Pope Francis reminds us, “whenever we encounter a poor person, we cannot look away, for that would prevent us from encountering the face of the Lord Jesus.”
Every day at approximately 3:30 p.m., people begin to line up outside of Catholic Charities Christ House in Old Town Alexandria to receive a free, hot, evening meal. For the next two hours, the sidewalk is filled with men, women and, occasionally, children and just as quickly becomes almost empty and quiet once again.
Where do these people come from? Where do they go after they’ve received their food?
For me, growing up in what we would now call the developing world, poverty was obvious in the shelters made of cardboard and corrugated tin built alongside the road that leads from the airport to the capital city, the enormous slums that occupy mountainsides, and the children darting in and out of traffic begging for change.
In America, poverty seems a little less obvious. But if we pay attention to the regular lines forming outside of Christ House or our food pantries in Sterling, Front Royal and Alexandria; or see the patients we serve at our free medical clinics in Woodbridge and Manassas; or hear about the hundreds of people who contact us daily to help them avoid eviction or utility shut off, we know. Poverty in America — and in our own diocese, despite including some of the wealthiest counties in the country — clearly exists.
A study recently published by the Northern Virginia Health Foundation described “the persistence of disadvantaged neighborhoods in northern Virginia” including Bailey’s Crossroads in Fairfax County where “child poverty nearly doubled, from 32% to 63%.” The study goes on to share other “islands of disadvantage” in Alexandria, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William counties, where thousands of families and individuals are experiencing unemployment, underemployment, overcrowded housing and lack of medical insurance.
The existence of these islands is not news to our pastors, parish outreach ministries, St. Vincent de Paul conferences or diocesan Catholic Charities. Since the inception of our diocese in 1974, the church has readily embraced her mission and ministry to the poor.
But we understand that poverty is not only economic. In fact, St. Teresa of Calcutta wrote that the “most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.”
On occasion I will ask people who have just finished shopping at one of our food pantries why they chose to come to Catholic Charities for help. Their first response is very pragmatic: We need food for our families. But their second response is what catches my attention: We come here because we are treated with respect. The staff and volunteers seem to care about us personally. It is a refrain that is echoed throughout all of our ministries. People are not only receiving the material help that they require, but, just as importantly, they receive the love that they deserve.
Poverty and its effects have a way of isolating and separating people. Poverty can be a source of great shame, especially in a society where how much and what we consume seems to define us. As Pope Francis said late last year, “Poverty is discreet, it hides. It must be for us to go look for it, with courage.”
In January, the beginning of the new calendar year and National Poverty Awareness Month, we have an opportunity to consider whether and how we will choose to share the gifts and talents that God has given to each of us with our brothers and sisters in need. It will take courage to seek those who are suffering, perhaps even within our own families or circle of friends. It is then that we must pray for the spirit of the Good Samaritan to enter our hearts and give us the eyes to see and the compassion to serve the wounded in our midst.
I invite you to explore opportunities to volunteer to serve through Catholic Charities, your parish or local St. Vincent de Paul Conference.
Carattini is president and CEO of diocesan Catholic Charities. To learn more, visit ccda.net.
Why not you?