Capuchin Mobile Ministries Nurture Body and Soul in Boston
“Capuchins have been called the Marines of the Church because of their willingness to go places and to do things that others might not feel able to do,” said Brother Anthony Zuba during an online talk with members of the Boston Area Order of Malta. The subject was the recently established Capuchin Mobile Ministries program in Boston. Brother Anthony described the program as a way to emulate the Capuchin ancestors who embraced plague victims and lepers. “It began to be clear to us that we could start by not being afraid to try something new in a time of our pandemic and to find a way to draw near to the poor, the lonely, the unheard and the unseen,” he said.
Capuchin Mobile Ministries was started a year ago under the auspices of the Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Mary, which represents New York and New England, and with the leadership of Brother Paul Fesefeldt and Brother Anthony. The Capuchins in Boston along with volunteers take a van to neighborhoods in need. Typically, the van will be stocked with 75 to 80 sandwiches, made by volunteers, along with coffee, hot cocoa or lemonade, hygiene kits, socks, and other emergency supplies. They visit eight to ten locations at a time in both Boston and Cambridge.
As helpful as it is to provide necessities, the Capuchins know that, as ministers, their real value comes in bringing care for the soul. Brother Anthony said that the people they meet are looking for someone who will understand them. “Someone who will help them understand the mysteries of life, help them deal with sorrows of their life, help them to understand the tragedy and absurdity of the evil that afflicts them and the suffering that they encounter,” he said.
And so while a volunteer is serving coffee and sandwiches, another member of the team might step aside and talk to a person who’s having a bad day. One of the priest friars might go off and celebrate reconciliation with someone. “We have to find a way to be able to touch them with the same spirit of God that we have received and have been privileged to be touched with,” Brother Anthony said. “We have to share that experience of God with one another, and then I think hope becomes alive. Then I think the promise of change can be realized.”
Capuchin Mobile Ministries is looking for volunteers to make sandwiches, assist in the van, or drive. If you are in the Boston Area and would like to help, contact Brother Anthony at (617) 413-9239 or mobile@capuchin.org. Please visit www.capuchin.org/mobile for more information about Capuchin Mobile Ministries.
