Lenten practice of charity embodied at CFR shelter

Editor’s Note: Bishop Dennis Sullivan visited the Saint Joseph Winter Shelter in Atlantic City on March 6, helping the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal in providing pastoral care to the homeless. The shelter, located in the Parish of Saint Monica’s Quaremba Hall, behind Saint Michael Church, is run by the CFR sisters; they are assisted by volunteers in offering food, shelter for the night, prayers and friendship.

I was assigned to distribute a large plastic bin to each guest after they were signed into the Saint Joseph Shelter, a ministry of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal in Atlantic City. Into the bin, the guest deposited his or her personal items, which were stored for the night and returned to the owner in the morning.

Right away, dinner was available. On that night, chicken and dumplings with rice, salad and apple pie. The aroma of this home-cooked meal, each night lovingly prepared and served by volunteers, wafted through the hall. Rumor has it that a chef from a well-known restaurant in Margate weekly prepares a meal!

Next to each bed, a chair and TV table were placed for the guest to sit and enjoy the meal. As I walked around the hall, the guests spoke to me about their shelter experience at Saint Joseph’s. There was unanimous agreement that no other Atlantic City shelter compares to Saint Joseph Shelter. The guests spoke of the love the sisters show each of them. They not only know each guest by name, but also his or her personal story. The sisters have serious conversations with each guest about his or her future.

The respect the guests receive from the volunteers who staff the shelter – some throughout the night, others for the preparation of the hall and the meal – was another frequently mentioned topic. Each guest is treated with dignity. Oh yes, among them are severe alcoholics, drug addicts and mentally challenged individuals. Despite their affliction, each one is treated with the respect due to a human person, a child of God, made in the image and likeness of God. It did my faith good to witness the fervor of the guests at prayer led by the sisters. The prayers of the poor rise quickly to God.

My experience at the Saint Joseph Shelter that Lenten evening triggered me to examine my relationship with the Lord. This penitential season invites me to ask: How am I observing Lent? What needs to change in me? How can I make that change happen? How faithful have I been to the Lenten penitential practices?

Lent is about conversion, renewal, if necessary, walking a different road. During Lent, the traditional practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving (charity) help to strengthen our relationship with the Lord. For example, when we practice charity, we give of ourselves. Our giving is offered in imitation of the giving unto death of the Lord Jesus on the Cross. We give in response to all that God has given to us.

At the Saint Joseph Shelter, I witnessed “in vivo” the law of Christ lived and practiced by the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal and their amazing and dedicated volunteers. The direct contact they have with the poor made me realize that this Lent, I needed to do better the traditional Lenten practice of charity.

Jesus taught, “This is my commandment, that you love one another.” (John 15:12) What is saved by our Lenten sacrifices should find their way to our practice of charity. To our neighbor who is in need. To the lifting up of the poor. There are a variety of opportunities to do this.

In our Diocese, in many of our parishes, the annual appeal has begun. It has a new name: South Jersey Catholic Ministries. Your charity to this diocesan appeal reaches those throughout the six counties of South Jersey who are assisted by the many ministries our Church sponsors – among which are food pantries, housing referrals, counseling services, immigration assistance, refugee settlement and many more. Compassion for the less fortunate should be expressed in deeds on their behalf. Direct aid to organizations that in Christ’s name respond to those affected by society’s social ills. Charity is the law of Christ, and the sacrifices and penitential practices of Lent challenge us to do better at living the commandment of Christ.

I am encouraged in my practice of charity this Lent by what I witnessed at the Saint Joseph Shelter in Atlantic City. Let us encourage one another in the practice of charity. “In the evening of life, we will be judged by love alone.” (Saint John of the Cross)