Home. For most of us, that word conjures up a place of love and safety. But statistics show that for some 150 million people worldwide, like the man on the cover, home is non-existent.
This issue of Maryknoll magazine, titled “Nowhere to Lay His Head,” offers a glimpse of the reality of the homeless and how people of faith, including Maryknoll missioners, are responding to their needs. In Everett, in Washington state, for instance, Dennis Kelly, a member of the Maryknoll Deacon Mission Partners, has founded a non-profit organization through which medical professionals and other volunteers offer their services and spiritual support to their brothers and sisters living on the streets and under bridges. “Our aim is to create a circle of care around people who are homeless,” says Deacon Kelly.
Three thousand miles away, in El Salvador’s capital of San Salvador, Maryknoll Lay Missioner Tim Ross runs a house of hospitality for homeless Salvadorans, many of whom were deported from the United States and have been unable to find work back in their homeland.
In this issue, you will hear Pope Francis reiterating his plea to all of us to care for the earth, “our common home,” and see Maryknoll Father Vincent Cole putting the pope’s words into action in a remote area of Indonesia.
At the start of this new year, let us consider how we will create a world of welcome for all. Perhaps we can begin by opening the door of our hearts so that others may find a home there.
Margaret Gaughan, Editor
