"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." ~Proverbs 14:31

Keith Sanders with the Coalition for the Poor joined, left to right, Sister Barbara Jean Head, Sister Mary Celine Weidenbenner, Sister Nancy Murphy, and Sister Suzanne Sims on June 19 at St. Stephen’s Parish office. Sanders handed out statistics about child poverty in the Owensboro area. (Not pictured but present was photographer Jennifer Kaminski)

      Catholic Charities defines poverty as “a threat to the common good,” and this threat is all around us. Four Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph and I attended a poverty immersion in Owensboro, Ky., June 19-21 to learn more about this pervasive problem.
      We discovered that the local homeless shelters are full and turning people away every week. We heard that it’s getting harder for families to stay afloat in today’s economy. We learned that there aren’t enough places for teen boys or single men to stay. We became aware of the great need for dental care for the indigent.
      On the bright side, we witnessed African-American girls learning how to be strong, smart and bold. We saw women painting and crocheting at a probation and parole facility. We visited an organization that helps Hispanics that would not be operating without the support of the Ursuline Sisters. And we felt the power of a network of people reaching out to help those in need.
            “My impression of the immersion experience in Owensboro was one of awe and deep gratitude to God for the awareness of God's bounty extended to all!” said Sister Mary Celine Weidenbenner. “As a teacher (Mary Carrico Memorial School in Knottsville, Ky.) raising my awareness of situations and needs is so essential to raising the awareness of students and colleagues. We are called to continue to improve our teaching strategies, assisting students in their lives and service to the community.”

The immersion group stands outside St. Joseph Peace Mission, a home for court-referred children, in Owensboro. Pictured are Sister Suzanne, Tanita Walker, assistant director for the facility, Sister Nancy, and Sister Mary Celine.

      Sister Suzanne Sims, who planned the immersion, said afterward that she was “struck by the connection of all people sharing this one earth and some taking so much while others have so little. I have to wonder how much of what I’m taking belongs to someone down the street who needs it.”
      Others in attendance were Sister Barbara Jean Head, senior accountant at Brescia University and a member of the Ursuline Leadership Council; Sister Nancy Murphy, a coordinator at the former Ursuline Motherhouse in Belleville, Ill., and myself, a Motherhouse communications employee.  
      The immersion began the evening of June 19 at the St. Stephen’s Parish office. The group listened to Keith Sanders, director of the Hager Foundation, talk about poverty and a local Coalition for the Poor.
      “The fact is, poverty is a complex thing” with multiple causes, Sanders said.
      He explained poverty prevention programs, such as tax assistance for low-income families who qualify for the earned income tax credit (Sister Barbara Jean as well as Ursuline Associate Marian Bennett volunteer for this tax assistance program). Some communities offer individual development accounts (IDA) that match a family’s fund if it is used for housing or education.

Sister Mary Celine picks up her lunch at the Boulware Mission shelter on June 20. To her right is Stephanie Keelin, the shelter's director of development and communications. The immersion group ate sandwiches, beans, potato chips, and tea in the commons room.

      Sanders believes public policy is important, not only for the well-being of the poor but also for society as a whole since everyone ends up paying the price for poverty – health care, incarceration, etc. He believes we need champions for the cause. 
      We can’t move our community forward “if 40 percent are left behind. Unless everybody gets to move along, the disparity between the rich and poor gets greater,” he said.
      The next morning, the immersion group visited St. Joseph’s Peace Mission for Children. This home on Third Street welcomes children referred through the court system or social services. The children usually stay two to four weeks. Buses will transport them to their regular schools.
      “We treat children the way we would do our own,” said Assistant Director Tanita Walker. “We’ve learned to listen to the children. Children just want to be heard.”
      The home accepts pregnant teens or teens with small children. Since the Mary Kendall Home in Owensboro no longer houses boys, the Peace Mission’s role has become even more vital.
      The Peace Mission is licensed for 16 children at a time and has served 700 since it opened in 1999.

The immersion group tours the new Boulware Mission that is under construction. Shelter Director Jeff Harris explained that this area would be a group room, and the adjoining space would be a chapel.

      “The little things you teach them, you know they will take with them when they go,” Walker said. Her examples included doing laundry or making a grilled cheese sandwich.
      The Boulware Mission’s current and new shelter locations were next on the agenda. There, the group heard a first-hand account of how Boulware helped Christy, who is now an administrative assistant for the shelter. She said her lowest point was being addicted to drugs and losing custody of her children, but the shelter gave her a new beginning, just like its slogan, “A Home for New Beginnings.” She now has a 4-year-old daughter she named Serenity Faith, and she has been able to get back in touch with one of the children she had to give up, a 12-year-old daughter.
     “The words on the brochures came alive for me as we toured the various shelters,” Sister Nancy said. “I was most impressed with the commitment and dedication of the staff members who are making a difference in the lives of so many men, women and children. This was obvious from the witness stories that we heard.”

