St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center vist to Washington, D.C. for papal visit
“We are grateful for the visibility that Pope Francis has brought to work similar to ours,” reads the mission statement for the trip, “To care for the poor and the underserved.”
The N.E.W. Life Center, started by Ss. Carol and Judy, is one of the first social enterprises in Michigan. Today the Center has 25 full-time employees working in various businesses: commercial sewing, landscaping, and a food pantry that serves more than 2,000 people each month.
Capital Area Food Bank
The group spent Tuesday morning volunteering at the Capital area Food Bank, where they sorted food donations for distribution. The experience was a reminder to do what Pope Francis has been asking of people everywhere—to care for those in need of help.
ABC 12 came to the Capital Area Food Bank to report on
the N.E.W. Life Center's trip. Watch it here.
Holocaust Memorial Museum
In the afternoon they went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The experience was moving for everyone.
Papal Parade
The Pope arrived to Washington, D.C. Tuesday afternoon, but made his first public appearance Wednesday morning. After greeting President Barack Obama at the White House, there was a papal parade. The N.E.W. Life Center group was waiting along the parade route since 5 a.m., and saw Pope Francis there when he rode around the Ellipse in the pope mobile.
Address to Congress
The following day, the group had tickets to the west lawn of the Capital to watch via jumbotron the Pope’s address to the joint session of congress. He is the first pope to ever do so, although not the first to be invited.
His remarks (which can be read in full, here, aligned with the experience of the N.E.W. Life Center travelers, down to his reference of World War II when addressing the refugee crisis in the world today.
“Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. … We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt 7:12).”
What’s next
“From the messages of Pope Francis to the talks we had at our housing unit and our special Mass that united our group even further, it truly was a wonderful week and we are thankful to have been there,” says trip attendee Vicki Wharton. “Now to answer our call to action is the most important part.
Vicky and her husband John were not familiar with the N.E.W. Life Center when they signed up for the trip. “We were amazed at the good work they have done in Flint. We are anxious to visit New Life Center and hopefully we can join with them in making a difference for someone who is disadvantaged. Sr. Carol and Sr. Judy work so hard to accomplish improving lives of women and men.”
The St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center launched a GoFundMe campaign while Ss. Judy and Carol were away for the papal visit. The goal is to raise enough money to train 25 more people for skilled jobs.
In the news
http://themichigancatholic.com/2015/09/group-of-michigan-charity-worker…
http://htenews.org/michigan-dominican-sisters-create-jobs-for-people-ot…
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2015/09/23/trip-dc-…
http://www.abc12.com/home/headlines/Members-of-St-Luke-NEW-Life-Center-…
Above, the group from the N.E.W. Life Center gathers outside of the lodging site for a photo. You can see more about their adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by searching for the hashtag #NEWLifePapalVIsit
Follow Pope Francis's visit to the USA, click here to view live streaming video of all of his stops and addresses
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