While waiting for their turn at the food pantry, at the food pantry, a regular visitor asked Deacon Claire Mis if she would pray with them. They found a quiet corner amid the flurry of activity that is typical of Mondays at St Paul's in Patchogue.
"My situation hasn’t changed," they told Deacon Claire. "But I’m feeling much better."
This is what it means to be part of the extended community of the ministries at St. Paul's in Patchogue, NY, where Monday isn't the priest's day off, but rather the busiest day of the week for Father James Reiss and Deacon Claire.
Fr. Reiss, who's only been in Patchogue for two years, is already a fixture across town, where men who've been served in the parish ministries call out "Pastor!" and give him high fives when they see him locally.
In the parish hall, the soup kitchen is serving a hot lunch while the food pantry offers groceries down the hall. The church Thrift Shop is open, and visitors to the soup kitchen can also step outside where a shower truck offers a dignified place to get clean. Guests are well-known, and the Monday regulars are expected.
When one of the regulars is missing, someone from the church checks in. When we visited St. Paul's only a few weeks ago, Deacon Claire drove off amid the program hours to make sure a visitor's children wouldn't be left on her own while she received a hot meal.
These ministries are a holistic network of care. We saw visitors who would arrive, be fed, take a hot shower, and then leave in an entirely fresh set of clothes from the thrift store using a voucher. Every program at St. Paul's benefits and grows mutually with the others.
“Everyone I know has gotten something they needed here," Ruth E. said. "I had one friend starting a new job, she couldn’t afford money for the thrift store, but they gave her clothes for work. They gave her a suit!”
Upstairs, the church is home to RISE Life Services, a community for people with developmental disabilities who serve in St. Paul's ministry every week, giving them meaningful vocational opportunities.
“It’s a marriage made in heaven," Fr. Reiss said. "They had adults with special needs who wanted pre-vocational opportunities, in case they needed to build a resume. Now, they serve in all of our ministries.”
Some volunteers have been serving in these programs for decades and appreciate the new help.
"Helping people is what Christ does," said Diane Butler, who has been in Patchogue for generations. "I was given lots of opportunities as a young person to make a decent life for myself. To give back means being the eyes and ears of Christ in the world. And everyone needs a little kindness."
