”The Poor Have Many Faces” – Sr. Mary Rose McGeady, DC

“…let’s look at some of the real issues of the needs of the poor who continue to call us to meet real needs. Let’s begin by asking, “who is poor and what does poverty mean”. The Poor Have Many Faces
November 15, 2001
Sister Mary Rose McGeady
President of Covenant House

Catholic Network of Volunteer Services
Meeting in St. Louis, MO

It is a great honor for me to be here with you and to congratulate you not only your convention, but the very identity of who you are, part of the wonderful and amazing army of Catholic Volunteers. In many ways, I see you as the disciples of today, walking the way with Jesus as servant, recognizing him as your master in the person of the poor whom you serve. You come from all over, you serve in many different organizations, but at the core, you are modern bearers of the good news and therefore, I thank God for you and congratulate each of you.

I believe it is appropriate for us to reflect for a while on the why of who we are and what we do. Why are there so many volunteer organizations, (81, I believe), and what are the issues that keep calling us to serve? I believe the first answer to why, for most of us, is one of faith. We feel called by God to give a piece of ourselves to others, some for a short time, some for a long time, but undoubtedly, the most frequently occurring response to why is faith. And in your recruitment efforts, you put faith commitments first as you challenge new recruits to join in your volunteer efforts. I dare say, too, that the majority of volunteers find their service to have been a boost to their faith and commitment to service.

Beyond the faith response is the recognition of enormous need. As one looks at the social issues that face our time, one sees just endless issues of injustice, of human need and want, which touch our hearts and make us want to act, to do something to make a difference in the lives of so many deprived poor. And I dare say, the amount of relief offered by the groups represented in this room, is beyond human calculation. Some things we can count, like the hours, days or years of service. But some things we cannot count, the human touch, the endless times a word, a glance, a minute sitting listening to the poor person and its incalculable effect on that person are things that often make the real difference. When you have been in human service as long as I have, you will have had so many instances when people whom you encounter years later tell you what your actions meant so long ago, maybe so long ago you do not remember, but that person you touched remembers. And that is what is important. That act of love, a few words, a few minutes. That act of love made a real difference. This is one answer to the “why question” — because the Lord works through us even when we don’t realize what is happening. The other answer to the “why question” is our awareness of how much need exists out there, and how much human assistance is called for as we look at some of the current issues facing us as a people.

For the full text see the Covenant House site