“The Cry of the Poor”

“The Lord hears the cry of the poor… blessed be the Lord…” Many of us know the words to that song we sing at Mass. They come from Psalm 34. This past week, members from the Catholic Extension team met a woman who hears the cry of the poor every day; and her life is spent helping them.

Last week we visited the Catholic Extension supported El Centro de Los Pobres (meaning, “The Center for the Poor”), in the small town of Avondale, Colorado. Los Pobres is the only charitable facility that serves the Catholic farm worker population in southern Colorado, many of whom don’t even have an address to put on their registration form.

El Centro de Los Pobres provides aid to more than 5,000 families of migrant workers in the Diocese of Pueblo.

The small, inconspicuous warehouse space is a haven for these workers, who bring their families on a regular basis for rice and beans, clothing, simple health services, help with bills and a safe floor to sleep on when times are at their worst. The center also provides social outreach for these visitors, acting as a voice for them in society when they have no one else to turn to.  Whatever the reason for their visit, the men, women and children served by Los Pobres leave with a sense of hope.

Catholic Extension has been able to help support Los Pobres through the generosity of some of our donors. Father Maurice Gallagher, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Avondale, started Los Pobres 29 years ago. They currently have 5,000 families registered at the center. Over 200 families come to get help each week.

Sister Nancy Crafton, of the Sisters of Charity, is in charge of Los Pobres. She welcomed us when we arrived; and we were immediately struck by her incredible energy and huge smile. A light seemed to shine forth from Sister Nancy. Even though Sister Nancy regularly hears sad stories (“This is not a happy place,” she said), she exuded a great sense of faith and hope. Sister Nancy loves the people to whom she ministers. Each person she spoke with was greeted with a smile.

Sr. Nancy (left) with a client. Last year alone, Los Pobres provided over $100,000 in utility assistance.

Sister Nancy gave us a tour of Los Pobres, which is run by an all-volunteer staff. Many local parishioners give generously of their time, and all volunteers are farm workers themselves. Though the Center is in a large warehouse, it is bright and welcoming. There is a large clothing area for families to choose clothes which have been donated. Another area is for distributing food. And there is a small clinic, where local doctors come to help these men, women and children who have no access to adequate health care, because they have no health insurance.

While we were there, many of the people who came up to Sister Nancy had medical bills or utility bills in their hands.  They have no way of paying them. Sister Nancy graciously took each one, and reassured them that she would help them take care of their bills. We noticed that many of the mothers and children who were visiting Los Pobres that morning were happy to see each other; not only was this a place they come to receive help, but it is also a community of support for them.  Many of these women credited Sister Nancy and the center for changing their lives.

The community spends a great deal of time volunteering at Los Pobres. Most volunteers are farm workers.

The back of the Los Pobres brochure includes a passage from Proverbs: “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.” Sister Nancy and her volunteers are kind to los pobres. We at Catholic Extension are grateful for the chance to be inspired by their faith, hope and love.

— Terry Witherell, National Representative for Strategic Initiatives, Catholic Extension

Donate now to support ministries like El Centro de Los Pobres across the US.

“At all times preach the gospel. And when necessary, use words.”

St. Gianna’s Maternity Home, in North Dakota, seems to bring to life these words, attributed to St. Francis. There are only 60 people in the tiny village of Warsaw. Many would say that it’s in the middle of nowhere. Yet for ten years, pregnant women have come to Warsaw, to find a beautiful, welcoming place where they receive the support they need, to have their babies.

Catholic Extension recently visited St. Gianna’s Maternity Home, as part of a visit to the Diocese of Fargo. Thanks to a generous donation from the Hunckler Foundation, Catholic Extension supports the work of St. Gianna’s, including helping to pay their heating bills during the long North Dakota winters, and procuring a used van to transport the mothers to doctor’s appointments.

St. Gianna’s Maternity Home, in the village of Warsaw in North Dakota.

Ten years ago, St. Gianna’s was an abandoned school building. Mary Pat Jahner, their Director who welcomed us and gave us a tour, said that there was graffiti on the walls, broken windows, and even birds flying through the building. It takes a lot of vision, but also faith and commitment, to be able to see the possibilities when things are in that condition; but that’s exactly what Mary Pat, and the hundreds of volunteers who worked tirelessly to fix it up, had. Now it’s a home; warm and inviting, with high ceilings, and tall windows which bring in a lot of light.

