“It’s a ministry that’s helpful to them but also to us” is something you’ll hear in various forms from those who are currently serving in the Walk-In Ministry at Trinity Cathedral in downtown Pittsburgh. Christine Guy, one of the volunteers, observes: “My eyes have been a bit more opened to see what Jesus did when he was in human form. He hung out with people who were poorer and more needy and I can kind of see why. They were much more open-handed; they were less proud. There’s some pride in the people we encounter but a lot more humility.”
Christine Guy
The Walk-In Ministry is a part of The Downtown Pittsburgh Ministerium whose mission statement reads: “Reaching out in love to the homeless, the poor, and the discouraged since 1980.” This long-standing ministry is in partnership with other churches in the downtown area and has also been supported by many in our diocese, as parishioners from parishes beyond Trinity Cathedral have increasingly offered their time and resources.
The ministry currently serves approximately 75 clients every month, a significant increase after the Covid-19 pandemic forced a slowdown on the ministry for a time. After the pandemic, the Walk-In Ministry moved downstairs and, with Trinity Cathedral’s growth as a congregation, the ministry experienced an increase in investment and interest in its revitalization.
Mike Radziwon
Mike Radziwon, the coordinator for the Walk-In Ministry, has been serving in this capacity for the last year and a half and has been a significant part of this revitalization. When Mike and his wife Sandy moved to Pittsburgh around three years ago, they wanted to find a ministry where they could help feed and clothe people in need and also a church they could settle into. They found both in Trinity Cathedral’s Walk-In Ministry and have, along with several volunteers, sought to make it a place where people are seen and treated with dignity. Hunter Ficke, one of the Walk-In Ministry’s longest standing volunteers, says: “Mike’s a ball of energy and really organized so that’s been really great. He’s expanded the food offerings and got us recertified with the food bank. He started working at Light of Life in the clothing ministry and he brings several bags of clothes every week that we’re open. It’s been a real hit! By the end of the week, the clothes are gone and people are really appreciative. The place is really humming.”
Hunter Ficke
There are countless stories of God’s provision that those who are involved in the ministry have witnessed from size 13 shoes showing up just when a client needed them to a client being offered a job at a nearby steakhouse and the Walk-In Ministry just happening to have a chef’s uniform in hand that day to many people being able to receive the resources they need to make it through the month. Hunter Ficke reflects on his experience and shares one of the many stories he has from over the years: “You get to know some of the people over a period of years. Everybody’s got a story and a lot of them are really trying to figure it out and need help. Some of them get to a point where they are making a lot of progress. We’ve got a young person in his late 20’s, pretty smart guy who has some challenges, and an older man in his early 60’s, both of whom were living in a homeless camp by the casino. They would come up and get food. The funny thing was that the older gentleman was the person the news people always approached to talk about homelessness. He called himself “The Wizard” and was quite a character. They both disappeared for a while but the young man just recently showed up again and he said that he got housing in McKeesport and doesn’t make it downtown as much. But he also got housing for the older gentleman who was just about to turn 65. There are these stories of people who are not having a great life but they’re making progress and figuring it out. And this younger person is thinking about how to make that his vocation, how to help people like himself.”
Even as the ministry serves those who come to receive the materials they need, those who volunteer also feel that they receive something from this work. Christine Guy, who has been serving in the ministry for about 9 months, reflects on her experience in saying: “I’ve learned to listen and I’ve learned that I don’t have nearly as many answers. I’ve learned a lot more about value, dignity and that my pain is just my pain, it’s not better or worse. It’s just different.”
Radziwon says that, moving forward, the ministry is trying to get a better understanding of services (shelter, food, housing etc.) that are available to people downtown so, if people in the diocese have services they want to make the ministry aware of, that would be a helpful contribution.
The Walk-In Ministry can be contacted at outreach@trinitycathedralpgh.org