Open Doors, Open Hearts: Homeless Week @ St. Paul

Each year, our St. Paul community opens their hearts and doors to welcome and care for the homeless during a week-long interfaith rotating shelter program. March 2016 was St. Paul’s twenty-second year as a participating parish. Here is just an overview of what makes our program so rewarding to both guests, parishioners, and volunteers:

Mission

  • Provide a warm, loving, welcoming, and spiritual environment for our less fortunate guests at all times.
  • Ensure that all the needs of our guests are met whenever possible.
  • Always treat our guests and each other with love and respect. “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
  • Encourage fellowship between our parishioners, volunteers and invited guests

Vision

  • Provide a warm and loving environment for our guests
  • Provide two hot meals and 1-2 large bag lunches daily
  • Deliver superior accommodations to our guests
  • Provide daily worship and spiritual opportunities for our guests
  • Foster a positive, challenging and rewarding environment
  • Ensure effective communication with our guests and each other
  • Encourage unity and fellowship amongst our guests and fellow parishioners
  • Organize activities, entertainment and opportunities for just having fun!

Interesting Facts About Our Program

  • Open Hearts, Open Doors is the largest outreach program organized by St. Paul Church.
  • We prepare more than 950 meals during the week long program.
  • Last year, we served 15 gallons of orange juice and over 25 gallons of hot coffee!
  • We use 15 loaves of bread and 12 pounds of meat and cheese to make lunches every day.
  • Each year, an estimated 350-500 people volunteer to help with this program in various ways.

2021 OPEN DOORS, OPEN HEARTS

Check back here soon for 2021 dates.

LEARN MORE / VOLUNTEER

If you would like additional program information or to volunteer, please contact Tricia Kesteloot at 313.885.7022 or click on email to send her an email.

A Very Special Thank you! (From our guests, 2018 Homeless Week)

11850 Woodrow Wilson
Cass Community Social Service
Rotating Shelter Part

Attention: Tom, Trisha, Sara, Shu and the gang
St. Paul Catholic School/St. Paul Catholic Parish Congregation
170 Grosse Pointe Blvd., Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236

It appears our week has just about come to a close. We couldn’t leave without expressing our heartfelt appreciation to ALL of you. We (Cass Community Social Service Rotation Part) would like you ALL to know that we truly appreciated the kindness and thoughtfulness shown to so many of us for one week. To ALL of us it was not just about the giving which we ALL did appreciate so very much it went beyond that for us it was the caring, the time taken out to get up early, the time you took to prepare meals.

The time it took just to lend an ear to listen and show us how much you really did care. It was the extra mile taken washing someone clothes, preparing lunches and care packages, or a prayer given one-on-one here or there. We felt so loved that someone wanted to enjoy our company and share a meal with Us. The help with making up a bed or two. The feeling of being able to enjoy a shower with towels provided, going to bed at night feeling clean and saying aloud as you walk toward the room THANK YOU! The hugs, the help with wiping away a tear or two from a stressful eye, my list would stretch for miles if I allowed it too.

As I begin to walk through the halls my mind seem to wonder about all the children who attended school at St. Paul Catholic School many of whom cared and express art work in drawings, scriptures who also volunteered with many of the adult volunteers We wish to also Thank them all too!!

Not to mention riding in style on charter buses with professional drivers who went above the call to lift a bag or two who waited patiently as if they didn’t mind and had lots of time Thank you! Many of the organizations volunteers how could We ever forget you Thank you all too!

The bands were All so grand they had us singing, rocking and dancing to the sweet sounding beat we Thank you! too. Attending Bible Study and prayer has shown us that God Loves All of us it has taught us to hold on even tighter to our faith and believe in God ever changing hand to LOVE ourselves and others. To know that whatever we’re All going through in life it’s just a part of our break through on our way backup.  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Cass Community Social Service (Rotating Shelter Part 2018)