THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD AND HE IS GOD TO ALL; THEREFORE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ALL ARE SEEN AS EQUAL BEFORE GOD.  MOTHER THERESA

On Fridays I like to introduce you to women who have made or who are making a difference in the world we live in.  In conjunction with the Papal visit to Philadelphia, I would again like to highlight a local nun who has spent her life addressing the needs of the poor and homeless.

The following is Sister’s own words from This I Believe,

When I was a student at St. Joseph’s University, I began to spend time on the streets of Philadelphia, getting to know the men and women for whom these streets were their only home. The more I develop relationships with them and the more I got to know them, the harder it became to head home at night while they remained outside.

In time, I came to a powerful insight: When we see a person on the street we can no longer pass by and piously say, “There but for the grace of God go I” – but rather “There go I.” As Dr. King taught us: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality; tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

I have had many great teachers – including Georgianna Simmons, who lost nine of her toes to frostbite on the streets of Philadelphia, and who, despite a daunting mental illness, was a powerful advocate and woman of great love. Or Tanisha Clanton, who spent the first ten years of her life in shelters and the streets, and now is in college pursing a degree in art education so she can use the arts as a tool for educating and inspiring inner-city youth. Or Joe Williams, who turned his years of addiction into a passion for recovery and now, with a college degree, runs a recovery house for homeless men.

I’ve been doing this work for more than 30 years and I’ve radically changed. People who have nothing have taught me so much about life and grace, about faith and compassion.

Among the lessons they have taught me is that ultimately, people who are homeless and poor need the same opportunities we all need: decent, affordable housing; quality education; employment and access to health care.

More significantly, their lives so eloquently witness to the fundamental truth of the dignity of every person. Contrary to our society, which values those who it deems productive and prosperous and often marginalize those who struggle with poverty, homelessness, addiction, or disability, I believe that every man, woman, and child possesses gifts, worth, and potential. Everyone matters!

And so, I envision and work for a society in which each person is given the opportunity and resources to achieve their fullest potential and to contribute to the common good.

I also believe that our greatest power is unleashed when people come together across social boundaries to form a community united by a common vision. It is through “the power of we” as our friend and partner, Jon Bon Jovi reminds us, that we come to know the deepest truth of our humanity.

At the end of the day, this is what I truly believe: “None of us are truly home until all of us are home.”

Sister Mary Scullion you rock.