by Moira Cullings
moira.cullings@theleaven.org
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — “There are places in the world that we feel like God’s love can’t get to,” said Father Aaron Waldeck, associate pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Leawood.
One of those places, he said, is Cracolândia, a region in São Palo, Brazil, where hundreds or more people suffering from addiction congregate.
“It’s desolate,” said Father Waldeck. “It’s like hell on earth. It’s basically the worst thing I’ve ever seen.
“But Christ’s love does go there, because they go there. They go.”
“They” are the Sisters and Friars of the Fraternity the Poor of Jesus Christ, a religious community founded in Brazil in 2001.
Wamego native Sally Savery, now Sister Magdalena, was the community’s first American Sister who opened the mission in Kansas City, Kansas.
She’s now serving in Brazil, while four Sisters and three friars continue the mission in Kansas City.
A hopeful presence
On a cold and rainy Saturday, men and women experiencing homelessness were given a chance to get off the streets and join in a special celebration.
The annual Christmas party and meal with the poor, hosted by the Poor of Jesus and a team of around 100 volunteers, was held Dec. 14 at the former Blessed Sacrament School in Kansas City, Kansas.
Guests were treated to a hot shower and given a warm coat. Men lined up for haircuts while women got both their hair and nails done. They played games, with everybody taking home a prize, and were entertained by a children’s choir.
The hot meal was donated by the New Theatre & Restaurant in Overland Park.
“It’s an experience they don’t get to have as often as they should,” said Jerry Immethun, a volunteer from Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann offered a blessing before the meal, thanking the Sisters, friars and volunteers for putting it together.
“Thanks to all of our guests for coming today,” he said, “and celebrating this special time of year — this feast where we commemorate how God pursues us, how he seeks us out and how he was born into humble circumstances.
“He identifies with all of us in our humanity.”
The day is one of many ways the members of the Poor of Jesus are taking care of their neighbors in need.
“When they come, they are in these dirty clothes — they’re dirty themselves,” said Sister Maria Dolores of the Eucharistic Heart. “And when they leave, they leave smiling, not hungry anymore, with bags of clothes.”
It’s a moment of respite from the struggles of living on the streets, she said.
“For a second, they forget everything else,” said Sister Maria Dolores. “Just for this second, heaven’s come to them.”
Chris Hillyer, a parishioner of St. Michael, said the experience helps him enter more deeply into Advent.
“Having the opportunity to serve Christ in the poor and to be Christ to those who have so little is the best Christmas gift I could receive,” he said. “And for that I am filled with gratitude for the Sisters and friars of the Poor of Jesus Christ.”
Father Waldeck said the party shows what the Sisters’ presence means to the community.
“They’re reminding people of who they are,” he said, “reminding people that they’re loved, they’re seen, that they’re human beings.
“And that they also deserve to have someone take care of them.”
Solidifying a calling
On Oct. 19, Sister Maria Dolores and Sister Talya of the Immaculate Heart of Mary took their perpetual vows during a Mass at Our Lady of Aparecida in São Paulo.
Father Waldeck, who was ordained in May, got to know the Sisters during a pastoral internship year of seminary at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Kansas City, Kansas, which neighbors their convent.
He traveled to Brazil to witness their vows.
Sister Maria Dolores, who first joined the Poor of Jesus at age 18, was grateful he and other friends and family made the journey.
“It’s the most important day of our lives,” she said.
Sister Talya, who joined the community when she was 17, was elated when the moment arrived.
“It was [such] an amazing experience,” she said. “It’s so special for me.”
And it was a long time coming.
The Poor of Jesus initially offered four years of formation before women professed first vows, until a couple years ago when a decision was made to have perpetual vows for those with six years of simple vows.
Taking the next step was an easy decision for Sister Maria Dolores and Sister Talya, who are both from Brazil.
“I decided to enter in the Poor of Jesus first of all for the service to the poor,” said Sister Talya. “God called me to do this.”
During their visit to Brazil, Father Waldeck caught a glimpse of the order’s radical ministry when visiting Cracolândia, and it shaped his own priesthood.
“The priesthood is God’s love being brought to humanity,” he said. “And that’s a huge reminder to me all the time now.
“Even the worst place imaginable, even the worst situation that I get called to or somehow am brought to, God’s love is meant to be there.”
Father Waldeck is also impressed by the Sisters in Kansas, knowing they answered the call to serve a community 5,000 miles from home.
“Following the Lord is an adventure in a lot of ways,” he said.
A bridge to the poor
The Poor of Jesus offer something everybody needs, said Immethun: hope.
“Hope is probably one of the greatest virtues that God has given us,” he said. “And if we can find ways as an archdiocese and as a community to build hope and to lift people up, that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Immethun said that often, people don’t know where to start.
“It’s too easy to turn a blind eye, or to feel overwhelmed,” he said. “If we can give people a tangible way to help — financially, physically — it’s going to do nothing but good.”
After a 40-year career as a veterinarian, Immethun said volunteering with the Poor of Jesus has allowed him to put his faith in action.
Each Tuesday and Saturday, the Sisters and volunteers visit those living without a home. Immethun is able to provide care for their pets when he’s there, and the group also offers food and clothing.
But it’s the message they bring to those they encounter that really matters, said Sister Maria Dolores.
“You are not forgotten,” she said, “because God sees you. God still loves you. We always remind them that he doesn’t love your sins.
“But as a person, who you are, yes, he loves you.”
The group has three routes in Kansas and Missouri, typically serving 100 people and up to 200 in the summer.
“We won’t save them [from homelessness],” said Sister Maria Dolores. “But they will know that they are seen.”
Hillyer recalled going out to the streets for the first time with Sister Maria Dolores, who didn’t hesitate to venture into a dark area under a bridge.
“I thought, ‘Are you crazy?’” he said. “When I saw her shadow, she looked like a Jedi Knight going in.
“And then she came out with all these friends that were looking for food. It was just amazing.”
Hillyer said the Sisters and friars are a bridge to the isolated.
“They go to all those places,” he said, “and they make friends with them. So when we do come and encounter those that are living on the streets, they’re prepared to meet us.
“They talk to us, they thank us, they pray with us.”
Growing the mission
The mission of the Poor of Jesus in Kansas City will expand after the new year, when the community will welcome back Sister Maria Goretti and Sister Mariana, who served here before moving to Los Angeles.
The Sisters are excited at the possibility of taking care of even more of their neighbors in need.
They do that in multiple ways, including couples retreats, and the friars run a “Be Sober” ministry for those struggling with addiction.
“One thing that I really like in Kansas City is we can feel the church as our family,” said Sister Maria Dolores. “We could not do everything that we do here in the diocese if the churches didn’t help us.”
Father Waldeck said it’s easy for people to come up with reasons why they can’t help the poor, but he offers two pieces of encouragement.
“One, for people to know that it’s possible is important,” he said. “It is possible to help the poor.
“Two, to recognize it, in many ways, does more for the people who are serving than the ones who are served.”
Mother Teresa’s description of the poor as “Jesus in distressing disguise” comes to mind for Father Waldeck.
“That’s Christ come to see me,” he said. “A stranger and you welcomed me. That is Jesus in that moment for me to serve.”
Father Waldeck continues to stay in touch with the Sisters, occasionally visiting to celebrate Mass or share a meal.
“Any friendship in the Lord is blessed in a really special way,” he said. “This is a special convent. It’s a special place to be, and we’re thankful to have these Sisters here.
“They’ve really blessed our local church.”
