No Impact Man

I recently watched a movie called No Impact Man, a documentary about a man, his wife and young daughter who live in New York City that, over the course of a year, work to reduce their environmental impact to zero. The family implemented new ways to reduce their impact in phases, starting with not using an carbon-emitting modes of transportation; no cars, trains, buses, elevators even! Because most of our food travels over 1,500 miles before it gets to our homes, they avoided grocery stores and restaurants and only ate food from farmers markets that was grown within 250 miles of their home.

After six months of their experiment, the Beavans even cut out electricity from their daily lives in their apartment!!! For the remaining six months, they used their gas stove to cook, read and ate by candlelight every night, and used a cooler for their perishables.

Being a glutton for punishment, my immediate reaction to the movie was “How can I do this too?” My poor housemate was less than thrilled with the idea of turning out the electricity permanently (especially as we approach finals time). But it has forced me to look at what I consume and how I can not only reduce that, but how I can modify my daily living to make less of a negative impact on the physical world around me. This seems more realistic and attainable.

So before you shower me with accolades for being Earth-conscious (as I sit in front of my computer with a space heater blowing directly on my legs and I anxiously await jumping into my brand-new car to head to the gym), take a minute to check out Colin Beavan’s blog. Also check out the movie- it's available 'Watch Instantly' on Netflix! See what he’s doing and see if there are some small steps you can take to make the Earth better for those who will come after us.

A Brave New World Wide Web: Is technology closing the gap between the rich and poor, or is it making this gap larger?

Last Friday, the Franciscan Volunteers traveled to Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ to give a presentation about the Inn. Joining many other groups and students, the FVMs presented at a Ted* conference about how technology is impacting the guests served at our various ministries.
Since the mid-1990s, there has been a massive governmental push to head off the prospect of the ever-increasing gap between the rich and poor being exacerbated by the advent and expansion of the internet and related technologies. The government's hope is that by providing education and availability of technology to low-income children (mostly), a chasm will not develop that further separates the opportunities that exist for the poor and the more affluent.
Since we've offered free, unlimited internet and computer access at the St. Francis Urban Center, there has been little response. My theory is that many of our guests simply aren't aware of what the internet can do for them, especially in regards to applying for benefits, job searching and information gathering. In that light, the FVMs and I researched what has been done, what is currently being done, and how our guests understand existing technology and its ability to improve their situations.
The interviews were very insightful and ranged from people saying that they feared the internet to people who log on every single day at the local library to job-search and connect on social media sites. One young man mentioned that though he feels that internet is accessible to him, logistically it is ineffective because for applications that take 45 minutes to fill out online, the 30-minute time limit at the library hinders his ability to adequately and appropriately apply.
It seems as if regular access to the internet everywhere I go (though not on my phone just yet) is something that I take for granted. I also take for granted that every time I want a recipe for anything, or need to find a phone number, or hear something I want to learn more about, that I can just click a little button and I have the whole world at my fingertips. This concept is foreign to our guests and puts them at a severe disadvantage (of course that could be my privileged egocentric perspective speaking).
The project was enlightening for all of us, allowing us to confront our own privilege in relation to the lack of opportunities for our guests in ways that they may never realize.


*Ted is a Youtube-type site whose catchphrase is "Ideas worth sharing." Many topics and issues are addressed, ranging from technology to social justice to hunger and wellness. The website is www.ted.com, you should check it out!

Tent City to close in Camden, NJ

Really interesting article from www.philly.com

In a notoriously dangerous, drug-ridden city, Tent City in Camden, New Jersey provides respite for a group of sixty or so individuals that are making the best of their otherwise dire situations. This article confronts many conflicting ideologies of what the responsibility is, if any, of the state, the city, social service agencies, and us as humans in improving the lives of these people. There is a group of predominantly men who, for a variety of reasons, are living in Tent City. Whether they are choosing to so they can spend their money on things other than rent and utilities, or are forced into living their due to the lack of income and affordable housing, this organized and well-provided-for group claim they have everything they need.
For six years Tent City has been home for many homeless people, but in a week, they are facing eviction and the city is compromising by offering job search support, housing assistance, and in-patient rehabilitation programs. Their refusal of services is sparking controversy among many individuals who attribute their situations to their poor choices and that it is now up to those individuals, who are facing more extreme circumstances when forced out of Tent City, to remedy their own lives.
Working with the population we do here at St. Francis Inn Ministries, it is really hard to pinpoint a particular sentiment towards this type of situation. On the one hand, we surely would like to see them all recover and to be “productive members of society.” There is nothing we’d like more than to be out of jobs. But our main ministry is to be a ministry of presence, to be with people where they are and to help them to find grace and peace amidst their otherwise unstable and chaotic lives.
So often our egocentrism clouds our ability to really see what is needed and inhibits our ability to help. We allow ourselves to believe that we know what is best for others rather than listening to their needs as told by them. I’m not sure what the solution is here, but I don’t think closing down the one place these individuals call home and throwing services at them is the best way to achieve self-sustainability and reform.

