clothing, job training, health, and so much more. In a recent homily, Fr. Tom spoke about healing and our ability to help others in their healing process. He emphasized how ‘healing’ doesn’t just have to be physical; it can be mental or emotional. I thinks this speaks a great deal to the work of St. Francis House. In addition, it reminded me of the potential impact of a personal encounter, our Lenten theme, that visiting St. Francis House has illuminated and one that we will hopefully be able to build upon. Perhaps offering the chance for members of our Parish to visit St. Francis House and experience the encounter could educate our community and encourage future participation by generating greater empathy for victims of homelessness.
To be continued next week…
