February Appeal

Dear Friends,

On a recent Monday afternoon, I received a phone message from the local county core service agency in South San Francisco saying they had just sent to our shelter an elderly woman via taxi who needed shelter that night. My initial thought was, “Oh! No, no, no, no! You can’t do that. That’s not how things work. What if we don’t have an opening in our shelter for her?” Luckily, I calmed down before contacting the case manager and getting more information about the situation: Jennifer was an elderly woman with limited mobility who was new to the area and desperate for shelter that night. Jennifer was not only new to San Mateo County, but to homelessness as well; she knew nobody and was understandably frightened. Luckily, we did have an opening that night, so we brought her in, but with the understanding that I would bring her back to the agency the next morning so they could hopefully find a more appropriate placement for her.

In the morning, I talked with Jennifer about the plan to take her back to the service agency, but also informed her that she could come back to our shelter that night if they could not find a place for her. She told me that she did not feel comfortable staying in our shelter even though Janice, the prior night’s staff person, was kind to her and made her feel welcome. She just wasn’t comfortable staying in a shelter with so many men.

That morning, after I dropped her off at the service agency, I felt heavy at heart, thinking what a tough world it is out there for some people and wishing there was more that we could do for her. But I couldn’t get bogged down in such musings as I had to run a couple of errands before visiting George at a nursing home in Daly City.

We’ve known George for over 15 years as a regular guest at our dining room and shelter. Five years ago, he finally received permanent housing, but a week after moving in he was discovered on the floor of his bedroom, struck down with a disease that paralyzed his arms and legs. Since that time, he has been in a variety of care facilities. When I got to the nursing home, I noticed that George had his own room, which I initially thought was nice, but then I noticed his isolation. Without use of his arms, he couldn’t operate the television or read, much less go to the common room to socialize with the other residents; it appears he spends his days staring at blank walls. The isolation felt oppressive. As I visited with George, I couldn’t help but notice that the years in nursing homes hadn’t been kind to him. Being bedridden for five years led to a certain amount of atrophying of his body and the same could be said of his mind as well. It was difficult to carry on a conversation as he was often agitated and his speech was hard to understand. The room, while clean, had a faint aroma of feces. Had he just soiled himself?

After visiting for a while, I left George with the promise of visiting again. As I walked to my car, the heaviness of heart from earlier in the morning returned as I thought once again about what a tough life some people have. From there, I went to a meeting where I had time to muse over the events of the morning. I was thankful for the opportunity to assist the folks and spend time with them, but still my heart was heavy.

After my meeting, I went to visit Shaun who has been in a very nice nursing home in the Crestmoor neighborhood of San Bruno for the past year. I have known Shaun for over twenty-five years as she and another woman were for many years the lay leaders of the mission church I attend in Brisbane. Shaun is confined to her bed, but her mind is as sharp as ever. Far from just lying in bed wasting away, she was still doing what she could to build the faith life of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission community. It soon became evident that Shaun would be serving me more than I would be serving her. My weekly visits soon turned into classes for my ongoing spiritual development so I could better be of service to our mission community. Shaun always has a passage from scripture or religious book that she wants to share with me; we share our insights, seeing how they can be applied to our daily life. I love my visits with Shaun; I always leave feeling full of the love and presence of God. This day was especially uplifting and consoling after my difficult morning.

Why do I share these stories? When we offer ourselves in service to others, there will be times that are very difficult as we often encounter people in their most difficult and lonely moments. But this is what we signed up for, it is at the heart of our work, so we are used to these moments even when they are difficult. But then we can be surprised by such interactions like the ones I have with Shaun, which are so nurturing and joyful. Or like when I learned later in the afternoon that Jennifer had received a bed in a county shelter with a women’s section and social workers to assist her with her long-term needs. We can rarely meet all the needs of those we meet and serve, but we assist them as we can, and always keep them in our prayers.

Our daily work at Catholic Worker Hospitality House is faith filled and life affirming. Not just in some aspects, but all aspects of our work: in the direct service we provide to those in need, in the teamwork with co-workers in our daily work, and in our relation-ships with volunteers, donors, and guests. It’s really a wonderful life. It is why I chose this work forty years ago when I was searching for a way to live out my faith in my daily work.

2026 will mark thirty years of our work at Catholic Worker Hospitality House (which I will be reflecting on in a future newsletter). We are so thankful for all the people who have made our work possible through the sharing of time, talents, and treasures. Together, we enflesh the Kingdom of God, assist those in need, and make our community a better place. Thank you!

In Christ’s Peace,

Peter Stiehler
For all of us at
Catholic Worker
Hospitality House

HOLIDAYS THANKS! As we emerge from the holiday season and settle back into our regular work routine, we would be remiss if we did not thank the many individuals, businesses, and congregations who graced us with their generosity to enable us to provide special festive meals and gifts to all our guests from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. We are so thankful for all who enable us to continue serving those in need in our community. Thank you.