Sister Suzanne stands outside a greenhouse operated by Dismas House in Owensboro. She bought a small plant from the women working there. The women also paint pots, gourds, and stepping stones which are available for purchase.

      The new Boulware Mission is being remodeled on holy ground – the former Passionist Monastery where the cloistered sisters prayed many times daily. More beds for men will be available, and more treatment plans will be offered. Much of the furniture for the new facility has been donated by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Ky.
     Ursuline Sister Joseph Angela Boone is chairing the new building renovation committee, which has been meeting on a weekly basis for four years.
     The immersion group had sandwiches for lunch in the commons room of the current Boulware Mission.
     The group then toured Dismas House in Owensboro, the only all-female Dismas House in the country. Dismas, named after the repentant thief crucified with Jesus, operates 25 facilities in 10 states. It provides residential treatment for people who have been incarcerated.
     “Understanding and courage welled up in me to give my life each day, wherever I am, to continue the process of loving God, and each other; as Jesus loves us!” said Sister Mary Celine.
     Several girls at the Girls Incorporated Rolling Heights location introduced themselves when the group arrived there. The girls were working on a newsletter. Other girls danced and played games. Another group had gone on a field trip to Mammoth Cave.

The immersion group stands beside one of the Dismas Charities residential facilities in Owensboro. In attendance were Jennifer Kaminski, Sister Mary Celine, Sister Nancy, Sister Suzanne, and Sister Barbara Jean.

     “Generational poverty” exists among families in the neighborhood, said Director Tish Correa-Osborne. “We work to remove obstacles,” she said. “We offer goal-oriented programming for today’s girls. This is not a drop-off play place.”
     Classes include self-defense, understanding media messages, sexual abuse awareness, and computer technology.
     Since she started as director in 1985, Correa-Osborne said they have never had any regular Girls Inc. participants become pregnant as teenagers. “We are teaching them to be strong, smart, and bold,” she said.
     “Girls Inc. is touching a lot of lives,” said Sister Barbara Jean. “Women and girls have been put down for so many years. They are trying to break that cycle.”
     The group then sat down with Sister Rosemary Keough and Sister Fran Wilhelm at Centro Latino to learn more about how they help Hispanics. Sister Fran said they get a variety of calls and requests. They accompany Hispanics to medical appointments, including prenatal visits. They may also help them with basic needs like food and clothing.

Girls Inc. Director Tish Correa-Osborne talks about programs offered at the center with Sister Nancy, Sister Mary Celine, Sister Suzanne, and Sister Barbara Jean. Over 600 girls participate in Girls Inc. programs, which include careers, leadership, and self-reliance.

      It’s more difficult for immigrants to get help now because a Social Security number is required for many services, Sister Fran said.  She and Sister Rosemary “beg the Lord to touch the hearts of Congress” so that they will make laws more welcoming to immigrants.
     Sister Fran said that one of the gifts the Hispanics offer is a strong sense of spirituality and their need to express this outwardly with religious statues and other décor.
     Before the day was done, the immersion group also listened to the story of a young man who stayed at St. Benedict’s shelter this past winter. He said that it was hard to get steady work through the temporary employment agencies.
     “So many things are happening in the community. This has been a real eye-opener,” said Sister Barbara Jean.  
     The final day, the group gathered for prayer and reflection at the St. Stephen’s Parish office. Then they walked to the Daniel Pitino Shelter where they were given a tour. They joined about 40 others for lunch in the soup kitchen (brats, bread, green beans, corn, and fruit cobbler or cake for dessert). The soup kitchen is open to all for breakfast and lunch, while supper is reserved for shelter residents.
     The shelter can hold up to 60 people, and they are turning others away.

The immersion group toured the Daniel Pitino Shelter and had lunch in its soup kitchen on June 21. Pictured is the outside entrance to the soup kitchen, which is open to the public for breakfast and lunch.

     “We get asked if we can open another shelter, but we just can’t,” said Director Charlotte Statts. “We turn away about 100 a month.”
     Statts said the homeless population has doubled in the six years she has worked there, and it’s not because people are not working.
     “Often Dad’s working two jobs, and Mom has one job, and then they can save enough while they are here to get a place to live,” she said.
     Everyone in the shelter has a case manager, and there is an on-site medical clinic for those without health insurance. They learn life skills and parenting skills, and a full-time child-care coordinator plans children’s activities.
     The immersion ended with closing reflections at the St. Stephen’s Parish office and a noon Mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
     Sister Nancy said, “Time was well spent reflecting ‘about the poor’ and ‘with the poor.’ The scheduled prayer and reflection also gave me an opportunity to access my own poverty of lifestyle.”
     Sister Suzanne said that many nonprofit organizations in the Owensboro area could use more volunteers who have “skills and time to give. The directors and staff have such energy, vision and compassion that it would be a pleasure to work with any one of them and the organization.”

- By Jennifer Kaminski, Ursuline Sisters Communications Staff