Living in the Washington metropolitan area, we are all used to traffic. In the summer of 2019, a study ranked our area as third worst in the nation in terms of clogged roadways. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit a few months later and resulted in widespread shutdowns. Traffic delays in our area fell 77 percent in 2020, the most of any major metro area.
We are all happy to have less gridlock on our roads, but we paid a high price with the shutdown’s impact on our lives and our economy. I now drive to our Catholic Charities’ offices on G Street a few days a week, and I see traffic picking up. However, a recent article in The Washington Post said that only 25 percent of the downtown area is back to work.
With 75 percent of the downtown workforce still not back, the city is not functioning anywhere near where it once did in terms of restaurants, shops, people out and about on the streets, and yes, traffic. Many people and businesses are affected by this still largely absent workforce. You may well be among them. We at Catholic Charities are, so let me share some good news and not-so-good news about how we continue to operate in your name taking care of the poor and needy in our area.
First, I am thrilled to report that almost all of our 800 employees have been vaccinated or are working toward it. I am very grateful to our staff members who have taken this so seriously, see themselves as responsible for the well-being of those they serve, and are doing all they can to make sure they are not the way one of our clients or fellow staff members contracts the virus.
Sadly, we did lose staff members during the pandemic. It was heartbreaking for our clients and coworkers to say goodbye to individuals who worked so diligently through the years and faithfully helped those in need in our shelters and various other programs. We pray for them, their loved ones, and all who have died during the pandemic.
I am pleased to report that we continue to function at a very high level. Almost all of our programs are now back at full speed. Some are still being done differently than before the pandemic – i.e., telehealth, phone interviews, social workers and case workers helping people from a distance – but the work does go on.
The more difficult news is that we still cannot see a lot of our clients directly as much as we used to. For example, we have a wonderful program called St. Maria’s Meals that serves food in three locations – Langley Park, Camp Springs and at our main offices on G Street. The first two are doing great, but the G Street location is nowhere near what it once was. There are simply fewer people on the streets downtown.
Some of that is for positive reasons. The city has made great efforts to keep our shelters open, and they now provide three meals a day rather than one, which was the arrangement before COVID. In addition, people can now stay in the shelters all day if they wish, whereas before they needed to leave in the morning. With more people not leaving the shelters and receiving food there, fewer are coming downtown.
Our special holiday meals are also different. Our annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners will be more of a “grab and go.” We won’t be able to sit people down to enjoy both a great meal and great fellowship, which nourishes the soul as much as the food nourishes the body. I remember at one of these meals a few years ago when one of our volunteers shook hands with one of our clients, and the client thanked him profusely, saying it had been 10 years since someone had shaken his hand.
Still, we are extremely grateful for your support that allows us to provide nutritious and freshly cooked meals on special occasions. I must say, though, that we do miss the joy of sitting together, talking with our clients and hearing about their lives, their struggles, and where they need help.
I am incredibly moved by the dedication of our staff, half of whom never stopped working throughout the pandemic. They work in our shelters. They prepare food. They make it possible to give food to so many through our SHARE Food Network. They continue to do telehealth. And on and on. Many continue working from home and doing their best to serve those in need.
Our younger families carry a particularly heavy burden with children under 12 not yet able to be vaccinated. I know parents worry that their children are more vulnerable to the virus, both contracting it and spreading it. Our employees struggle with decisions about child care, schools, and other activities. As an employer that cares deeply about the issue of life, Catholic Charities must do all it can to help them protect their lives and the lives of their children.
Amid the ongoing struggles, there is much to be thankful for. One of my great joys in recent weeks is watching people come on weekends to the soccer field at St. Bartholomew’s, where I live. The field is just across the street from the rectory, and I can see and hear children and parents enjoying the outdoors, the fun of sport, and the joy of friendship and teamwork. It’s a picnic-like atmosphere of people gathering, celebrating, and enjoying time with the Catholic community in a safe environment.
I pray those days will soon return fully for all of us. In the meantime, Catholic Charities is doing well and giving our best every day under whatever circumstances we face. There have been difficulties, but your prayers and financial support sustain us. We continue the work we are called to do in your name, and we always strive to do even better. I think this all speaks to a Church that follows the Lord’s commands and has in its DNA a commitment to take care of those in need.
I am completely overwhelmed by the dedication of our Catholic Charities team and all who press on during difficult times. Their perseverance, creativity and willingness to adapt to continue serving inspires me. If you saw it firsthand, I know you would be inspired as well.
I think of St. Francis de Sales, who encouraged us to be in God’s presence wherever we are and in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, to “bloom where we are planted.” We have all found ourselves planted in unexpected places, and I see those in our agency representing all of you by being the presence of Jesus to those they meet. They are truly feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and clothing the naked.
May we all remain deeply committed to the gospel, to the message of Jesus, and to making sure those we encounter experience God in our commitment to being the best we can be each and every day.
(Msgr. John Enzler, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, writes a “Faith in Action” column for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard and Spanish-language El Pregonero newspapers and websites.)
