Blessing of Bethlehem House
In the 1830s a young university student daily made his way across Paris to attend lectures at the Sorbonne. He passed through the poorer parts of the city and noted the extreme destitution of the people.
He was a devout Catholic and was engaged in defending Christianity in the face of a growing atheism among some of the students.
In a debate with an atheist he was challenged: “And you who pride yourself on your Catholicism, what are you now doing for the poor?”
This challenged the young student, Frederick Ozanam. In April of 1833 he met with some of his friends to consider what they could do to alleviate the sufferings of the poor in the city.
They decided to meet the needs of the people by concrete actions of practical help. Frederick with his housemate took the first step by giving their store of winter firewood to a destitute widow.
With a small group of fellow students a weekly meeting discussed the needs that they recognised and considered how they might address them.
Their approach was practical, immediate and personal. It was inspired by their faith and the recognition that Christ called on his followers to serve the poor.
They called their group a ‘conference’ and chose as their patron, a saint known for his concern for the poor, St Vincent de Paul.
The group soon attracted others and it spread over the years to becoming the largest organisation of lay people in the Church dedicated to meeting the practical needs of the poor.
Based in local parish conferences the genius of the St Vincent de Paul Society is its personal contact with those in need. They seek to be the face of Christ to those that they serve.
It was the St Mary’s Cathedral St Vincent de Paul Conference that decided in 1972 to open a house for homeless men.
They obtained the property in Warwick St and with volunteers from the conference provided overnight accommodation for homeless men.
That work has continued and expanded over the period of the last 50 years. What started as a bold step in faith has been able to endure and now with this new facility further expand its services to meet the increasing challenge of providing accommodation for those who need a roof over their heads.
Today as we bless this new building to house homeless men we read from the Gospel of St Luke the account of two men leaving Jerusalem in a state of confusion and despondency.
They were trying to understand the meaning of the crucifixion of Christ. A stranger joins them and engages them in conversation. He asks them what was troubling them.
Our reading describes how they invite this stranger to join them for a meal as they reach the village of Emmaus.
It is there, over the meal, that they discover that the stranger who joined them was, in fact, the risen Christ. Pondering this discovery they commented, “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road”. His conversation with them deeply touched them.
This story readily speaks to the hearts of Christians. Jesus promised that he would be with his disciples until the end of time.
He has risen, he has ascended to the Father, but he remains with us. He walks by our side, though we may or may not know it.
Jesus wants to engage with us in the issues and burdens of our lives. He is personally interested in each one of us.
As we bless this newly constructed Bethlehem House I pray that the men who find shelter here may also discover, as the two men on the road to Emmaus discovered, that the risen Lord walks with them, offering encouragement and hope.
Whatever the circumstances in their lives that have led them to seek help here, there is One who can bring them to a new place of hope and purpose.
May the risen Lord be found in this place and may this house be a place of welcome, peace and hope.
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Friday, 17 November 2023