“This is a peaceful place”, said Julia, who is 21 weeks pregnant and had only recently come to St. Gianna’s. The other women nodded in agreement; they were gathered to sit down and talk with us. Added Kate, “It’s tough when you first come; you’re not allowed to use cell phones, so that you can escape from the ‘drama’ back home.”

Mary Pat Jahner, the Director, and Fr. Joseph Christensen, FMI; with some of the women from St. Gianna’s.

Kate, who is the proud mother of Domenic, age 3, told us: “I was a wild teen.” She is from Wyoming; but when she found out she was pregnant, she said she needed to get out, to have a fresh start. Kate loved living at St. Gianna’s. She said that they are “like a family”. She stayed with her “family” at St. Gianna’s until Domenic turned two. She still lives nearby, and comes back often to visit.

Each of the women who talked with us, told us that not only had they received the love and support and resources they needed from St. Gianna’s, but that their faith had grown while there. There is a quiet chapel in St. Gianna’s, where everyone gathers to pray each night. And Fr. Joseph Christensen, who lives across the street, often comes to say Mass for everyone.

Domenic, age 3; and Kate, his mother.

We asked the women what might have happened if they didn’t have St. Gianna’s. They told us that they might not have had their baby. And if they had, they know they would have raised the baby in an environment that was unhealthy. While at St. Gianna’s they learn not only how to care for their baby, but also the necessary parenting skills.

One of the early benefactors of St. Gianna’s had said that if one baby was born there, then it was all worth it. Since St. Gianna’s Maternity Home opened its doors ten years ago, 73 babies have been born. Mary Pat told us that about a quarter of the babies are adopted; the rest remain with their mothers.

That’s faith in action, and Catholic Extension is happy to be a part of that.

— Terry Witherell, National Representative for Strategic Initiatives, Catholic Extension

Making Things Happen

Last week, a visit to the Diocese of Marquette, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, demonstrated so vividly for me that we belong to a Church that can make great things happen… even on a small budget.

I met with Sister Rosaline who operates the Our Lady Help of Christians Center for outreach near Gwinn, Mich.  With $50,000 in support from Catholic Extension’s donors, the center will be able to expand its ministry from a shoestring operation to a more robust presence in a community that desperately needs the steady hand of the Church. Sr. Rosaline can now purchase a phone—a luxury she did without until several months ago when news of Catholic Extension’s support reached her.

Sr. Rosaline reaches out to local families and children through the Our Lady Help of Christians Center.

The Our Lady Help of Christians Center provides meals to the hungry and referral services to an isolated rural community beset by poverty, drugs and violence.  The center serves an area that has been deeply affected by two major industries slowing down or completely leaving the area. Iron ore mining, which was historically a strong source of jobs, is no longer the lifeblood of the region. The K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, which brought tens of thousands of families to this otherwise rural community, closed in 1995.  The center is able to serve thousands of people in need, including children, who were affected by the decline of these industries essential to the region, or who find K.I. Sawyer the only affordable place to live.

As we visited the center, a group of local children approached Sr. Rosaline, some walking barefoot on asphalt, others with the day’s dirt on their hands and faces.  Sr. Rosaline is the face of the Church’s compassion for this abandoned community and the children clearly know her well. “How are you today?” she cheerfully asks one child as she stoops down and cups the girl’s chin in her hand.

Before departing, Sr. Rosaline turned to me and said, “Without Catholic Extension’s support, this ministry would have discontinued.”  Looking back on it now, I wish I could have been quick-witted enough in that moment to answer her by saying, “Sister, without people like you, Catholic Extension would have discontinued long ago.”

Catholic Extension’s mission is to help extend the faith in the U.S., but this can only be accomplished in partnership with dynamic Catholics like Sr. Rosaline who stand ready to do the hard work necessary to “extend” the Church’s presence and mission.

We belong to a Church that gets things done.   It is the Church that works.  It is the Church that continually extends itself beyond its four walls to serve the larger community.  Across the country, anywhere Catholics have a determination to live their faith, Catholic Extension is a ready partner for them in their efforts to mobilize.

— Joe Boland, Senior Director of Grants Management