UPDATE
November
2, 2007
Under
the guidance of Sr. Stella Maris of
Nigeria
, we commenced our venture to feed the poor and needy in
Chicago
and we send you our warmest greetings. By
way of update as to the status of our feeding of the poor in
Chicago
, we began our mission on
September 27, 2004
, with our first official feeding. It
was a success and we fed seven needy persons with sandwiches as that we were to
start “small” per the directions of Sr. Stella.
We are proud to reveal that we still feed in the very same neighborhood
where the poor and needy souls abound. It
all started when we met a man named Jerome Jones who was instrumental in
directing us to the exact part of town where there were other hungry souls.
On that day, we quickly dispersed the remains of our seven lunches to
needy persons. We felt uplifted that
“God is so good” as to allow our first feeding in
Chicago
to be such a success.
As for the status of our current feedings, we are now feeding 56 persons
every other Monday. Even though we
have been performing this work for three years, there are days when we are
sometimes unprepared for the number of poor that might come to a feeding and on
occasion; we have run out of sandwiches. Thankfully,
God is Good and when this happens, some of the poor who receive more than one
sandwich will offer to share with the hungry newcomer.
Recently, Sister Stella visited the
United States
and visited our branch in
Chicago
. She went out with us on a Saturday
wherein we fed over 140 poor and needy. It
was a marvelous day and her presence made us realize that God is certainly
looking over this important mission.
But the most rewarding
part of this is what our dearest brother and sister, Ann and Padraic, have done
with this mission. They completely
expanded the feedings and we are so happy with the happiness and fervor in which
the complete this work. Our dearest
sister Ann writes:
“Who would ever believe all
that has gone on in the past year and a half?
It was a nice summer day when Padraic and I came out of morning mass and
planned to have dinner together later that evening.
It would be our first date at a nice restaurant.
Our Lady of Medjagorje has asked the world to fast on Wednesdays and
Fridays for the “poor souls” of Purgatory, and so we had decided we would
not eat anything until our dinner later that night.
His parting words were, “Ann you pick the restaurant.
Anywhere that you want to go is fine with me.”
As the day unfolded, I was getting more and more excited for our date.
Massage therapy is hard work if you are scheduled to work on four or five
people in a day. I am used to it and
sometimes on fasting days I would have a cup of coffee to keep my energy level
up. I wondered how Padraic was doing
because being a carpenter can also be very strenuous.
Anyhow,
my last client was a good friend of mine for years.
Even though he is not Catholic I asked him if it would be ok if I played
a compact disc during his massage that had the four mysteries of the Rosary.
It’s really peaceful and in between the mysteries, they gently sing.
He said he would like that. So
I did. During Scott’s therapeutic
treatment, he fell fast asleep, as the Hail Mary’s formed a melodic tone.
I was praying along in my heart as I usually try to do, when suddenly my
thoughts wandered away to our dinner plans soon to come.
In my heart I began to speak to Our Lord as I worked.
In the room, I was working very hard on a muscle that seemed knotted up
in his left forearm. But he didn’t
seem to mind. So again, in my heart
I began, “Lord. It’s me. I love
you. I am so excited for our dinner
tonight. He is great.
I like him. We will go
somewhere nice and it will be fun, right? Right
Lord?” I continued to pray inside
my heart. A moment later, I began
again, “Lord. I just don’t know
where to go. There are so many great
places to pick from. But this is our
first date and I can’t really decide.” I
was moving forward with the prayer again, and my stomach started growling.
“Lord, I have an idea. Would
you like to pick the restaurant for us? You
go ahead and decide where we should go.” Of
course Scott cannot hear me and the rosary is very beautiful.
“Ok Lord. I have a better
idea, please would you come to the restaurant with us?
Then if you could make yourself known somehow, I will know that you are
there and that you are pleased. Ok
Lord, then you will come to the restaurant?
It will be so nice if you are with us.”
I continued on with the rosary and I was very satisfied with this plan.
I was well into the massage and well into the rosary, when I heard a big
voice inside my heart say “Feed my lambs.”
I stopped working for a moment. I
continued working. I heard it again,
“Feed my lambs. Go out and feed my
lambs.” I glanced at the CD player
and in the past couple of years that I had listened to that rosary I had never
heard this before. I went over and
turned it louder. I tried to block
out this voice I heard. But then it
got louder, “Go out and Feed my lambs.”
Why would the Lord ask me to go feed his lambs?
But then it all changed. No
more arguing with Him. His voice was
strong and serious, “If I walked into the room right now, would you invite me
out to a restaurant? The way I am
dressed, how would you feel? I am
with those who are helpless. I am
with those who are starving. If you
want to be with me, then come and keep me company.
Come find me among those who are hungry. That
is where I will be tonight. I will
be there waiting for you.” Tears
filled up in my eyes. “I am sorry
Lord. I am sorry.”
I didn’t know what to do because I didn’t really know where to go.
I certainly didn’t want to tell Padraic about this.
He might think I was crazy.
As soon as I saw Scott reality started coming back to me and like a
tidal wave I soon realized that maybe it was all in my mind.
I was searching for an out. I
didn’t really want to go find hungry people.
