Saint Frances (Mother) Cabrini provides model of service for new center
Bishop Louis Tylka blesses the hallways and rooms of the Mother Cabrini Center at its grand opening on March 18 in Peoria. The center is the new home base of Catholic Charities for the diocese. Diocese of Peoria/Julie Enzenberger
By Paul Thomas Moore
of the Catholic Post
As Bishop Louis Tylka reminded attendees at the blessing and grand opening of the Mother Cabrini Center on March 18 in Peoria, “As we try to reach out for those who are most in need, often that has to come from the generosity of others.”
The new home of Catholic Charities, at 615 NE Jefferson St., brings together staff and services that were previously split between the Spalding Pastoral Center on Madison Avenue and the Bessette Center, two miles away on Adams Street.
Approximately 100 people attended the blessing and open house and reception that followed. Auspiciously, the grand opening took place just over a week after the general release of the biopic “Cabrini,” which follows the story of the first American saint, Frances Xavier Cabrini. The movie is garnering strong reviews and a healthy box office (#5 as of this writing).
Chris McAtee, Director of Catholic Charities, stands among the bags of groceries and boxes of diapers waiting to be distributed, respectively, to guests of the food pantry and the St. Gianna Baby Pantry at the new Mother Cabrini Center. The Post Online/Paul Thomas Moore
But Bishop Tylka decided to name the center after Mother Cabrini long before the movie was news. He said that she was simply a great model of how “we can make that invitation to others to be generous with what God has given them to help those who are in need.”
Bishop Tylka decided to name the center after Mother Cabrini long before the movie [“Cabrini”] was news . . . . she was simply a great model of how “we can make that invitation to others to be generous with what God has given them to help those who are in need.”
Catholic Charities’ staff are honored to expand that invitation to those near and far whom they are blessed to serve. A new 142-unit affordable housing development that replaces the former Taft Homes is, providentially, located only a few blocks away. Providence Pointe (residents of Taft Homes helped to choose the name), is scheduled to be completed this spring.
MEET BASIC NEEDS — AND MORE
Chris McAtee, Director of Catholic Charities expects the new development will “bring us a lot of guests . . . so I think it [the center] is strategically placed very well.” In addition to being geographically accessible and continuing to “meet the basic needs of our brothers and sisters,” he stressed staff want to do even more.
“We also want to see the Cabrini Center be a magnet for the rest of the diocese,” he elaborated, describing the onsite conference room as a welcoming venue for in-person gatherings, as well as being equipped with the latest technology for virtual or hybrid meetings — for instance health education workshops.
As well, he added, “We want to do more for our senior citizens, so we could perhaps have collaborative programs with other groups doing similar things.”
The core “basic needs” McAtee referred to are addressed by the center’s Bessette Kitchen, food pantry, and St. Gianna Baby Pantry. The Bessette kitchen serves bagged take-out lunches Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The food pantry provides a free bag of groceries to guests aged 18-plus on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. No appointment or photo ID is necessary for the lunches or groceries.
The establishment of Mother Cabrini Center brings together under one roof staff and services of Catholic Charities in Peoria that previously operated out of different locations. With Bishop Tylka are (from left) Chris McAtee; Sr. Merlinda Marco, FAS; Sr. Vilma Loquez, FAS; Sr. Clare Key, DSF; John Gibson, II; and Suzie Meismer. The Post Online/Paul Thomas Moore
The Gianna Baby Pantry offers clothing, formula, diapers, and other baby essentials to families once a month. Clients are required to bring a copy of the child’s birth certificate. Open hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The availability of baby items is dependent on donations received from the community (hint, hint).
CATHOLIC CHARITIES REACHES DIOCESE-WIDE
McAtee emphasized that the many other diocesan apostolates of Catholic Charities are still going strong. In Champaign County, the Tolono Food Pantry and Good Samaritan Program for Seniors operates out of St. Patrick Parish. Additionally, Catholic Charities in LaSalle County offers the Guardian Angel Outreach for Mothers program in cooperation with OSF Health Care Center for Health in Streator.
Catholic Charities is busy, and the opening of the Mother Cabrini Center will no doubt take that work to another level. On the other hand, in a very real sense the work of Catholic Charities has already been taken to “another level.”
As well, Catholic Charities’ St. Nicholas Van continues to deliver blessings of basic health and personal care items and much more literally across the diocese from Moline to Danville. The Christmas gift program is also very popular, as is the school backpack program, which helps to provide backbacks outfitted with notebooks, pencils, pens, rulers and other school necessities prior to the start of fall classes.
In short, Catholic Charities is busy, and the opening of the Mother Cabrini Center will no doubt take that work to another level. On the other hand, in a very real sense the work of Catholic Charities has already been taken to “another level.”
As Bishop Lou prayed in his final blessing at the opening, “Christ said that whatever we do for the least among us we do for him. Let us then pray for the Lord’s blessing on those who take part in this center and all those devoted to helping their brothers and sisters.”
