Wasn’t offering any excuses for my behavior. I am not proud of it but it is the way I was.

By the way, his parish bulletin, in inviting parishioners to the homeless “vigil” on October 5 at St. Paul (rembember to wear white!), states: “City Hall has locked the doors of Park Ridge churches as a shelter to the homeless.” At least he didn’t call anybody a racial or economic bigot.

But hey, Steve, there’s no school within 500 feet of your shop, is there?  Steve?  Oh Steve?

I’m available for gold star awards every other Thursday evening.

But seriously folks, I personally believe that you sell a lot of younger people short by excusing your own inattention dut to age, time, and place. My experience of young people has been different.

I agree that there are a number of models out there. I disagree that they all bring the same concerns.

I’ve seen more penny ante scams than get-rich-quick (or even slow) scams. I will forever remain astounded at how cheaply so many people are willing to sell themselves.

Once again it is very clear you have out researched me!

I will have to admit that back in the 80′s I was not paying much attention to this issue. In the early 80′s I was still living at home in highschool. In the mid 80′s I was in college and in the late 80′s I was early in my career living in the City.

In terms of the statics and different models used, I think they vary in part becuase this is such a difficult problem with a low success rate. I know that there are other church based organizations out there that are not PADS based.

http://www.lpcsonline.org/

I would guess that their clients would bring the same concerns that have been expressed about PADS.

I guess I can understand your point about the money but I think if they were looking to get rich they picked the wrong scam.

Two answers! My lucky day!

Anyway, don’t you find it odd that when the issue of homelessness was hottest, back in the 80s, that none of these long time parishes sought this path? Don’t you find it odd that now they are choosing to do so, when by nearly most accounts the number of homeless are decreasing, and homeless advocates have even begun to poopoo overnight homeless shelters?

I think the PADS organization is hanging onto their business model for their desperate public-money-ciphoning lives, and they’ve enlisted some rather shallow thinkers and doers to help them remain viable.

PS I noticed, but unless you really annoy me, I’ll ignore it and choose not to make fun of you with it. Sincerely, I’m more interested in the message than either the messenger or style of messaging.

I have no answer. I am not saying it is the only way. I am saying it is the way they may have choose.

I terms of how personal expressions of faith should be expressed, I will leave that to you to judge. Quite frankly, I am better off not judging another persons faith -I struggle enough with my own.

I am not saying I defend their decision but I understand it. I am not a church, but I do it all the time. My aid to my fellow man is most often expressed by writing a check or other donations rather then reinventing the wheel or diving in myself.

I cannot defend it! First of all I am not Catholic or a regular church goer. Any discussion of a churches Corporal works is well beyond me.

I just think it is possible that PRMA got together and discussed what they perceived as an issue. Someone said “Gee, ya know father Phil has worked with…” and they called them. PADS came in and talked about their network of shelters and how people can get involved in the HOPE program. The talked about people had to register and their misconduct code etc….etc… It all sounds great on paper, right??

Again, I am not defending it. It is possible there was something “funky” but I can certainly see it happening this way as well.

I guess related to using an outside organization I would appear that, right or wrong, the Catholic Church does it all the time. Take a look around the Archdiocese of Chicago website. There are all kinds of organizations the church supports to adress issues they would perceive as their “mission”

http://www.archchicago.org/news_releases/news_2008/news_090808.shtm

Again, not a defense but is it possible they looked at all the conponents (registration, background checks, rules and regs, counseling, job search) and saw an existing program they thought offered more then they could? I know we all think they suck so please don’t comment but isn’t it possible, as misguided as it may seem that it could have happened this way.