Young Denver Missionaries Take Pope's Message To The People
DENVER (CBS4) - There's a nonprofit in Denver practicing what Pope Francis, the so-called "People's Pope," preaches. The young missionaries for Christ in the City do their work on the streets.
Every Wednesday at 1.p.m people in need line up in Denver's Lincoln Park for lunch provided by the group. The homeless call it a "feed." But for the Catholic volunteers it is practicing their faith.
"We seek to know, love and serve the poor," said Kelly Archer, a volunteer missionary from Oklahoma City.
Christ in the City has 22 Catholic volunteer missionaries, ages 18 to 29, on the streets of Denver every day. In the outreach program, feeding the body includes nourishing the soul.
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"It's been difficult for us trying to recover," said Nicole Hodge of Virginia.
She told CBS4's Kathy Walsh she's been homeless for six years.
Missionary Trey Gross sat quietly and listened to Hodge's concerns. The work of Christ in the City can be as simple as showing you care.
"They ask me how I'm doing, how I'm feeling, they pray for me," said Monica, who explained she lives on and off the streets.
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This is the vision Pope Francis preaches. It is taking the church to the people most in need. It is beyond handing out sandwiches. It is building relationships.
Missionary Archer said, "We talk with people where they're at. We enter into their suffering and try to love them right where they are."
To the homeless, the young missionaries are awesome. William Becker said," They treat us all with dignity and respect like human beings. A lot of people don't these days."
"Sometimes just that encourages someone to make a change in their life," Archer added.
The missionaries for Christ in the City have had success getting some people on the streets into permanent housing. They've seen others go substance-free. They believe in what a little dignity can do.
LINK: Christ in the City
Kathy Walsh is CBS4's Weekend Anchor and Health Specialist. She has been with CBS4 for more than 30 years. She is always open to story ideas. Follow Kathy on Twitter @WalshCBS4.
