“Saint Joseph the Good and Just Man”

Kevin Moran, COO of Joseph’s House in Camden an SJU service partner

Pope Francis declared 2020-2021 the Year of St. Joseph. For the past 10 years, I have been affiliated with Joseph’s House of Camden -- seven years as a board member and, more recently, as the Operations Director. Each day, Joseph’s House follows Joseph’s example on the role he played as Jesus’s father and protector. The Bible refers to Joseph as a good and just man, a man of integrity who was well respected in the community. It is wonderful to witness God’s love and mercy through the work of our shared ministry outreaching to those experiencing homelessness.

As the founding board member of Joseph’s House of Camden, I was involved with naming the organization. We brainstormed a variety of names, including The Samaritan Society, Samaritan Café, Open Door Café, Trinity Café, to name a few. We wanted to choose a name that would speak to our mission. The board was in consensus that it was critically important to come up with a name that dignified the people we served. We arrived at the name Joseph’s House because of who Joseph represented. When someone asked a guest, who was experiencing homelessness, where they were spending their night, the guest would respond, “I’m headed to Joseph’s House.” As we know from the gospels, Joseph was the protector, the caretaker of Jesus. Joseph’s House in Camden would be a place where the guests would be welcomed and accepted, without judgment, a place where they are served with compassion, respect, and dignity. Joseph’s House would be a place where they would feel the warmth and love of community and family.

Every guest who walks through the doors at Joseph’s House is ‘the child’ whom Joseph continues to protect. Those motivated to receive our services are looking for a comfortable, safe place, where they will not be judged. We are blessed to be under the patronage of Saint Joseph, who is invoked as the protector of the unfortunate, the homeless, the lonely, and the oppressed. Our mission is to provide love and compassion to the least of our brothers and sisters.

As we know from the gospels, Jesus showed a particular care and concern for those hurting, those lonely, those unsheltered, those striving for a place of belonging, those same people for whom Joseph’s House provides services. When I reflect on where I find Jesus today, I see him waiting in the lunch line, sitting with the lonely and the suffering, offering conversation and companionship. Many of our brothers and sisters, suffering from mental illnesses or addiction or seeking employment, find themselves wandering the streets, fighting for survival, wondering where they will lay their head, what their next meal will be. They seek a sense of community, a sense of family, and a sense of belonging. They ultimately seek the Kingdom of God here on earth. Joseph’s House provides them with that space, a loving and nurturing environment that will believe in them even if they lose belief in themselves. As one guest describes, “Joseph’s House became my family over these past several months. I am fortunate for having been part of this community.”

Joseph’s House provides social services to those who are lonely, those who are lost, those who are suffering, and those who are longing for community. Many of the guests who utilize the services at Joseph’s House suffer from a drug or alcohol addiction, some battle a mental illness, some have lost a job and found themselves unemployed, and some got evicted from their housing situation. Joseph’s House provides resources and services for those experiencing homelessness to get back on their feet. For the past 10 years, Joseph’s House has provided its guests with compassion, dignity, and love, just as Joseph provided to Jesus.

Just as Joseph was a wonderful protector of Jesus, the staff at Joseph’s House care for the individual guests who walk through our doors. We provide love, compassion, and dignity to those experiencing homelessness.

The vision of Joseph’s House is committed to a Camden where no neighbor sleeps outside, even for one night; where those brought down by poverty, addiction, or mental illness find in Joseph’s House a place of friendship, offering hope and practical help.

Pope Francis has declared 2020-2021, the year of St. Joseph. He is the perfect saint for the pandemic. Life in the midst of COVID-19 has sparked fear, frustration, and anxiety. However, through it all, Joseph’s House has remained committed to South Jersey’s most vulnerable. Although daily operations and services provided at Joseph’s House has been altered, we have been able to continue providing our vital ministry to those experiencing homelessness.

As Pope Francis writes in Patris Corde, “Joseph found happiness not in mere self-sacrifice but in self-gift. In him, we never see frustration but only trust. His patient silence was the prelude to concrete expressions of trust.” The guests of Joseph’s House continue to put their trust in our services. They hope our staff will be able to provide resources that will allow them the opportunity to get help with their mental illness or addiction, or with whatever they need assistance.

For the past 10 years, Joseph’s House has welcomed people in need. We have provided food and shelter. We have provided supportive services to get our guests back on their feet. We have helped them rediscover hope and happiness. We have provided the guests with a wonderful sense of belonging and community, through countless hours of friendship, conversation, companionship, and encounters. The staff and volunteers at Joseph’s House have truly witnessed encountering Christ through the lonely, through the poor, through the unsheltered. We are blessed to be under the patronage of St. Joseph.

St. Joseph, pray for the sick, the neglected, the lonely, the troubled, the unsheltered, those we serve. We thank you for being such a wonderful witness, guide, and example of life in the gospel.

Kevin Moran, a founding board member of Joseph’s House of Camden, is now Operations Director. For more information on Joseph’s House, check out our website at http://www.jhoc.org.