Rev. Carl Morello want to do the "Christian thing" by serving the needed. His solution is simple; convert an unused gymnasium to a homeless shelter one night per week. That's it. Morello suggested that just one night a week his church give homeless people a safe place to sleep. He wanted to become part of the admirable secular charity known PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter). PADS and Rev. Morello are the very essence of public service. It is ideas like this one that I like to celebrate. Rev. Carl Morello is trying to help. I can support that. But then again, I am not a parishioner in his 10,000-member Park Ridge congregation. The parishioners have other ideas and so do the locals townies.
What do the "real Christians" of Park Ridge do?
- Threaten to take their kids out of the Church's elementary school.
- Deny the problem (there are no homeless in Park Ridge).
- Vilify the homeless (all are violent drug users).
- Deny being cold can hurt or even kill (in Chicago no less).
Denying the homeless a safe bed in the middle of January out of fears for your property value is hypocrisy or worse, just plain evil. Parishioners at St. Mary's Episcopal Church should hang their head in shame.
Never fear.... St. Mary's came to the rescue.
