Yesterday Brendan and I have been married for five months! We celebrated by going to help at Caritas. Every Friday we have the pleasure of helping out at this Catholic soup-kitchen/medical clinic/huge shelter in downtown Rome.
Every time we go I notice new things. It’s similar to helping out at soup kitchens at home, but because of the language barrier we spend more time observing than in conversation.
Last night Brendan was “body guard,” in charge of easing the people in a reasonable pace, and I was a water girl with Michela and Sali. It was tough work, but much more rewarding. The other jobs are giving people tickets, giving them trays, and giving them their choice of food, all of which occur quickly and with a counter separating you. Being out among the people was my favorite job so far, even without knowing much Italian (but we get better every week).
The people are the same as in shelters everywhere, but you see what you want to see. Some volunteers might come and notice only the drug addicts and prostitutes. But when you observe more closely you will see that many people are there because health afflictions have bankrupted them or because they are refugees who have been sent to Italy.
There are many cute older people there who walk with short shuffling steps. During the minutes it takes them to shuffle from their table to the door, they always yell a friendly goodbye. I’ve seen people with urine bags hanging out of their cargo pockets and people struggling to walk with special types of braces.
And you wouldn’t believe the number of refugees that we see at Caritas. Because Italy is just over the Mediterranean Sea from Africa, many refugees are sent here. Every week we meet refugees from Nigeria, Somalia, and Ethiopia, among other African countries. They are all very nice, but frustrated. They spend all day looking for jobs in Italy, but can’t find one. They don’t have a place to stay, so unless they get a spot in Caritas or other shelters they sleep in groups on the street. They speak English or French, and like us they have to learn Italian gradually. They really seem to want to work and even have asked if they could volunteer at Caritas like us, because people need meaningful work to feel like they have value.
On our way to and from Caritas we see many Africans who look like refugees bedding down for the night with the homeless on the streets. We saw men who looked like they had been highly educated in their countries wearing suit coats you could tell had once been expensive and nice. They wander the streets and headed toward Caritas toward dinner.
All I can think of is what if our family was in the same situation - how frustrating it would be for my parents… to be well educated, maybe top of your field as an engineer or a doctor in your home country, and then forced to go to soup kitchens for food because you couldn’t get a good job in the country you had been sent to for safety and a better life. I think it is must be hardest on the older adults. When you are young it could be an adventure, but being middle aged and having to start over would cause all but the most resilient people to despair.
Another group that many people would be surprised to see are the many women that come to Caritas for food and shelter. I’ve been really impressed with the number of women they are able to keep off the streets. And they have such stories… Last night I met Samantha and Nika. Samantha is a law student who just graduated and hasn’t been able to find work yet. Nika is young woman from Romania (a very poor country itself) who came to Italy to work for a family, but they treated her very badly and she left. I hear lots of stories, most that you wouldn’t expect to hear at a shelter.
But among all these struggles there are always the heroes: the people themselves who are trying to make the best of a bad situation, and the people that work or volunteer at Caritas. Every Friday at the front desk there is a Monsignor who reminds me of my Grandpa Bill by the way he looks and his mannerisms. He is a staple for the people that come and is always talking and joking with the people that come in. You can tell that he is their favorite.
There is also a man who gets the information from new people. He teaches Latin at the high school in Rome and he knows a little English. He has been helping at Caritas almost every Friday night for five years. He is so humble and was telling Brendan that he only wishes he could do more, that his work “is just a drop in the ocean” like Mother Teresa said. But it is a needed drop.
And finally there is Carlo. Carlo began working at Caritas nine years ago when he was our age (early 20s). He was so dedicated to this place that he worked his way up from being the guy at the front gate to the head of the soup kitchen and helps coordinate the meals. Carlo is a people person who speaks Italian and English and he spends the whole night supervising and making sure that things run smoothly. He is kind and funny, but he can also be tough when someone starts yelling. The people know that he cares about them and they respect him.
It just goes to show you that the people that you want to be friends with are people who are deeply involved in service. Over the college years, the people on the Service and Justice Team at St. Thomas Aquinas were some of my very best friends. When you are surrounded by people who live to love God and other people you can’t help but be inspired to grow closer to God.
Please pray for the people at Caritas and the volunteers that serve them. And go serve at shelter near you! I can honestly say it was one of the best anniversary/dates we’ve had!
Love you all,
Rachel and Brendan
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