Under the direction of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, St. Patrick’s Haven, 147 East 12th Street in Erie, provides shelter for 21 homeless men per night as well as an evening meal on Saturdays and Sundays. Director Sister Mary Fromknecht, SSJ, recently spoke to the Business Magazine about the shelter and its selection as the chosen charity for the 2014 Roar on the Shore® motorcycle rally.
St. Patrick’s Haven was originally founded as an outreach of St. Patrick Parish in 1984 to provide shelter for the area’s homeless. Eventually, the Haven became a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Please share how this mission and ministry came about.
A parishioner suggested that St. Patrick Parish open the church at night for the homeless. The parish team was aware of the many men who slept under the bushes on the property, as well as on benches at Perry Square and sidewalk grates near Hamot Health Center. We knew that something needed to be done. Rather than using the church, we started looking for a shelter location. A house on Peach Street between 3rd and 4th that was going to be demolished was offered to us. We knew the parish was not able to financially support this project, so we began with an unknown financial future.
On December 8, 1984, following a press conference that included the local police and fire departments and Bishop Michael Murphy, St. Patrick’s Haven was officially opened. The first manager was homeless himself and eager to work in return for a weekly carton of cigarettes. News of the ministry spread throughout the community and individuals and organizations provided financial support to keep the Haven open. Word also spread through the homeless community. Since the first man who found refuge at the Haven, the doors have remained open, even throughout the move to East 12th Street, and the Haven has welcomed the ’stranger or friend’ every night of the year.
In the mid-1990s, the Haven became a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Just a few years ago, the SSJ Associates, who also operate St. James Haven in Meadville, assumed operations of St. Patrick’s Haven. The mission of the Haven is to be a ministry of presence and provide a place of welcome, nightly refuge, food, comfort and friendship for homeless men in the area.
Many of the homeless men who use the shelter are also veterans who have fallen on hard times. What more can you tell our readers about these individuals and the need to minister to them?
We don’t require much of someone seeking shelter and ask for only very basic information from the men that stay. But by spending time listening to them, we learn about their situations. Many have served in the military. In 2012, the Haven provided 7,304 nights of shelter to men ages 18 to 79. Sixty percent of them were veterans. They speak of the difficulties of being overseas and then trying to resume a normal life when they return. They share about losing family and friends because of their inability to fit in after military service. Often, they turn to alcohol and/or drugs to ease the pain. Mental illness also can be an issue.
What was your reaction to having the Haven selected as the Roar® charity?
Other than food and shelter state and national grants, the Haven has continued strictly through private donations. We operate knowing that at some point, expenses could outweigh income. But we always believed if the Haven is to continue, God will provide. My immediate reaction when the Haven was chosen was gratitude to God — the Haven is to continue.
How will proceeds benefit the shelter?
The proceeds from Roar on the Shore® will provide stability that the Haven has never had as it moves into the future. How that future will unfold is unknown, but we are most grateful for this support, today and in the days ahead.
Roar® is introducing its first Faith and Freedom Bayfront Ride with the Sisters of St. Joseph this year. What do you think of this new ride?
We are pleased that the opening run of the 2014 Roar on the Shore® will originate at St. Patrick’s Haven and will help create awareness about the Haven and the needs of the problem of homelessness in our community. Along with that, I think it will be a lot of fun!
Should we expect to see many of the Sisters of St. Joseph riding/participating at Roar on the Shore® 2014?
I am sure some of our Sisters and our SSJ Associates will participate in Roar on the Shore®. The Haven’s Board members will be there as well. Look for us in our St. Patrick’s Haven/Roar on the Shore® T-shirts during the event. We hope to have some Sisters and SSJ Associates riding as well. I’ll be riding in a sidecar myself!
Learn more in the July 2014 issue of the Business Magazine.