Happy Easter!

Our community at St. Francis Inn Ministries wishes you and your family a blessed and holy Easter.

May we stand in wonder of the sacrifice and love poured out for our salvation and may we allow ourselves to be enrobed in God’s love for us.
As Jesus and his disciples followed God’s will, may we find within us the grace and humility to surrender our will to the will of our loving God.
Grant that we may die to ourselves for the salvation of others and the greater glory of God. Amen.

“Love and ever more love is the only solution to every problem that comes up. If we love each other enough, we will bear with each other’s faults and burdens. If we love enough, we are going to light that fire in the hearts of others. And it is love that will burn out the sins and hatreds that sadden us. It is love that will make us want to do great things for each other. No sacrifice and no suffering will then seem too much.”
-Dorothy Day

"...trying to make a world where it is easier for people to love, to stand in that relationship to each other."

I have recently been reading the writings of Dorothy Day, a peace activist and one of the founders of the Catholic Worker movement, a vibrant and thriving international community of people committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer and hospitality to the marginalized. Day’s writings are gut-wrenching, terrifying, and humbling, calling us all to lives of saints. The work of the Catholic Worker movement is so broad with irons in so many different fires that it is humbling to examine our own meager effort to achieve social justice, equality, peace, and environmental stewardship. That being said, I’d like to share some passages from the book I am currently reading, “Selected Writings” because Dorothy compels us far more convincingly and gracefully than I ever could. I fear that just by reading it, I’ll never be the same.

“We have repeated so many times that those who have two cloaks should follow the early Fathers who said, “The coat that hangs in your closet belongs to the poor.” And those who have a ten-room house can well share it with those who have none. How many large houses could be made into several apartments to take in others? Much hospitality could be given to relieve the grave suffering of today. But people are afraid. They do not know where it all will end. They have all gone far enough in generosity to know that an ordeal is ahead, that the person taken in will most likely turn into “the friend of the family.” No use starting something that you cannot finish, they say. Once bitten is twice shy. We have all had our experiences of ingratitude, of nursing a viper in our bosom, as the saying goes. So we forget about the necessity of pruning, in the natural order, to attain much fruit. We don’t want to pay the cost of love. We do not want to exercise our capacity to love.”

“To love with understanding, and without understanding. To love blindly, and to folly. To see only what is lovable. To think only of these things. To see the best in everyone around, their virtues, rather than their faults. To see Christ in them!”

“Compassion, it is a word meaning to suffer with. If we all carry a little of the burden, it will be lightened. If we share in the suffering of the world, then some will not have to endure so heavy an affliction. It evens out. What you do here in New York, in Harrisburg, helps those in China, India, South Africa, Europe, Russia, as well as in the oasis where you are. You may think you are alone. But we are members of one another. We are children of God together.”

"Don't you know, they're talking about a revolution..."

This Sunday Congress is going to vote on the health care reform bill proposed by Obama in December. While each party continues to waver and discern what is in the best interest of their constituents, Obama and the Democrats are doing everything they can to ensure the passage of such a monumental program.
It is hard to say what the correct path to take is. Popular opinion across the country is almost a 50/50 split and, depending on the day, either side takes the lead. In an (unprecedented) effort to remain neutral, I'd like to encourage you to pray for our politicians. Despite their role as representative and advocate of their constituents, it is easy to cast that aside for personal interest.
In a post I wrote right after the State of the Union address, I discussed how Obama was shifting political interest from big government to the individual and I think it is just this mentality that needs to be at the forefront of our leaders' agendas this weekend.
So however the chips may fall, may it be because our political leaders had our best interest at heart.

Spring Break season!

We are in full-swing with service groups from colleges all over the country coming to serve with us for their spring breaks! Last week, we were blessed to have an energetic, enthusiastic group from Siena College in Loudonville, NY, one of two colleges run by the friars of the Holy Name Province. This week we welcome a group from St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire that dove into work with open hearts and minds. With a St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY and Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL to come, followed by high school groups that come throughout the summer, we are grateful for and humbled by the outpouring of help we receive each year.
This year, we are introducing a justice and education aspect to their week of service, providing a larger context within their work exists, examining and addressing the infrastructure that impacts the people we serve. Our hope in doing this is to dispel the many myths that exist regarding homelessness and poverty, one such myth is that only about 10% of the homeless population is made up of the stereotypical homeless person you may imagine, the rest are couch-hopping, living in abandominiums, or in shelters. We also hope to make people aware of the issues so they can implement change upon their return to their college.
These groups bring to us a refreshing perspective of the same people we see day-to-day. Their excitement to serve the poor inspires and renews us in our ministry and revitalizes the face of St. Francis Inn.