One photograph from our October outreach shows Sister Catherine reaching across a slope to hand a bag to a neighbor. It is a simple exchange, but it captures something I hope we never lose as St. Joseph Collaborative grows: the willingness to go where people are and meet them with care.
Father Larry Curtis, parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral in San Bernardino, and Sister Catherine of the Felician Sisters of North America joined us in serving our neighbors. Together, we offered practical assistance, spent time in conversation, and paused for prayer.
I was grateful to have them alongside us. Their presence reflected a faith expressed through personal attention—taking the time to listen, offer encouragement, and share in the concerns of someone they had just met.
The photographs follow those encounters from daylight into evening. There are conversations beside belongings, footsteps along uneven ground, and moments of prayer on the sidewalk. Looking back, I see people making time for one another. That willingness to be present is essential to the work.
Having experienced homelessness myself, I approach these encounters with a personal understanding of how easily someone’s circumstances can overshadow their humanity. Yet my experience is only my own. Every neighbor we meet has a history I do not know, strengths I have yet to recognize, and a voice that deserves to be heard.
That is why listening matters so much to me. We need to understand what people are asking for and be honest about what we can provide. Respect grows through those exchanges and through the care we take in following through.
My faith is what brings me back to this responsibility. God’s mercy changed the direction of my life. Serving through St. Joseph Collaborative is one way I respond—with gratitude, a willingness to keep learning, and a commitment to make myself useful to others.
Father Larry and Sister Catherine helped carry that work during this outreach. I thank them for their time, their prayers, and the care they brought to our neighbors.
I am also grateful to everyone whose contribution made it possible for us to go out prepared. Every outreach depends on work beyond what appears in the photographs: gathering supplies, preparing bags, arranging transportation, and making time to serve. Financial gifts, donated goods, and volunteer hours all help sustain that effort.
As we build St. Joseph Collaborative, my priority is to strengthen our ability to serve consistently. I want our neighbors to encounter an organization that listens carefully, uses its resources responsibly, and keeps its commitments.
We welcome individuals, businesses, and parish communities who want to help us build that foundation. Whether through food and hygiene supplies, volunteer service, transportation support, or financial contributions, there are practical ways to become part of the mission.
These October photographs remind me how much begins with a personal encounter. We arrive with something to offer, take the time to know the person before us, and leave with a responsibility to keep caring.
That is how love shows up—and how we intend to keep serving San Bernardino.
