A pope for the poor in D.C.
As our nation’s power players prepare for Pope Francis’ groundbreaking address to a joint meeting of Congress, a small meal program just a few blocks over waits in similar anticipation.
On Thursday, Sept. 24, as part of his whirlwind, six-day trip to the United States, Pope Francis will travel from Capitol Hill to the streets of D.C. to bless the homeless patrons of the St. Maria’s Meals program.
It’s a stop that is true to form for a pope who’s made caring for the poor a pillar of his papacy. Vatican spokesman Father Manuel Dorantes, who is accompanying the pope on his visit, says he’s spreading his message far and wide, practicing what he preaches.
“The pope has really been asking the church, ‘Go out. Go out and engage with society. Go out to the margins. Go out to peripheries,’” says Dorantes. “That is where the light of Christ and the message of Christ needs to be brought.”
In Washington, where nearly one-fifth of residents live below the poverty line and more than 7,000 are homeless, locals call St. Maria’s Meals a “godsend.”
Run by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, the program operates out of the back of a food truck, serving hot meals to hundreds lined up along the block. “This is family living for them. This is family food,” says Catholic Charities D.C. president Monsignor John Enzler. St. Maria’s Meals services are made available three days a week, to anyone in need, at various locations around the metro area.
Volunteers and recipients alike hope that Pope Francis’ visit will inspire others, of all faiths, to serve their community. “I’m not even Christian. I’m Jewish,” says Fred Sarran, Catholic Charities corporate controller and regular volunteer at St. Maria’s. “But if you really care for your community and want to help people, he’s made it very easy to focus on it. And that’s what you need.”
