I received a call on Monday this past week. It was Kay Jorgensen of the Faithful Fools from San Francisco. “Could I meet with them today, before they left Minneapolis to go back to California tonight?” I had heard about them from the Franciscan sisters at the Sabbath House in south Minneapolis. So, I jumped at the chance.
The Faithful Fools is a charitable and educational organization created in 1998 to be present with and to address the existence of poverty in the midst of material wealth. They do ministry in the Tenderloin District.
I am inspired by some of the language they use on their web site:
“We are called to a ministry of presence that acknowledges each human’s incredible worth. Aware of our judgments we seek to meet people where they are, through the arts, education, advocacy and accompaniment. We participate in shattering myths about those living in poverty, seeing the light courage, intelligence, strength and creativity of the people we encounter. We discover on the streets our common humanity through which celebration, community and healing occur.”
We speak of Faithful Fools Street Ministry as being a “practice”. It is a practice of love and service. It is at the heart of our presence with people and in a neighborhood that are labeled “bad” and “unsafe”; and of providing a space for the artists’ soul to discover its expression.
Rachel Naomi Remen has written in her book, My Grandfather’s Blessings, a reflection that inspires us in our practice of service. We share a portion of it with you.
“Service rests on the basic premise that the nature of life is sacred…Fundamentally, helping, fixing, and service are ways of seeing life. When you help you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. From the perspective of service, we are all connected. All suffering is like my suffering and all joy is like my joy…Service goes beyond expertise. Service is another way of life. Service is a relationship between equals…In helping, we may find a sense of satisfaction; in serving, we have an experience of gratitude… When we serve, we discover that life is holy…Service is closer to generosity than it is to duty…Over the long run, fixing and helping are draining but service is renewing. 
When you serve, your work itself will sustain you, renew you, and bless you, often over many years.”
Faithful Fools web site
I was really inspired by this meeting I had with both Kay and the Faithful Fools outreach minister, Alex Darr.
This ministry leads street retreats in San Francisco and in other cities around the country. These retreats sound much like the inner city pilgrimages that we at City House began leading last fall. Meditation is an important part of their practice, like it is at City House.
But, I noticed a difference. They really push the envelope even further in being in solidarity with the poor. For example, they will come into a community they have never been in and live on the streets for several days so they can get an insider’s view before designing a street retreat in that locale. In their street retreats in San Francisco, they offer an option for people to go on seven day retreats, where those on retreats are invited to live on the streets for that full time. I thought City House was out on the edge, but this really challenged my own understanding of what is possible.
At any rate, I was really impressed. The Faithful Fools will be conducting street retreats in Minneapolis and St Paul Saturday, May 10. As part of that effort, they will be putting on a play on Wednesday, May 7, about one person’s experience of being on a street retreat. We will be supporting them and helping them in their effort. I am looking forward to it. We will keep you all posted.
