The file room in the basement of the Cathedral Basilica’s administrative building is filled with medical records: 13,000 of them. A few dozen are marked with a neon sticker. Each folder represents an individual of the community who receives services from the full-service medical clinic upstairs, a social ministry outreach program.
Each neon sticker identifies an individual suffering from a life threatening illness. When one of those patients does not appear for treatment, the staff of the outreach center steps out into the community to locate her.
Only a few feet and a stairway away is a window that separates a small office from a line of people forming outside. Each day, dozens of sandwiches and toiletry bags are served, along with a friendly face and compassionate conversation.
Individuals come to receive food and water and apply for temporary housing. Some 1,000 people come to retrieve their mail. Many are greeted by name.
Down the hall is the full service medical clinic where many disadvantaged, undocumented or simply uninsured members of the community are able to come and receive medical treatments, mental health counseling and substance abuse intervention.
In a nearby room, a dedicated caseworker sits at a mobile workstation, set up to facilitate a tight budget and limited space. Some of her clients come to the program to learn about reentry into society after incarceration. They seek employment. They discover the possibilities that will accompany a faith-filled life. They learn about kindness. And they learn about hope.
This is the scene that you will observe on any typical day that you take a trip to 80 South Market Street to visit or volunteer at The Window homeless outreach center.
Named after a small window that sits atop a short walkway next to the Cathedral, the center has anything but small effects on the needs of the impoverished members of its surrounding community.
An average of 200 people receive services from The Window each day it is open, five days a week. Over 25,000 disadvantaged members of the community are served each year.
The “Bridges of Hope” program there assists 1,000 individuals a year in reintegrating into society, teaching faith, love, autonomy and compassion.
Sharon Miller, the director of the Office of Social Ministry, described 2014 as the year of “saving families.” Through the dedicated efforts of the center, three separate families were nursed back to health and able to find housing and immigration assistance, keeping them together.
“They came to us broken.” Miller stated. “We helped fix them.”
The effective social ministry programs at the Cathedral Basilica survive solely off grants and donations, the Season of Hope concert series and the generosity of the community, volunteers and a very limited staff. With compassion, love and kindness, they are able to serve thousands of disadvantaged, underprivileged and displaced members of our community.
If you are interested in assisting this social ministry, you may donate to the Parish Outreach fund at the Catholic Community Foundation. The fund has granted to this wonderful program since 2009. You may also contact The Window directly to learn about volunteer and donation opportunities.