Priest's Family Silver Sold to Serve the Homeless

Fr. Guy Blair, his mother and sisters wanted to do something special for the Kingdom of God. They realized that their family silver could either sit on a shelf or be sold to help the poor.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - On Sunday, November 1 the Green Bay Packers will host the Minnesota Vikings. Two hours after the game, Catholics from the Diocese of Green Bay will gather at St. John the Evangelist Homeless Shelter for the official opening of its warming shelter.

The shelter stays open through the sacrificial gifts of faithful supporters who have committed themselves to solidarity with the homeless. Among those is Fr. Guy Blair, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Wisconsin's oldest continuing parish and home to the shelter.

Fr. Blair's mother, who passed away in July, decided, with her son and four daughters, that the silver should be sold for a worthy cause. The priest donated 14 silver items, including five sugar urns dating back to the 1790's, vases, along with coffee and tea pots.

An public sale of the items, with a minimum total bid of $21,000, will be held by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas on November 10. Blair is hoping that at least $50,000 can be raised, which could cover the operating costs of the shelter for a number of weeks.

The shelter provides night-to-night temporary emergency shelter to adult men and women. Their website goes on to state that "all services and assistance are offered in the context of the furtherance of human dignity with the primary goal of harm reduction during the coldest weather months of the year.

"All people have the right to meet their basic human needs for food, clothing, shelter and medical care. SJEHS allows shelter guests an opportunity for engagement with mainstream shelter and housing resources, mental health and healthcare providers and other social service agencies."

During a typical cold weather season, the shelter may host as many as 280 individuals. It takes more than 500 volunteers contributing over 10,000 hours during the six months of operation to serve the needs of those who come.

Volunteers provide hospitality, prepare meals, manage supplies and donations, maintain the facility and carry out other administrative tasks.

Mary Kelly, executive director at the shelter explained the work of the shelter, which serves people who don't qualify for other providers, in an interview for "The Compass," the Diocesan Newspaper.

"We refer people to other facilities if they qualify for their services," said Kelly. "The only people that are turned away are registered sex offenders and anyone who presents a threatening manner.

"It was amazing some of the conversations we had with the guests," she said. Sometimes they are not used to people being nice to them. There is a lack of trust when they first enter. They are suspicious.

"It takes a little while, but they become more trusting and realize that no one is going to take advantage of them here. That's where you see progress. The volunteers and staff have been great at engaging people and making them feel welcome."

With gifts such as the one that will soon be provided by Fr. Guy Blair and his family, the shelter can keep its doors open and fulfill the words of our Lord , "'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'" (Matthew 25:34-36)

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Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online. He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

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