In
his many years as a Jesuit, Fr Steve Sinn SJ has journeyed with some of
society's most desperate people, from alcoholic men at a purpose-run facility
in Victoria, to the vibrant community that gathers for lunch each day at St
Canice's in Sydney's Kings Cross.
Here,
Steve fulfils his mandate as a priest, which is 'to listen and to respond as
best I can'. This he does on the steps of St Canice's, where mattresses are
spread out, providing homeless people with a welcoming, secure place to sleep.
It
is an image that embodies our call to Christianity, and also reminds us of the
uncaring, violent and abusive society in which we live, says Steve.
'They're
the ones that have crawled from a traumatic place to where they can rest
awhile. Just like we come to God-we crawl to him from our damaged lives', he
says. ‘Hopefully we'll be with them like God is with us.'
Around
the corner, in a sunlit courtyard, Steve joins the people who gather each day
to enjoy the lunch prepared for them by the volunteers in St Canice's kitchen.
'That's about hospitality', he says.
It's
also an opportunity for volunteers to connect with the homeless people in the
community. Hundreds of people have served in the kitchen in the 21 years since
it opened its doors.
While
the kitchen is just a stone's throw from Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs,
Steve isn't focused on the vast economic and social disparities so evident in
these parts.
'I
don't work with the poor, I work with human beings', he says. 'And it so often
happens that human beings doing it hard are the ones that have a claim on me.'
This
universal hunger for non-judgemental friendship and understanding is being met every
day at St Canice's.
'It's
deeply satisfying to be able to provide an environment where people can meet
one another who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity', says Steve. 'And
particularly because these people have extraordinary stories, beyond our
imagining.
‘It's
such a gift to be able to hear some of those stories and to see them hold one
another's stories without any judgement, to see the way they understand one
another and how they forgive one another.'
And
in return, these people have fulfilled a deep need in Steve's own life,
enabling him to live fully and to be fully alive. 'I'm utterly grateful for
that', he says.
By Catherine Marshall