The homeless thank the Catholic Church

On Sept. 16, Bishop Michael Mulvey met with homeless representatives John Bailey, Roseanne “Rosie” Garcia, Larry Thompson, diocesan Director Jaime Reyna, Social Ministry, and Father Pete Elizardo, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, also responsible for the old Central Catholic School campus. The three representatives thanked the bishop for seeing them, and each spoke of their past circumstances that led to their current state of homelessness.

According to the three representatives, the pandemic made it harder for the homeless to find work and a safe place to sleep. Many avenues like halfway houses and recovery centers, which had been open to them pre-pandemic, have since closed to protect those who did find help in time.

Reyna, an advocate for the homeless, strongly feels that all the agencies who help the homeless can come together and work as one with the city of Corpus Christi. “The homeless have said they come to Sacred Heart Church because they feel safer here," Reyna said. "They just have this feeling that the Church will protect them.”

Father Pete Elizardo, the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, has been charged with the grounds and people residing on the old Central Catholic campus. He has also been like a pastor to the homeless, and they know him for his tough love and compassion.

Garcia advocates on behalf of the homeless, now claiming them as her family. “If you had asked me as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would never have thought I’d be a 42-year-old homeless woman. After 21 years of surviving domestic violence, I walked away. I thought the streets would be a whole lot easier. It’s not,” she said.  I never thought I’d be walking outside in the mid-winter rain with four layers of pants and three layers of shirts, knowing that I would have to walk five miles before I could find a restroom.”

“We are homeless, and we are trying to help each other out and building a bridge with you all has been a blessing – it really has. I’m thankful for everything y’all have done for all of us,” Garcia said.

Thompson works wherever he can. He said contractors come out and can find them for work because they know where they are. “I need someone to help me get my credentials an I.D. and diploma, but my school doesn’t exist anymore. So, I asked DMV just to put my name in the system, and they will see my face, but it’s not that simple,” he said. “People are so tired; that’s why they are lying on the sidewalk [at Central Catholic]."

Bailey talked about his homeless friend who couldn’t walk and had to live in his wheelchair. “For three weeks people pass by him. He needs help. How can they not see him?" he said. 

“We just want a bed. Instead of packing up and having no place to go, let people lay down somewhere at night,” Thompson said. “When we speak, it’s for the whole lot of us. We want the city to see us,” Bailey said. “I’m not better than anyone here, but I’m better than this.”

Bishop Mulvey listened, thanked them, and commended them for their openness, honesty, and desire to do something good for their homeless brothers and sisters. “You’ve said family, and you’ve said partnership. In a certain way, you’re committed to each other,"  he said.

“And I’m just thinking of the words of Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there.  I think truly the power of Christ is working with you because you are helping each other –because you’re partnering with each other,” Bishop Mulvey said. “The church wants to be there to affirm His power in your midst.”