MINISTRY TO THE HOMELESS
For I was
hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me
something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
I was naked, and you clothed Me. . . . . 'Truly I say to you, to
the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the
least of them, you did it to Me. (Matthew 25: 33-40)
The Ministry
In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells us
that when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty,
befriend strangers and clothe the naked, we are doing it not only
for a fellow human being, but for and to Jesus Himself. The parish Ministry to the Homeless is carried out in loving
response to these words of Our Savior.
Most people in our parish family live in
comfortable homes and environments. But
it is not that way for all our fellow citizens.
Largely hidden from view are thousands of poor people who sleep on
the streets, under bridges or freeway overpasses.
Shelter Partnership, Inc. conducted research in 1995 and found that
up to 236,400 men, women and children in Los Angeles County were homeless
in the course of the preceding year.
Up to 84,000 were homeless each night.
By “homeless” we mean individuals who have no fixed, regular
and adequate nighttime residence. Some
of the homeless suffer from alcohol or drug abuse, mental illness.
Others lost a job and income
and found themselves on the streets.
Local government and service agencies have
programs to assist the homeless, but the need is far greater than the
resources being spent. Our
parish Ministry to the Homeless may be miniscule in terms of meeting the
huge need. But it is carried
out in love, respect and compassion and with the knowledge that when
each member of Christ’s body does his or her part in helping the whole
community, that contribution can do great good.
The Ministry in Operation
Every month a small group from our parish family goes to the convent of
the Missionaries of Charity in
Lynwood. The Sisters have a
hot meal prepared for delivery to the homeless.
Together, our parish family members and the Sisters pack the meal
in vans and drive to Los Angeles. They
have seven to eight locations where they stop – usually beneath bridges
or freeway overpasses. This
is where the homeless live. At
each stop, everyone gets out of the vans.
Each person carries prepared meals to the place where their
homeless friends have set up a temporary camp.
The food, and often clothing and other items, are distributed.
The Sisters and our parish family members talk to their homeless
friends, give encouragement, words of support and referral to additional
help if it is requested.
The Ministry to the Homeless is a very
personal contact of people-to-people.
Intentionally, the parish group that participates each week is kept
small so that the intimacy of contact can be maintained.
Visits to the homeless take place on Sunday afternoons where participants
gather in the parking lot at 1:00 PM and proceed to their ministry. If you would
like to participate, following is the schedule for
2007-08 listed below.. (Call the parish office for more
information.)
Dates
|
| September 16 |
| October
14 |
| November
18 |
| December
23 |
| January
20 |
| February
17 |
| March 16 |
| April 20 |
| May 18 |
| June 15 |
| July 20 |
If
you would like to participate in the Ministry to the Homeless,
call the parish office
(562) 498-6641
Email:
Homeless Ministry
|
Links
If you would like to learn more about
serving the homeless, click on the links below.
MINISTRY GROUPS
