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Writer's pictureProfiles in Catholicism
May 13, 202015 min read

Catholics Helping the Homeless

Updated: May 17, 2020

May 15, 2020 Profiles in Catholicism


A Message from the Editor

Few people choose to be homeless. Those who sleep on the streets are guarding the only possession they feel they have left: their personal freedom. Being homeless is destabilizing, demoralizing, and depressing.

Now our brothers and sisters in Christ who are homeless have their lives challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic. Tens of thousands are infected. Thousands have died. We have a moral obligation to help them by supporting the organizations that are desperately trying to care for them. If you cannot support them financially, please pray for them.

This month our closing video is by our Editorial Advisor Marco Lo Russo Rouge.


Profiles in Catholicism are distributed to several thousand people in 67 countries. We desperately rely on our readers for donations to continue and expand our mission. If you support our mission and find our publication of value, please make a donation.

A Quote to Remember


“Jesus came to the world homeless and made himself poor. Then, the church wishes to embrace all and to say that it is a right to have a roof over your head. In popular movements, they work according to the three Spanish T's: Trabajo (work), techo (casa), and Tierra (earth). The church teaches that every person has a right to all three.”


by Pope Francis

Special Prayer

A Prayer for the Homeless with Coronavirus

Lord Jesus Christ,

you chose to share our human nature,

to redeem all people, and to heal the sick.

Look with compassion upon your servants.

Support them with your power,

comfort them with your protection,

and give them the strength to fight against evil.

Since you have given them

a share in your own homelessness, and in your own passion,

help them to find hope in suffering,

for you are Lord forever and ever.

Adapted from the Anointing ritual by Father Mark White Profiles in Catholicism

O God, restorer and lover of your children from innocence to old age, direct the hearts of all your servants towards yourself that those you have set free from the darkness of unbelief may never stray from the light of your truth but rather continue to eternal light itself. We make this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, y9ur Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

by Father David O. Brown, O.S.M. Profiles in Catholicism

Prayer for all police and firefighters with Covid-19 and who have died from Covid-19

Good and Gracious God,

You place each one of us in your loving embrace. We want to live this journey with You, Lord. Our firefighters: Edward Singleton and Mario Araujo have given their skills to you dear Lord and now rest with you. Help all those left behind to remember the joy and gift you were to them. Our police officers: Marco DiGranco, Joseph Cappello, and Clifford Martin have given You their best. They now, too, rest in your loving arms. All of us Lord, are grateful for the skills that they brought in service to You and in the love of us. The sacrifice is unbridled and unbelievable. They took part in all that is difficult about the pandemic. The messiness, the ugliness and the horror of this disease was something all the firefighters and police officers were willing to do for us. Help us to be grateful to them and to all who are working in this field. We ask you this through Christ our Lord, in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.


by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D. Profiles in Catholicism


Prayer for a Martyr

O Lord, we Catholics revere and pray for those who have witnessed to you

with their lives.


Sadly, martyrdom continues today, even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic which is taking hundreds of thousands of people from their loved ones and communities.


We gather in spirit, in mourning and hope to honor the memory of a true martyr,

who so loved you that he gave his life for you and for all of us.

Seminarian Michael Nnadi of Nigeria Witnessed, by word and deed, to Your Divine Love for us all, through Our Lord, Jesus Christ.


This witness, this offering of love and hope to a fellow human sadly did not fall on deaf ears.

The man who Michael so loved that he wanted to share his joy and hope with him became enraged at Michael's love.


Spurning not only Michael but the One God of all humans, the man killed Michael.

Michael is a true martyr to our faith.

He died because of his faith in you, O Lord.

He now rests and rejoices with you, O Lord.


May we Catholics take Michael's witness, faith, hope, and love into our hearts and souls. May we be inspired to live out in our lives your words of peace and love for all humans. May we work together with people of all faiths

to help those in need. The sick, the poor, the mentally challenged,

all who are in need.

Amen. Alleluia. Praise the Lord.


by Dr. Eugene Fisher Profiles in Catholicism


A reflection on the martyrdom of the Michael Nnadi


[CNA Staff, May 2, 2020, / 04:30 pm (CNA).- A man claiming to have killed the murdered Nigerian. Seminarian Michael Nnadi has given an interview in which he says he executed the aspiring priest because he would not stop announcing the Christian faith in captivity.]


They provoke a memory, the image, the story or your servant Steven who was commissioned by the original

Apostles to preach to the word. He did so with fire and vigor. And he was hated for it. They, his enemies accused him by saying “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.” But

Steven was filled with the Spirit and wisdom, was emboldened to say: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors.”

They, his enemies, ran him out of the city, took up stones, and killed him. “But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.


Is final words were: “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God O Lord God, you servant Michael is much like Seven. Your servant. Your preacher. Your suppliant. We trust that his final words were those of Steven: “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.

Our Prayer, O Lord, is that we too may be inspired with the spirit of Steven of not giving up preaching your word. Inspired by your servant Michael, of not giving up preaching the word. We ask this in the name of Jesus your Son, who was offered up for us. Amen

by Father David O. Brown, O.S.M. Profiles in Catholicism


A prayer for Corporal Rory Hamill:


He was Among Us


Almighty God and Father:


He was among us

Then he went ahead

And others were spared

The losses he suffered,

the losses he shared

with others who suffered.


Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth:


How many are lost in war!

How many are lost, embattled, afterwards!

How many are lost in the aftermath of pain:

In the life-long plague of remembering -

The hidden, memorized shock,

Closing, like shrapnel, on the heart!


Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ:

In what dark place are the tears,

In what dark place are the wounds,

In what dark place, darker without you,

Are the questions, questioning you:

Why have I lived?

Why have they died?


Lord God, Son of God:


We were walking together

And he re-joined us

– thank you!

We were walking together

And his stumbling he shared with us

– thank you!

We were walking together

And he helped us

– thank you!


We were walking together

And we lost him

– forgive us!


Lord, True Man and True God:


How many are among

the bushes – sit with us!

How many are alone

on the street – stand with us!

How many are edged

out of life’s reach – speak to us!


Lord, through your Death and Resurrection:


May your darkness en-brighten us!

May your sufferings soothe us!

May your words enlighten us!


Oh, Holy Spirit:


Come in the flight upwards

to take the weight downing us!

Come to life’s going,

to bring life to the brim in us!

Come in the upset of leaving

to take love to the left!

Oh, Holy Spirit of Love:


Help us to find the openings

for those locked in the past!

Help us to heal the hidden,

Un-yielding wounds!

Help us to end the warring

within each of us


that breaks out between us!

Oh Holy Spirit, Soul of the Church:


Sing in us! Sigh in us! Save us!


Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God,

St. Joseph and the whole

host of welcoming Saints:


We have a common prayer:


for all of us, here and there, to share,

for the people passing – and past;

for the past that plagues the present:

We pray for peace and an end

to the life-long price of war.


by Francis Etheredge Profiles in Catholicism


A Prayer for Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay


Good and gracious God,


We place in your loving embrace the soul of Father Jorge Ortiz-Garay who is the first Catholic priest in the U.S. to have died from complications of coronavirus. As he departs from NY to Atlanta to his home in Mexico City we ask you to take care of him and his family. We ask you to bless all the work he did as a Good Shepherd in Brooklyn. As a priest of the Archdiocese of Brooklyn, he offered his service to others. He gave them the sacraments, attended to their spiritual and physical needs and were there for all his faithful who wanted to get to know/love/serve you better Lord. We thank you, as he was on this journey with his community. We ask you to welcome him to the heavenly banquet you

have prepared for him through Christ Our Lord, Amen.


by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D.Profiles in Catholicism


Dios de Bondad y de Compasión:


Entregamos a tus amorosos brazos el alma del Padre Jorge Ortiz-Garay, el primer sacerdote Católico en Estados Unidos a morir por las complicaciones del Coronavirus. Al emprender el viaje de NY a Atlanta a su ciudad natal de Ciudad de México, te pedimos que lo cuides a él y a su familia. Te pedimos bendecir todo su trabajo de Buen Pastor en Brooklyn. Como sacerdote del Arquidiócesis de Brooklyn, ofrecía su servicio a los demás. Les daba los sacramentos, atendía sus necesidades espirituales y físicos y estaba atento a todos sus fieles que querían conocerte, amarte y servirte mejor, Señor. Te damos gracias por su presencia con su comunidad mientras estaba en este camino terrenal. Te pedimos acogerlo a la cena eterna contigo que has preparado para él a través de Cristo Nuestro Señor. Amen.

by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D.Profiles in Catholicism


Interviews


General Articles/Commentaries


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Book Reviews/Commentaries

Film Reviews/Commentaries

  • For Sama Commentary by We Hold These Truths

Television Reviews/Commentaries

Obituaries

Feasting with the Saints

Closing Prayer

A Prayer for Those Who Have Made Donations to Profiles in Catholicism

God most kind,

Bless all those who have supported Profiles in Catholicism

with their donations and kind words of support.

Let their generosity bear much fruit.

Let those of us who benefit from this publication

be ever mindful of them and grateful for their gift. Amen

by Father Louis CameliProfiles In Catholicism


Videos

Street Medicine: Treating Chicago's Homeless During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Coronavirus: South Africa locks homeless up in detention camp

Coronavirus: Volunteers helping Dublin's homeless

Coronavirus outbreak: the worrying situation of homeless people


A special message from Archbishop Peter A Comensoli


URGENT: GRAVE Warning In Rwanda - In Fatima

Scientists Identify 69 Drugs To Test Against Virus

Now Is the Moment to Advocate for Ethically Developed COVID-19 Vaccine, Says Archbishop Naumann


Emergencies and Charity. A reflection by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle

Taking a Stand, Fr. Shay Cullen and Preda's Early Work against Child Abuse and Exploitation

Pope prays for doctors, nurses and priests who have died helping the sick

Claude Lanzmann Reflects on the Making of his Landmark Film, "Shoah"

Child tv presenters in the uk introduce their own program on filipino children suffering abuse in detention.

Catholic seminarian was killed for proclaiming Jesus Christ, admits assassin

Marco Lo Russo - Ave Maria dedicated to Pope Francis


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