May 10, 2007

Tuesday was not only a glorious day outside, with its blue sky, wispy white clouds, and a super bright sun in the center of the sky, but it was also glorious inside as we were celebrating our twentieth anniversary Mass together with our archbishop, Edward Cardinal Egan.

In a recent reflection I recalled the day when we first stepped foot into the almost abandoned Church of St. Adalbert. Twenty years ago, the neighborhood surrounding the parish church could only be described with one word: “devastated.” Many of the private homes in the area were either burnt out, abandoned, or leveled. There were so many empty lots in the area, I suspect if you had a birds-eye view of the neighborhood, you would think you were in Nebraska. If city officials were honest, they would put up a sign saying: “Welcome to the bottom of the barrel!”

The parish of St.Adalbert was tottering on its last leg. The pastor, an elderly Polish priest, was, let’s say, “not appreciated” by the local drug dealers who openly did brisk business right outside the doors of the church. The neighborhood outlaws weren’t on speaking terms with the elderly pastor who continually called the cops; so they simply threw bricks through the rectory windows. In the spring of 1987, reason prevailed and the feisty pastor waived the white flag and threw in the towel. Within weeks the archdiocese decided to close the parish; soon after, we received a phone call from the diocese that said: “We think we found your new home.”

When we went to visit the parish, one could say “it was love at first sight.” Although there was much work to be done, we were young and energetic, and in no time we rolled up our sleeves and went to work. Besides the hard work of transforming the rectory into a suitable friary, we took to opening a shelter for the homeless. The overnight shelter, named after Padre Pio, had its humble beginnings in the former convent building, but laterwould be relocated to the school basement. The shelter accommodates eighteen overnight guests and includes a chapel, outdoor garden area, and a fish pond! No wonder why, early on, the shelter earned the title: “the Hilton for the Homeless!”

Although the Padre Pio Shelter was opened within our first year, it would take five years of wading through red tape to open our second work for New York’s most needy. Thanks to the energetic expertise of Father BobLombardo, a 65 room residence for homeless men emerged out of the rubble of an abandoned tenement which stood lifeless next to the friary. Today, twenty years later, the residence continues its work, and will be undergoing renovations which will include expanded facilities—most notably a chapel for the residents, staff, volunteers and friars who serve there.

Meanwhile, the old parish school building, now known as The Saint Francis Center, is a building which bristles with activity for the youth and local families, in particular, numerous after school programs, a medical clinic, and a cultural center. Who would have thought so many new things could come out of one big old school building!

During Tuesday’s Mass, as I stood in the sanctuary concelebrating the Mass with Cardinal Egan, I looked out into the congregation and beheld a small sea of gray habited friars and sisters. I couldn’t help but marvel at the goodness of God and the wonderful things which have been wrought throughout the years. Outside, the once devastated neighborhood has come back to life—new houses, apartment buildings, small businesses; it’s not Park Avenue, but it’s far from the bottom of a barrel. Is it possible that we were the reason for the neighborhood’s rebirth? I think not. However, is it possible that He was at the core? I think so!

Yes, a glorious day! Jesus, be our sun that never sets! Amen.

Fr. Glenn Sudano, CFR

Most Blessed Sacrament Friary, Newark, NJ

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