St. Charles Borromeo 7th graders go out ‘into the margins’ to live out, share their faith

St. Charles Borromeo seventh graders recently spent a whole school day helping those living on the streets of the French Quarter. The day of outreach included Mass and a tour of St. Louis Cathedral. More images can be found on the Clarion Herald’s Facebook page. (Photos courtesy of St. Charles Borromeo School)

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

On March 28 – a school Tuesday – 31 St. Charles Borromeo seventh graders, accompanied by their religion teacher and 17 adult chaperones, boarded a school bus to the French Quarter to boldly step out of their comfort zones.

Heeding Christ’s call to feed the hungry, the young people warmly greeted the unhoused and poor living on the streets around Jackson Square and along the riverfront, taking time to listen to their stories and giving each a “Blessing Bag” containing snacks, toiletries and other basics.

“The main thing they bring  is not food; it’s Christ’s presence – so we talk about being that presence for people who might not really really see him,” said St. Charles Borromeo middle school coordinator Lisa Benoit, who has prepared students for the annual “street ministry” for more than 20 years.

In advance of their hands-on field trip, which was non-compulsory and required parental consent, the young participants were reminded of the main rule for the day: always be respectful.

“It was scary for a lot of them because New Orleans is seen as a kind of dangerous place, and interacting with strangers since COVID hasn’t happened – so they’ve lost that ability to be God’s hands and feet, to take the risk and be there,” Benoit said. “So, we talked about the amount of courage it takes to do this.”

In giving, we receive

Ironically, the young service-givers noticed the courage, faith and kindness of the poor and unhoused themselves – a segment of society not typically associated with those traits. Emily Switzer recalled serving a couple sleeping on the street with their pet cat.

“(The homeless woman) was telling us how God always has a plan for you, and that she didn’t plan for this, but knows God’s going to help her with whatever comes next,” Emily said. “She showed me that even when people don’t have a lot, they’re still willing to help others and give other people advice.”

Rosaries shared

In addition to assembling bags of items such as crackers, beef jerky, deodorant and hand sanitizer, each seventh grader received two rosaries as gifts from their school – one to keep for themselves, and the other to give to a stranger in need.

Maddy Allesandro was impressed that those she served still were in high spirits and talking about “how much they loved God” despite having faced numerous hardships on the streets.

“They wanted to sing us a song of praise,” Maddy said. “As I was handing out the bags, I said, ‘Would you like a rosary?’ And they said, ‘What is that?’ So, I had to explain what a rosary was, and they loved it! It felt good doing God’s work and it showed me how Jesus is in all of us, every day.”

During the course of his conversation with one man, Karsen Eubanks learned the man was an atheist, “but he told me to keep believing in God,” Karsen shared. 

Parents walk the walk

Sometimes, those living the margins of society still need help, encouragement and hope even though they do not appear to be someone in need, such as the young woman on a bike who asked Paige Villarrubia for some water. 

“She told me, ‘God bless you,’” Paige recalled. “That really changed me, because even if you don’t go to church every day or every weekend, and even though you don’t have a home to pray in, you can still have faith.”

“She was so thankful, and when I looked back at her, she was smiling ear to ear,” said Claire Dalferes, Paige’s classmate and street ministry partner. “I learned that not everyone is as lucky in their lives.”

Madeleine Terrase got to see another side of her mother, one of the day’s many parent-chaperones, when Madeleine and her seventh-grade classmates hesitated to approach a larger group of street people.

“My mom just grabbed the Blessing Bag from me and just went over there and started talking to them,” Madeleine said. “It really moved me, because I was so scared to go over there. Just to see them being very happy, smiling and greeting my mom just like a normal person would do – I was in disbelief! I was really proud of (my mother), and I was really happy she did it, because it showed me that not everyone who’s on the streets in New Orleans is mean. They’re really nice. New Orleans is not just about violence.”

The seventh graders also learned that the unhoused are grateful for the smallest things, such as being able to find some shade on a sunny day. Some of the seventh graders were surprised to be asked by the recipients if they could keep the reusable shopping bags the students were carrying that day. They learned that such bags are treasured by those who must carry their scant belongings everywhere with them.

“A woman told me how her car had broken down and how she was living in a house just the week before,” recalled Robbie Chong. “It made me realize how quickly things can turn bad for someone.”

Vivid memories

An active street ministry has been part of St. Charles Borromeo School’s Catholic identity since the early 2000s. A different corporal work of mercy is completed by students in all grades every month, each with a different focus, such as veterans, the elderly and those served by the Woman’s New Life Center. Last month, students brought in Mardi Gras beads for ARC of Destrehan.

Benoit said she resumed the street ministry – after its COVID-forced hiatus – after an alumna preparing for marriage remarked that the experience had “changed her life and formed her faith” more than any other single event.

“You just have to have a lot of faith. You have to have a fearless faith,” Benoit said. “When we do something like this, you can worry about violence on the street, or how a homeless person is going to react to a child, or so many other things. But that's just the devil standing in front of you!”

“The kids knew going into it that homeless people sometimes have issues,” Benoit added. “In the past, we’ve encountered homeless people who have had very big drug addictions and things like that. That's why we always make sure there's a parent to make sure that those kids are safe. But you can't let fear stop you from living your faith. And if they learn that at this age, they are going to do great things in high school. It just took brave kids and brave parents.”

Seventh grader Justin Lascala said the experience changed his assumptions about the homeless.  

“Before this trip, if there was a stranger I didn't know, I wouldn’t talk to them and just to keep my distance,” Justin said. “But now I know most people still have good in them if you just dig deep.”

Madeleine said doing corporal works of mercy helps her see others “as people.”

“Regardless if they are privileged or not, I should still respect them and still talk to them,” she said. “On the bus ride home, it kind of just felt that you were really with God today. And you did something for people that have nothing or maybe a blanket on cement. We could go home to a beautiful house, a bed and food. So it was really touching that you helped someone, you helped the world in some way.”

Lisa Benoit welcomes questions from other groups that want to organize their own outings in service to the poor and unhoused. She can be emailed at [email protected].