Taking seriously the Biblical call to “Praise His name with dancing” (Psalm 149:3), members of the Michigan Area came out on September 30th to support a square dance fundraiser for the Malta Dental and Medical Clinic and the recently-reopened St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen. The fundraiser is an annual event sponsored by the St. Lawrence Knights of Columbus at the Knights Park & Pavilion in Utica. Calling out the dance steps was Brother Jim Boynton, SJ, president of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, and a past guest of the Order of Malta’s annual pilgrimage to Lourdes. A picnic supper featured pulled pork sandwiches and hot dogs.
The Malta Dental and Medical Clinic and St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen have a shared history: both started at St. Leo Catholic Church in Detroit. The soup kitchen’s roots go back to the early 1900s; the Clinic was founded in 2004 by Lou Mahoney, KM, to serve guests of the soup kitchen.
The St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen served about 40,000 meals each year from the church’s basement, but in June 2021 was forced to close due to damage from summer floods. With support from members of the Michigan Area, St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen reopened in the Center for the Works of Mercy in January 2023, joining the Clinic, which relocated to the Center in 2021.
The Malta Dental and Medical Clinic’s mission is to provide exceptional, compassionate, free health care to the uninsured patients of Metro Detroit. Since its founding in 2004, the Clinic has treated over 16,000 patients at no cost, supported by the volunteer work and donations of numerous Michigan Area members. Earlier this year, the Clinic was the subject of an article in Detroit Catholic, the Archdiocese of Detroit’s online new service: https://www.detroitcatholic.com/news/malta-clinic-to-doctors-nurses-detroits-low-income-patients-need-your-help.
Michigan Area members also support the St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen, including providing a twice-monthly hot lunch prepared under the direction of Detroit master chef Burt Dearing. Over 100 poor and homeless guests are served at a typical lunch. Volunteers also pack food bags for lunch guests to take with them.
