50 Years in 50 Minutes (or Less): A History Lesson from Padre & Madre

by Joe Caparelli '15

Our arrival at the Center happens to coincide with its 50th year of operation, and we began our first full day here with the story of its founding given by the founders themselves. What now engages dozens of volunteers and touches countless lives was started by one man -- Fr. John Halligan, a Jesuit from the Bronx -- who quickly realized he could never bring his vision to life without the help of a great woman -- Sr. Miguel Conway of the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“Padre” Juan came to Ecuador to minister to the indigenous peoples of the countryside, but when his Jesuit superior sent him to Quito he found the working boys there to be more than he bargained for… not at all the Bronx “hoodlums” he expected! The boys shining shoes simply wanted to work to help their families, and starting in the attic of the Jesuit Compania he aimed to provide them with a combination of catechism, educational training, and social assistance. As “Madre” Miguel related Padre’s words to her, all of this was “God’s work” -- meaning anyone responsible was merely part of something greater -- as well as a response to a “felt need”. From simple showers, to three meals a day, to a technical school, and ultimately the great facilities the Center would comprise, every decision made by Madre and Padre began in what they felt the needs of the people to be.

Padre closed by sharing what he felt to be the driving philosophies of the Working Boys’ Center -- ideas which made our whole group think a little more deeply. First was the notion that “poverty is a spiritual problem”. The problem with poverty is not money, as it seems the world has more than enough of that… it’s the meaning of money, and how it is allocated, and understood. Padre’s solution for poverty was to restore the values of family, community, and the dignity of work. He challenged us to rethink what work and ownership has come to mean in America, and praised what he believed to be the “heroism” of the young boys and girls -- and mothers and fathers -- sacrificing and striving to actively improve their lives.

Padre and Madre's tag-team history was a great way to start our day, inspiring us to take the meanings of what we would see later even closer to heart.