Community read "Rough Sleepers" by Tracy Kidder
Friday musing from Pastor father Phil Tracy: I may have shared this story before. One of my most uncomfortable moments as a priest occurred many years ago at a mass for the graduating seniors of our parish. As I prepared for mass, I noticed one of the seniors sobbing uncontrollably in our parish hall. I asked him what was going on. 
Sadly, he informed me that he would be homeless after the graduation service the next day. His father believed that he should be on his own as a high school graduate, and so he needed to leave.
This could not wait until the next day, sometime during the summer when he pulled things together, or any other time; he needed to be moved out after the ceremony. Of course, neither parent was at church for me to have a conversation over this matter.
I have never had to worry about home insecurity, as it is called these days. In my professional life, the parish provides a home for the priest. Some are nicer than others, but I did not have to worry about where I would sleep at night. More importantly, my parents always reinforced that our home on Pine Street was for all of us. We had to abide by their rules under their roof, but there was never a threat of banishment. Two of my brothers lived at home well into their twenties. My room was always available when I returned home from college. We still gather for holidays at this home and my room is always ready for me to spend the evening with mom.
Sadly, many people are living a homeless lifestyle, especially within our parish boundaries. Our call to be disciples demands that we take notice and become part of the solution. Our parish does a lot of good work for those in need, but I believe that it has come time to focus our attention on this problem. I asked our Social Justice and Peace Committee to explore options on how to educate our parish on this problem and the needs of those who are homeless.
The committee secured a grant from Catholic Charities Maine to have a community read on Tracy Kidder’s book Rough Sleepers. The book discusses the work of Dr Jim O’Connell and his development of the Boston Health Clinic for the Homeless. Books will be available for no cost at the Curtis Library in Brunswick, beginning September 25th. Some books will be made available in our further churches who cannot travel to Brunswick. Please call Martha Corkery if you are interested.
We will host three community forums at the Curtis Library at 6pm: Thursday October19th, Thursday October 26th, and November 2nd.
Descriptions will be in next week’s update. A final forum will be held at the St. John's Community Center on November 9th. This will focus on what we can do as a parish and community to work on
attainable solutions. The issue is complex, although many will simplify the causes, so so they do not have to respond. Please join us in this important discussion.
I have never had to worry about home insecurity, as it is called these days. In my professional life, the parish provides a home for the priest. Some are nicer than others, but I did not have to worry about where I would sleep at night. More importantly, my parents always reinforced that our home on Pine Street was for all of us. We had to abide by their rules under their roof, but there was never a threat of banishment. Two of my brothers lived at home well into their twenties. My room was always available when I returned home from college. We still gather for holidays at this home and my room is always ready for me to spend the evening with mom.
Sadly, many people are living a homeless lifestyle, especially within our parish boundaries. Our call to be disciples demands that we take notice and become part of the solution. Our parish does a lot of good work for those in need, but I believe that it has come time to focus our attention on this problem. I asked our Social Justice and Peace Committee to explore options on how to educate our parish on this problem and the needs of those who are homeless.
I believe that we can respond and garner support best when we understand the issues that we face.
The committee secured a grant from Catholic Charities Maine to have a community read on Tracy Kidder’s book Rough Sleepers. The book discusses the work of Dr Jim O’Connell and his development of the Boston Health Clinic for the Homeless. Books will be available for no cost at the Curtis Library in Brunswick, beginning September 25th. Some books will be made available in our further churches who cannot travel to Brunswick. Please call Martha Corkery if you are interested.
We will host three community forums at the Curtis Library at 6pm: Thursday October19th, Thursday October 26th, and November 2nd.
Descriptions will be in next week’s update. A final forum will be held at the St. John's Community Center on November 9th. This will focus on what we can do as a parish and community to work on
attainable solutions. The issue is complex, although many will simplify the causes, so so they do not have to respond. Please join us in this important discussion.
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