Over the past four years, a seasonal homeless shelter has operated in Atlantic City that is like no other in the history of the resort town.
Saint Joseph Winter Shelter at Quaremba Hall on the campus of Saint Michael Church (the Parish of Saint Monica) in the city’s Ducktown area has been the newest outlet for the charisms of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal.
Their convent, which opened in 2017, has seen a number of new ministries spring forth, most notably their Father Benedict House twice-a-week drop-in center for the homeless located on the campus of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Church in midtown Atlantic City.
PHOTO GALLERY: Saint Joseph Winter Shelter
However, the winter shelter has been a completely different ministry, one that required a rapid and steep learning curve.
“In the fall of 2020, as we were all processing the pandemic and how we might serve in our ministry, we heard from Atlantic City social workers who said they were being inundated at their Cold Blue shelter, which was the only one in A.C. at the time,” recounted Sister Ann Kateri, CFR.
The social workers explained that due to social distancing restrictions in place, it was impossible to house all of Atlantic City’s homeless when a Code Blue was called and all the homeless were moved to shelters. A Code Blue alert is typically declared when temperatures fall below freezing.
“The social workers asked if Quaremba Hall could be used on Code Blue nights. We sat with the idea for a few weeks and thought it over as a community,” Sister Ann Kateri said.
The sisters had seen a great deal of success through their Father Benedict House ministry working with this community in need, and Quaremba Hall wasn’t being used at that time, as most group events had been stopped because of the pandemic.
“We expected that there would be a lot of hoops to jump through, however, the governor had issued an order that made it easier to open emergency shelters,” Sister Ann Kateri said. A lot of social service paperwork was waived the first year because of the pandemic so that emergency shelters could be opened.
“It was a miracle for us. Anytime obstacles would appear, so did an answer. It felt like God’s will,” she said.
“The idea was first proposed in November of 2020, and we opened the facility on January 6, 2021, as a Cold Blue only shelter.”
In this capacity, the sisters would only need to open on nights the county called an emergency for bitter winter weather. The county typically would make the call at 4 p.m., and the sisters and volunteers would need to scramble to open by 6 p.m.
“We learned a lot during those first weeks. It was a steep learning curve. But we received a lot of help from the Saint Joseph’s House shelter in Camden as well as our CFR friars in New York City who ran a shelter.”
“Volunteers from the Father Benedict House program were the first to begin helping us and then our number of volunteers grew,” said Sister Joseph Van Munster, CFR.
“The first year we were open for 33 nights over the span of Jan. 6 through March 19,” Sister Ann Kateri said.
The sisters realized quickly that only opening the shelter for Cold Blue emergences made life quite difficult in terms of planning and staffing.
“For year two, we decided to open as a winter shelter, from mid-December to mid-March, four nights a week. It helped us to prepare better and staff a schedule,” explained Sister Joseph.
This year, the shelter is open 13 weeks in total – Dec. 11 through March 14, Monday through Thursday nights – with a maximum capacity of 32 guests. Their logistical schedule has become far more manageable, as well.
• Volunteers arrive to begin setting up at 1 p.m.
• Intake volunteers arrive at 6 p.m.
• Meals are ready and doors open to welcome guests at 6:30 p.m.
• Rosary is at 7:30 p.m., with movie night on Thursdays
• Overnight volunteers arrive at 8 p.m. and stay through the night
• At 5:30 a.m. comes wakeup and breakfast before departure
• Dismissal is at 6:45 a.m.
On average, the shelter sees 100 volunteers every week. They come from all over, locally, regionally and across the state. “Nearby parishes always put our announcements in their bulletins. Saint Monica, Saint Damien, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and Our Lady of Peace parishes have all been extremely helpful. It’s beautiful to see the inter-parish friendships that have formed,” Sister Ann Kateri said.
The volunteers now undertake the bulk of the work, but the sisters are always present during the intake of the guests to welcome, speak and pray with them.
Sister Ann Kateri noted that there have been many great encounters because of the shelter. “We found that the shelter has been a great match for our community’s charism. We are able to accompany and engage with our guests as a mother. It’s so gratifying that we see people get on the right path after spending time with us. We feel we are effectively helping others as religious sisters.”
Sister Joseph agreed. “The mothering can really bring out the best. We had a guest during the first year who had a lot of difficulties. We worked with him a bit and then lost touch. He reappeared this year, not as guest, but as an intake manager at a facility in Baltimore. A full circle story.”
“Similarly, two years ago, a woman came to us who was having difficulties; now she is in housing, has her children back, and is working for a non-profit organization,” she added.
While the Father Benedict House and the shelter do have some crossover, Sister Joseph noted that the midtown program works frequently with clients who are struggling with substance abuse, many of whom often don’t have the ability to stay in one place overnight due to their addiction. “But the shelter has also brought us in touch with a lot of new faces.”
Looking to the future, Sister Ann Kateri believes what they’ve built is a very repeatable model for a program. “We’re very open in sharing what we’ve learned. Another shelter in A.C. just opened, and they came to us to discuss our best practices.”
However, there are two elements that truly make it unique: Logistically, the sisters had immediate access to a facility that is readily available in the city; and the charism of the sisters.
“A lot of our successes has to do with the fact that [the shelter] is being run by consecrated women. We’ve been asked to do it year-round, and it’s not about the money so much; we would need more sisters to expand it,” Sister Ann Kateri said.
“What makes the shelter really work is the intercession of Jesus Christ through our communities’ charisms,” she continued. “I don’t mean that as a pat on our own shoulder. But the presence of the sisters really does make a difference. There’s something in the nature of our community that allows us to minister uniquely.”
To support the shelter, either as a donor or volunteer, contact Sister Joseph at 609-343-1545.
To see more about the shelter, check out their behind-the-scenes video at youtube.com/watch?v=VAas5RDBWuM.
Michael Walsh is associate publisher of the Catholic Star Herald and director of communications for the Diocese of Camden.
Coming Up
Check out the Feb. 26 episode of Talking Catholic as our podcast hosts visit with the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal in Atlantic City.
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