But then I found myself asking Scott “How do you get lower Wacker
drive? Do you see the homeless
people down there still?” Scott
said “Now?”
And he then said. “Are you
asking in the daytime or night? I’ll
tell you one thing lady Jane, you are not going to lower Wacker alone.”
I laughed.
Afterwards, I was
driving home and I was getting really hungry.
I was in the turning lane with my signal on and there were no cars in the
lanes to my right (thank God!) when all of the sudden I lost control of my car
but I was not in any danger. It
almost seemed as if someone else took the wheel and steered it out of the
turning lane into the left lane and onward to the store, which was on the next
block. “NO!!” I yelled!
“I don’t want to go to the store!!”
I didn’t know what to do. But
I felt like I had no other choice. This
gentle assertive force was almost in total control of my vehicle.
I surrendered. I got out.
I went in. I put a couple of
loaves of bread in my basket. I
wandered over to the peanut butter and placed the jars in my basket next to the
popcorn, brown bags, and baggies. I
was determined to go on my date and I was ignoring the bag of groceries.
I called Padraic. “I’ll
be ready in a hour? Is that ok?”
He agreed it would be good. I was trying to think of what to wear and
began singing a little medley I heard once.
I was happy. Then, again I heard the Lord, “Feed my lambs.”
I turned off the shower and put on my robe and went to the phone.
“Padraic, it’s Ann. I
have to say something. It isn’t
easy for me. But there is no way
out.” He said, “Ok. Go on.”
I told him everything. I felt
sure he would say I was a crazy person or some kind of a fanatic or something
with a big imagination. I thought
there is no way he would want to go out with me, but I had no choice.
Padraic wasn’t like that at all. As
a matter of a fact, he told me he would phone me right back after he called his
friends who go and feed the hungry. He
thought we should follow up with it and do as we were told.
I was shocked. So, he
called his friends Colm and Margaret McDonnell and they described how to get
there and they encouraged us to go. He
asked me to make the lunches and we would go to dinner after we were done.
So, we took our ten lunches out there.
We prayed to St. Michael for protection and safety.
On the way over, I will never forget Padraic telling me how he once heard
that God appears to us once in our lifetime and when we die He will tell us how
we treated Him when we came to us. Padraic
wondered if God might there this be the time.
I knew what he meant. When we
got there. We parked and we faced
three men who sat on a little step up in the woods.
One was really old and he sat with two younger men.
Padraic got out and brought the lunches to them.
“Are you hungry? Would you
like a lunch?” I heard him say.
I sat in the car neatly tucked in to my seatbelt and the doors locked and
the windows rolled up and sealed shut. I
prayed, “Lord. Keep us safe.
Protect us. Don’t let
anything happen to us. We are here
to feed your lambs.” Just then I
felt comfortable and fine. I opened
up my seat belt and unlocked the door.
I got out and neared the men as Padraic spoke kind words towards
them. “Are there more out here?
Your friends might be hungry?” Just
then a girl dressed a little inappropriate came to Padraic and started pawing at
him. I got scared.
Then I turned and saw a police officer pull up.
He had a kind face and I was holding some brown bags and he eyed the
bags. “How are you doing there?
What’s in the bags?” Padraic
lunged ahead of me and greeted the police officer, “How’s it going?
We brought some lunch to these people.”
We opened the bag and showed him. The
police officer smiled. I said,
“Thank God you came along just now. I
was really getting worried, and.” He abruptly interrupted me, “you prayed
right? You prayed right?”
I smiled at Padraic and back at the police officer.
He said, “Right?” I
nodded yes. And then he said, “And then I came.
You prayed and then I came. You don’t ever have to worry when you are
serving God. These are God’s
children. You know take a look at
these people and then look at yourself. We
all get breaks in life. The only
difference between these people and us is that they didn’t recognize their
breaks when they came along.”
God is good. He loves
these guys and He loves us. That’s
why we have to keep trying to be good and it pleases Him if we help people.
Keep helping these people and spread the good.
The only thing I would say, is lock your doors when you leave your
vehicle and don’t wander from one another.
Come, feed them, and give thanks to God for giving you a chance to be
good. Be safe and be careful.
God Bless you.” We
drove to the restaurant and Padraic said, “I think we should do this once a
week. Saturdays would be good.
What do you think?” I was
happy to go along with it because I felt more at ease and the poor people are
hungry.
The group took shape. Once
in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, I was praying for the homeless people
when I heard the Lord say, “Never ask. Only
accept what is offered with love. Serve
with love.” I told this to Padraic
and from this point onward we waited for those to come forward for the group to
take shape. Schools have come
forward, neighborhoods are spreading the word, and 180 lunches are made and
delivered each week. Friends make
chili, coffee, and bring pop. They
gather blankets, coats, and clothing to donate.
It has grown into two very poor areas.
Robbins, IL and yes, lower Wacker. Padraic
goes each Saturday morning at 6am to lower Wacker with bundles of goods and then
he joins us for the Robbins group a little later.
We always begin with prayer, celebrate with food and clothes, and give
thanks for how good God is to us all!”
Yes, God is good for
giving us Ann and Padraic and we forever thank Sister Stella for introducing us
to this Holy and rewarding work of God!
Sincerely,
Colm McDonnell
