At St. Patrick’s church, downtown,where Homeless Jesussleeps on a park bench at the corner,they handed outtheir one millionth free mealto Robert, who was next in line.He’s been coming for ten years. It started with sandwichespassed through the living room windowof the rectory, and graduatedto breakfast and a hot lunch, madein a state-of-the-art kitchen,newly set up in the school next door,using…
It finally came to the park down the street from us. First one tent went up. Then another. And then several tents formed a small makeshift city – the latest in a series of homeless encampments that have gone up in parks and other underutilized spaces in our community. With them come litter, unsanitary conditions,…
Several years ago, a good friend in North Carolina suggested during a phone conversation that I write a book on citizenship. At the time I was revising my first book, Political Visions and Illusions, whose second edition was released five years ago this month. I decided to take him up on his suggestion, submitting a…
When it comes to books addressing the themes of home and homelessness, it is not surprising that memoir seems to be a pervasive genre. Home is, after all, rooted in story. The memories of significant events, foundational relationships, celebrations, the feel of the familial abode, the landscape of our youth, conjure up the feelings of…
In the beginning of the pandemic there were all kinds of stories of kindness being shared, and people everywhere were helping each other. But as we head into year three, things seem to have shifted. Many of us are feeling burned out, angry or hopeless, and may have fallen into an “everyone for themselves” mentality. …
“Give us this day our daily bread.” – Jesus “I’m suffering from the affliction of always wanting more.”– Singer-songwriter Ann Vriend (a line from the song St. Paul from her album When We Were Spies). The petition in the Lord’s Prayer “Give us this day our daily bread” has always caused me a certain amount…
Between 2016 and 2019, 15,393 people died from drug overdoses in Canada. This year, we’re breaking the records set in those years. “Canadians should be seized with this particular crisis,” says Canada’s Chief public health officer Dr. Teresa Tam. The closed Canada-U.S. border, increased social isolation and reduced access to safe supply are all factors…
Our family started volunteering at a local soup kitchen last year. Because it’s in a basement, in facilities that the organization has outgrown, the place feels a bit grim – crowded and run down. They have plans for a new building to address the growing needs in the community. For now, there’s usually a line-up of people waiting to get in. One day, when we got there late for our shift and made our way to the door, a few people said “Not open yet,” and I realized they thought we were there to eat, too. Fair enough! You can’t tell by looking who is there to volunteer and who’s there for food.
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