Jubilee of the Poor is about love, human dignity

Laura Keener

Editor

The Jubilee of the Poor will be celebrated Nov. 16. Jubilee days invite the faithful to recognize and honor the inherent dignity of each person. During the Jubilee of the Poor, the USCCB encourages, “We are called to observe a preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, modeling our actions on the examples seen in Scripture.”

In the Diocese of Covington, there are many ministries devoted to the care of the poor. The Messenger reached out to three individuals working in three ministries to gather their learned wisdom through ministry.

Upon his retirement in 2021, Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys began volunteering regularly at Parish Kitchen, sometimes twice, sometimes three times a month, “When they need me. I fill in,” he said.

Parish Kitchen is a ministry of Catholic Charities. Located at the corner of Madison Ave and 16th Street, Covington, anyone who is hungry can receive a hot meal at Parish Kitchen, 365 days a year. When volunteering, Bishop Foys hands out desserts.

“It’s a whole new experience for me, actually, being with the poor regularly on a one-on-one basis. And sometimes they’ll ask for advice, or they’ll want to talk to the priest,” Bishop Foys said.

Everyone served at the Parish Kitchen “is so grateful and respectful,” said Bishop Foys. “I find that I feel that they are giving me more than I’m giving to them.”

Bishop Foys referred to Pope Leo XIV’s recent exhortation “Dilexi te,” (“I have loved you”), which focuses on love and care for the poor — a recommended must read.

“The Holy Father mentions in his exhortation that the poor aren’t poor because they want to be poor, or because they’re lazy. They just find themselves in this situation,” said Bishop Foys. “The Holy Father is very clear that we cannot call ourselves Christians if we don’t have a heart for the poor and that whole notion of seeing Christ in everybody. When I’m at the Parish Kitchen, that’s the mindset I have, that everybody coming through is Jesus.”

Guests of the Parish Kitchen, said Bishop Foys, come in for food, but they are also in need of affirmation and a break.

“Sometimes they just need a break. It’s not that they don’t want to work, or sometimes they can’t. I would say for someone to give them a break, I think would be important,” Bishop Foys said. “This isn’t just a handout. What we’re telling them is that ‘you’re worthwhile and we’re here for you. We’re here because you’re precious in God’s sight. Everybody is precious in God’s sight.’”

Volunteering at Parish Kitchen, “I find myself more conscious about poverty and the needs of people and wanting to do more for them,” said Bishop Foys.

The Rose Garden Home Mission and its Center for Hope and Healing, both in Covington, is quite possibly the largest and best-known ministry for those in need, especially pregnant women and moms. Operated by the Franciscan Daughters of Mary, the Mission offers a food pantry, diapers, children’s clothes, baby equipment and more. The Center is a free medical and dental clinic, staffed by volunteer professionals. Also located at the mission is a small prayer chapel, a place of respite, where guests can renew their spirit.

“There’s a tendency to think of the poor as being less,” said Franciscan Daughter of Mary Mother Clare Borchard. “But they’re not less. They’re just as human and they have the same dignity as everyone else. They’re people who happen to be having a hard time for one reason or another.

Mother Clare also referred to Pope Leo’s exhortation. “He pointed out that there are different kinds of poverty. There’s certainly material poverty, which is what most people think of, and we definitely have an obligation to address that. But there’s also, spiritual and moral poverty, and sometimes that is the greater need. There are people, too, that have material needs, but have a remarkable faith and trust in God. From my experience, fundamentally there is a need for God, but really, first the need to be loved and cared about; to just know that there’s somebody in the world who thinks that they have dignity. Sometimes that’s really what they’re looking for, even more than food.”

The need to be loved, Mother Clare said, is not unique to the poor. “That’s a common human need that everyone has,” she said. “In that way we are in solidarity. The more we understand that the Lord loves us, and the more we understand the great value that He has for us, the more naturally it comes to recognize that in somebody else, too.”

Cindy Carris is a founder and Board member of the Mary Rose Mission, Florence. Opened in 1995, the Mary Rose Mission serves a hot evening meal to hungry neighbors every day and “To Love as God Loves.”

“The poor I meet are just like me,” said Mrs. Carris. “They have been given more challenges than I could ever have imagined. Many begin their life with struggles that I’ve never had to deal with over my lifetime. Others have had tragedies with little or no support that create monumental challenges for them to overcome.”

Having worked with people in need has expanded Mrs. Carris’ heart for people and a concern for not just their physical needs but for the way they are treated.

“It absolutely breaks my heart to see the lack of compassion, tolerance and simple kindness we show people, especially the poor,” Mrs. Carris said. “We’ve grown so cold towards our neighbors. It makes my heart ache.”

Mrs. Carris quotes St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who said that being poor in the West was much greater than what she experienced in India because, “our poor were starving for love, which is a much greater poverty.”

There are many places for people to show the love of Christ to others, especially the poor. Mrs. Carris encourages everyone, “Do something … anything. It really isn’t hard to show compassion and kindness, and it doesn’t cost a dime!”