By Kerting Baldwin
At any time of day outside St. Patrick-St. Anthony Catholic Church, one can see people walking around on the sidewalks. Are they looking for spiritual guidance? Are they searching for a friend? Are they hungry and thirsty? For some, it’s all the above, and they have come to the right place.
Hartford, Connecticut’s oldest Catholic church is connected to the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry. Steps away from the church, where the faithful feed on God’s word, blessings are served daily in the form of sandwiches, drinks and baked goods.
The sandwich ministry, powered by parishioners and volunteers, is one of approximately 50 ministries stemming from the Center and deeply rooted in the Franciscan charism. The center was created 25 years ago by the friars in part to address the area’s food insecurity.
This act of compassion has grown into a large-scale food outreach effort that today serves more than 4,000 meals monthly. In addition, 15 teams of parish volunteers help staff the Center's partner, the House of Bread, and serve breakfast and lunch at the Center.
Part of the Sandwich Ministry, parishioner volunteers often stand near the doors of the St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church giving away bread. (Photo courtesy of Danilo Vargas)
Dedicated volunteers spend time at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry distributing sandwiches, drinks and baked goods for anyone in need of nourishment. (Photo courtesy of Danilo Vargas)
“Every day the people of God get fed, the people of God get taken care of,” said Br. Michael Johnson, OFM, director of the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry and one of five Franciscan friars who live and serve the Gospel in Hartford. “The people of God are valued for who they are. They know it's a safe place.”
The center has become a hub for direct service and outreach to the poor, helping the parish and local community live out the Church's call to hospitality, justice, and compassion.
Some of these ministries include:
— partnerships with non-profits, like Levo International, to grow crops and ease food insecurities
— support for Sainte Genevieve Church and School in Zorra, Haiti, where parishioner fundraisers feed 417 children and provide educational supplies
— basic healthcare services provided by St. Joseph’s University School of Nursing students, who conduct wellness checks for people picking up meals
“It’s a ministry of love,” said Sr. Beth Fischer, RSM, university organizer. “We can also set them up with appointments if they’re not connected because we have relationships with some of the healthcare agencies in the area.
Parishioner volunteers build structures to support hydroponic farming, a future source of vegetables and other crops to ease food insecurity in the area. (Photo courtesy of Danilo Vargas)
Parishioners from St. Patrick-St. Anthony Catholic Church sift the soil to collect rocks that will be used for hydroponic farming. (Photo courtesy of Danilo Vargas)
St. Patrick-St Anthony’s commitment to caring for the poor inspires parishioners to travel there from 90 zip codes, some far away – a testament of faith, community and works coming together for the greater good.
“The people who come here, they get it. They get the message of the Gospel, and they want to live it out in whatever way they feel they can,” said Br. Tim Shreenan, OFM, pastor of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Parish. “They give their time and their talent in so many wonderful ways. I’m really humbled.”
When the friars arrived in Hartford in the 1990s, they envisioned ministries that would be true partnerships with the laity, and today they are living that vision. Their first act of outreach was to those living with HIV/AIDS, a courageous ministry at a time when fear and stigma were rampant. It was a profound statement that this was a different kind of parish.
“Everything we do here at the Franciscan Center, all of our ministries, come from helping our people to flow out of the church, inspired by the Word of God, challenged by it, nourished by the sacrament,” Br. Michael said. “One of the things that a post-pandemic church hungers for is a sense of community. We are more fractured than we were before. But to build community here and then send that community out into the world to be a source of hope, to be a source of God's love, I think that's the Franciscan charism in action.”
Throughout this year, we will share a variety of stories regarding these ministries, focusing on this intersection of faith and works.