[NEWS] Heeding pope's call up to us
A Letter to the Editor from Sister Mary, via Philly.com:Â
Samuel Vasquez has been spending a lot of time on Ben Franklin Parkway in recent weeks.
Sam, who spent many years homeless on the streets of Philadelphia, knows that in just a few weeks, the Parkway will be filled with perhaps over a million people eager to hear the words of Pope Francis. No longer homeless, Sam is now a resident at Project HOME's JBJ Soul Homes and is part of a special outreach team, including several formerly homeless persons, who have been going out in Center City, engaging in dialogue with the men and women currently living on our streets.
"I've been going out on the parkway, talking with the people who are homeless and stay in that area," Sam says. He and his fellow outreach workers are trying to keep those on the streets informed about security issues related to the papal visit, and are talking to them about how they can be included or what options are available to them during the last weekend in September when the pope is in the city.
