Parish honored for its work sheltering and feeding families experiencing tough times
When Family Promise’s rotating shelter of churches and synagogues began in early 2011, St. Catharine Church of Glen Rock was one of the first to offer to host families who were suddenly displaced from their homes.
The program organized by Family Promise of Bergen County, which supports homeless working families with children, provided shelter to up to four families at one time. The families rotated weekly between diverse religious communities, including 11 Catholic churches that offered warm beds, meals, and fellowship. Another 11 Catholic parishes provided additional volunteers and supplies. Although working, many of the parents are underemployed. Family Promise helps them increase their work skills and provides financial coaching and emotional support.
The hosting congregation would set up temporary shelters, typically for one week, in basements, auditoriums, and gymnasiums, laying down blowup beds and erecting room dividers. The families would be welcomed at the hosting congregation around 6 p.m. for dinner cooked by volunteers and some activities, TV, or homework help, then sleep. The following day, they would grab breakfast and school lunches and be out the door by 7 a.m. to go to work, school, daycare, or the Family Promise Center to meet with their Family Case Manager.
St. Catharine had the perfect spot to house families — a shuttered convent with bedrooms, bathrooms, a living area, and a kitchen.
“Many congregations hosted families in a gymnasium with dividers between families, offering little privacy and quiet. We were able to provide bedrooms and bathrooms, along with common areas,” St. Catharine shelter coordinator Pam Biggs said.
Biggs ran the program with co-coordinators Ann Marie McCann and Fran Robertson. But Biggs gives credit to hundreds more within her parish community.
Father Joe Kwiatkowski, the pastor at the time, had one stipulation for taking on the partnership with Family Promise — the program needed to involve as many parishioners as possible, with his vision being a parish ministry. His vision quickly took root.
“Having no idea of what was needed and little time to prepare, we said ‘Yes!’” Biggs said. “We had to gather bedding for 14, recruit volunteers to make dinners each night, provide lunches and breakfast items, clean up the convent, get some games, and schedule volunteers. It wasn’t easy, but we asked the parish for help, and they responded.,” One parishioner jumped on cable installation in the convent so the guests could have TV. Others signed up to cook, help with nighttime activities, or spend the night in case the guests needed something overnight.
One of the main benefits of the building was the small bathtubs lined up in the convent bathroom. Many other shelters didn’t even have showers, let alone bathtubs. The group always made sure to have bubble bath in stock.
“A little boy drew a picture of the convent, giving us a five-star hotel review,” Biggs said.
And so, the ministry began and grew.
For nine years, the parish embraced hosting Family Promise clients and continued to improve the old convent. They needed to upgrade the kitchen appliances at one point, so they raised funds to do so in just three days. Rugs were donated for the family room so the little ones could play on the floor, and parishioners donated books, toys, games, and other amenities. One teenage girl from the parish made toiletry baskets for each guest. Various ministries chipped in to help – Men’s Cornerstone set up furniture, CCD classes cleaned, confirmation candidates baked homemade desserts, and families signed up to make dinner.
While other churches could only devote a week or two to the families, St. Catharine’s grew to host two times a year for two weeks each time.
A few weeks before the families would move in, Biggs said a simple poster board with a list of needed items would quickly fill up with donors’ names.
“For each visit, we estimated that between 150-200 people participated in some way – from donating a single item to preparing a meal, doing laundry, cleaning the building, or coming to volunteer to sleep overnight,” Biggs said.
St. Catharine also established a training program for volunteers on the “dos and don’ts” when interacting with families. Biggs said that dozens of people willingly attended the training, including some who were not directly involved with the families but wanted to learn to be more sensitive to displaced people’s issues.
“It’s one thing to have the best of intentions, but along the way, we learned good intentions weren’t enough,” Biggs said. “Homelessness is complicated and needs the best response we can provide. Homelessness is a tough thing and brings many issues with it. We had to learn how to best handle it, and we felt all volunteers needed to be briefed.
Family Promise Executive Director Kate Duggan credited Biggs for coordinating “the effort, securing donations and volunteers to ensure a safe, caring, and wonderful experience for the families in the program.”
“For close to 10 years, until COVID forced the closing of the network program, parents and their children — from infants to teens — were guaranteed nutritious and abundant meals and nightly activities from games to crafts to reading to basketball,” Duggan said “And don’t forget those extra-special bubble baths before bed.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Family Promise had to substitute the rotating church model with placing families in separate hotel rooms due to social distancing rules. Duggan said that the not-for-profit, hoping to buy a building for the displaced families, is not returning to the rotating-houses-of-worship program. She said that keeping families in one place rather than moving every week has advantages.
Although St. Catharine’s convent is not offering respite anymore, the parishioners have continued to help their neighbors through Family Promise.
At the start of the pandemic, Biggs and other parishioners who had worked in the sheltering ministry pivoted to helping at the Family Promise Walk-in Dinner Program that provides daily meals. The program is currently serving 150-170 people a day. Although the buffet-style service has not resumed since the pandemic, meals are boxed for distribution to shelter clients and members of the community at the loading dock. Volunteers deliver to local motels for families and those in need. St. Catharine parishioners volunteer a few days a week at the dinner program.
St. Catharine has also helped Family Promise’s post-shelter program that helps clients find permanent housing. Parishioners have donated beds, furniture, and household items to clients to set up their new homes when they leave the program.
“Some families would move into an apartment sleeping on the floor with a few blankets. We started collecting and storing furniture and household items from parishioners that were downsizing or replacing furniture. Over the years, we helped several families furnish their new apartments,” Biggs said.
In 2019, Family Promise approached St. Catharine’s about hosting Camp Lots-of-Fun for homeless children. This happened after the children were prohibited from using a jungle gym on the camp’s original site because the space had been rented to a daycare center.
For two weeks in the summer, children of families who are displaced get to attend Camp Lots-of-Fun at St. Catharine Church.
“There is a large air-conditioned indoor space with kitchen and bathrooms, plus a beautiful outdoor space for sports and activities and a private playground for the younger children,” Duggan said.
Parishioners donated snacks, lunches, and even gift cards for new school shoes or clothes.
Duggan said that the ministry from St. Catharine understands Family Promise’s mission of empowering families.
“We don’t offer a handout; we offer a leg up,” Duggan said.
Last year, Family Promise helped 242 families find shelter and begin to build a financial safety cushion through financial coaching. Through its Walk-in Dinner Program, it served 62,500 meals to 1,500 food-insecure people.
On Oct. 20, at the Family Promise Gala: “Many Roads Lead Home,” the not-for-profit group will honor St. Catharine Church of Glen Rock.
“Family Promise of Bergen County will honor those in our community who have partnered with us to serve families experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty,” Duggan said “One of those honorees will be St. Catharine Church of Glen Rock.
Duggan thanked previous pastors Father Joe Kwiatkowski, Father Tom Wisniewski, and newly installed Father Dominick Lenoci for their continued support. Father Lenoci will be accepting the award.
Bishop Michael A. Saporito, the Archdiocese of Newark’s auxiliary bishop for Bergen County, said in a letter congratulating St. Catharine that the award is an honor and recognition of the parish’s many years of “devotion to helping raise up those who suffer in our communities.”
“Your support to those less fortunate is commendable,” Bishop Saporito said “lt exemplifies the continuous message of Jesus Christ for us to love one another and actively reach out to help those in need with tangible hope. Thank you all for your dedication, outreach, and commitment to those who need our assistance.”
For more information about St. Catherine Church and its ministries, visit www.stcatharinechurch.org.
Featured photo: St. Catharine Church in Glen Rock. (GOOGLE STREETSCAPE)
