Capuchins provide welcome and hope to Dublin's homeless this
Christmas
A homeless man wrapped in ablanket. |
The motto at the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless People in
Dublin is “No one goes Hungry”, and this Christmas the Centre’s Founder Brother
Kevin Crowley and his team will be making sure that those who come through its
doors will be given a warm welcome, a good meal and the practical assistance
they require.
By Lydia O’Kane
For over 40 years, this beacon of hope has been there for
people in need and now provides over 700 meals each day and over 1500 food
parcels each Wednesday to the homeless and poor of Dublin.
“The most important thing for us is that we make sure that
everybody is treated with dignity and respect”, says Br Kevin who adds that the
situation for many people this Christmas is extremely
difficult.
“So far we have given out over 2,700 tickets for food
parcels… that is about the same as last year, but then as well as that we have
noticed that a number of people are being sent on to us from various social
workers, so that it seems that the situation seems to be worse again this
year”.
The people who come to the Capuchin
Day Centre have their own stories to tell about the journey that
has brought them to seek help. Br Kevin recounts the story of a child who was
being put up in a one bedroom hotel room with his family, who said to him, “ I
wonder will Santa be able to come to us at all this year and will he even know
where we are”.
The Capuchin Friar notes that Christmas can be a
very sad and lonely time of year for people who have lost their homes
and lost their families and that even Christmas songs can be painful reminders.
He also stresses that “every person is entitled to
have a home” and adds that, at present not enough is being done to
provide families in Dublin with affordable housing.
Br Kevin hopes that at least over Christmas no one will have
to sleep on the streets. The staff and volunteers at the Capuchin Day Centre,
he says will be on hand to make sure that all those who come down to their city
centre location will be made to feel welcome and shown kindness. “We try to be,
I suppose in the spirit of Saint Francis, to be a family to these
people and to help these people, maybe who have nowhere to go other than to
come down to us during the Christmas period”.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét