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Two Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are teaming up to restore the Catholic presence in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood of Schenectady through a new storefront ministry they've dubbed St. Joseph's Place.

Sisters Ann Christi Brink and Linda Neil, CSJ, had both served in Schenectady in the past. When they heard the soup kitchen operating out of the former Sacred Heart/St. Columba parish had closed last year, they felt called to take action.

Since the fall, they have been laying the groundwork for their ministry: "We want to have a quiet place where [people] can come in and pray, talk and be listened to," Sister Ann said. "They're not just another number, like when they go to DSS. It's frustrating to wait in a line."

St. Joseph's parish in Schenectady is sponsoring the project; a parish committee will pay the rent for storefront space being purchased by the ecumenical Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SICM).

The two sisters will use the space as a drop-in center for people to get referrals to social service agencies or to talk about their situations. There will be a meditation room and a gathering room with coffee, Bibles and rosaries. They hope it will open by August.

The sisters have been volunteering regularly at SICM's nearby food pantry, meeting and praying weekly with a neighborhood ecumenical clergy group, attending meetings of deaneries (groups of Catholic parishes) and visiting Bethesda House, which provides services for the homeless.

They've met with social service agencies to learn the community's needs and attended a program on poverty and perceptions of the middle class. They also toured the neighborhood and chatted with residents. Sister Linda volunteers at an after-school program.

"They're very friendly," Sister Ann said of area residents. "I'm not sure they fully understand" the concept of St. Joseph's Place, "but they're willing to listen."

The sisters said many Hamilton Hill residents use food stamps and rent assistance; SICM's food pantry sees 100 people each morning.

"People are getting poorer," Sister Ann stated. "'Middle class' is no more. Some people wait until they can't do anything else. They're proud people. None of us like to ask for help."

She said evangelization is not the primary goal of the ministry, but the sisters would suggest St. Joseph's parish if people expressed a desire to worship at a nearby church. She thinks the news of St. Joseph's Place will eventually catch on in the neighborhood.

"It's not going to be overnight, of course," Sister Ann said. "We know that. We're willing to wait it out."[[In-content Ad]]

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