Decking the Franciscan Halls
“Jesus is God, spelling Himself out in language that man can understand.”
---S. D. Gordon
Guests of the Spirit of Christmas Walking tour enjoy the Dicken's Village.
The meaning of S. D. Gordon's quote becomes clear as we walk the halls of St. Francis Seraph Friary, in Cincinnati. Each Advent, the Franciscans of St. John the Baptist Province welcome the community to the mother house to view an array of cribs from all over the world. The crèche collections, Victorian villages, Bethlehem towns and one of a kind Christmas trees are meticulously designed and displayed by Guardian Br. Tim Sucher, OFM. It takes three to four weeks to create the extensive wonderland which captures every visitor. The display is a part of the Spirit of Christmas Walking Tours through American Legacy Tours and donations benefit St. Francis Seraph School.
Nativities from around the world
St. Francis of Assisi created the first live nativity scene in Greccio, Italy nearly 800 years ago. Today people of all nations arrange their crib sets in memory of the first Christmas in Bethlehem. Simple figure carvings, and elegant works of art each communicate the same message, God made man.
Visitors cannot avoid passing the Christmas decorations on the way to the business offices. They wouldn't want to. Outdoors in the courtyards there are working trains and live animals (2 donkeys, 4 sheep and 4 goats) in the life size crib. Neighborhood children have the chance to see and touch these live farm animals any time, because the courtyard gate stays open the whole season. It is the first time some little people learn the difference between goats and sheep. They get to pet a donkey shaggy and brown.
Because the animals are not permanent residents of the Friars' campus, someone has to tote them from the country and take care of them with fresh straw, hay, oats, and water. That head shepherd is Jim “Bubs” Kindt, 73, a resident of Colerain township where he lives with his two white Great Pyrenees dogs.
Jim 'Bubs' Kindt
Animal Keeper is just a small slice of the jobs that Resource Coordinator Bubs juggles. When he was interviewed for this article he was busy installing a dish washer. A man of many talents, he runs the Friars' Over The Rhine Soup Kitchen across the street from the friary.
He has worked for the Friars for 12 years, 7 years of volunteering and now 5 years of full-time ministry. Bubs says he also goes whenever and wherever he is needed. A good chunk of his work is recruiting volunteers and resources not only for his Kitchen but for other Friars' programs and activities. He has students coming from as far as 50 miles away, and from grade, high schools and colleges. He coordinates volunteers from suburban parishes who bring supplies and donations of food, gift cards and personal care items.
“The people who come to us are respectful and appreciative,” he said, and proudly adds, “we have never had to call the police in all the time I have been here.”
He calls himself a “shameless beggar.” As the Director of the soup kitchen he uses every skill he has to solicit and obtain the groceries and supplies needed for feeding 300 to 325 people a full meal three days a week. Major grocery stores, businesses, bakeries, companies, and organizations help Bubs fulfill his menus and some of the individual needs of the hungry patrons at the kitchen. “Besides a good meal, homeless people need the basics like blankets, jackets, and personal items,” he said.
When asked what is the hardest part of his job, his eyelids dropped and he replied, “when I can't meet a need for someone.”
by Joanne M. Queenan
Joanne M. Queenan
As a social worker, Joanne M. Queenan has worked in hospice, rehabilitation, dialysis, and with the homeless and poor. Her book, The Boys on the Rock, Listening to the Voices of the Homeless, was published in August of 2012.
Posted in: Uncategorized
