Homeless

St. Olaf throws Super Bowl party for homeless displaced by game security

St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis hosted homeless men and women during Super Bowl weekend to accommodate the temporary closure of First Covenant Church’s shelter, due to its close proximity to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Minneapolis parish brings food to the streets

As the temperature dropped to zero degrees Jan. 4, six volunteers from St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis bundled up and climbed into a food truck to bring meals to the streets of Minneapolis.

The blessed poor

Jeremiah is homeless. He is a slight man and slanted to the right. Some days he has a pronounced limp — arthritis in the knee. He’s lost most of his teeth. I first met Jeremiah some time ago on my way into work at my highway exit where he stands and holds a cardboard sign at the stoplight: “Homeless, hungry.” One day I rolled down my window, asked his name and offered him a few dollars that he accepted with a two-tooth grin. He asked my name and we shook hands. He thanked me and blessed me and the light turned green.

Crocheting sleeping mats a two-fold service for Most Holy Redeemer ‘Bag Ladies’

The “Bag Ladies” anticipate that the mats could be used indoors or outdoors. They’re easily carried and cleaned with water. The mats’ thickness insulate users from cold floors, and the tight plastic weave keeps the mats clean of dirt and bugs.

Poverty has a name

The story went something like this: A group of MBAs from a prestigious university (that shall remain unnamed) determined that through applying their business acumen they could make Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity more effective. They traveled to Kolkata, India, requested a meeting and were received by the saint herself. They pulled out their flow charts and spreadsheets filled with graphs and data, and she sat listening, quietly, politely.

Three hospitals, Catholic Charities collaborate in new medical center

Regions, United and St. Joseph hospitals are partnering with Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis for a 16-bed medical respite unit at Higher Ground St. Paul, Catholic Charities’ new vision for the Dorothy Day Center, which serves the homeless.

Don’t worry how it’s spent, always give homeless a handout, pope says

People who don't give money to the homeless because they think it will be spent on alcohol and not food should ask themselves what guilty pleasures they are secretly spending money on, Pope Francis said.

Forgive us for looking other way, pope tells homeless people

"I ask your forgiveness if I have ever offended you with my words or for not having said something that I should have," the pope said Nov. 11 during an audience with pilgrims attending special Year of Mercy events for people who are homeless or otherwise socially excluded.

Home of love multiplied

Gretchen Thibault will never forget the news footage 17 years ago that altered her family forever: a CBS News special showing a Romanian orphanage where malnourished toddlers were tied up in cribs. “It was like, ‘Poof!’” she said. “Something changed. At that moment I realized I had a special spot in my heart that was just waiting to be used. It was filled with love.”

Dorothy Day Center expansion underway

A better place to sleep for those experiencing homelessness will be ready in 2016 in St. Paul.

Come in from the cold: finding mercy in the city

It’s 15 below with a wind chill of minus 39 when I arrive at the cathedral tonight. The holy water is partly frozen. Perched atop Summit Hill in St. Paul, the Cathedral of St. Paul is the mother church of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, a Vatican-appointed National Shrine of the apostle Paul and a towering presence in the capital city. And tonight, the first Monday of January, it is a refuge for 18 homeless people who will sleep on cots in the basement choir room.

Talks raise awareness about homelessness

Catholic Charities chief executive officer Tim Marx has been presenting “Catholic Charities 101” programs at parishes around the archdiocese to help the public better understand the extent of homelessness locally, what the organization is doing and how people can help.
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