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Brothers and sisters in the Lord, I bring you greetings from the faith community of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, from Amaus Health Services, and Monsignor Neal Quartier (aka Father Neal) and his staff.
In early April of 2009, Susan Boyle took the entertainment world by surprise when she delivered an essentially flawless rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” on Britain’s Got Talent. This is the British Isle’s answer to American Idol. Susan, middle aged and moderately overweight, appeared on stage with graying hair and hosiery that did not match what my mother would have kindly referred to as a “matronly dress.” She was atypical, to say the least, as a potential superstar. The judges and audience of Britain’s Got Talent were blinded to her potential and condescended. In spite of this, Boyle blew away every stereotype as she sang. She brought the audience to cheers and tears and a standing ovation. Even the stunned judges were affected and admitted their arrogance and prejudice. Susan acted from her authenticity and truth. You can see it for yourself on Youtube. People recognized her authenticity and her gift, and responded.
Contemporary society can easily get lost in appearance rather than substance. When people like Susan Boyle come along, they remind us that we must see and live beyond our stereotypes, materialism, and transient superficialities. When we do, we are changed and so are the lives of others. When people look with true vision and really see, they often respond in new ways that change the world for the better. In essence, this is the Easter message. It is the message of authentic, other-centered Love, the Love that gives us meaning and moves us beyond the small, the self absorbed, and the superficial. It is the Love that enables resurrection. It is the message that Jesus taught throughout his ministry. It is the lesson that the risen Christ taught on the road to Emmaus. The disciples’ hearts, burning within them, registered recognition merely from his presence, despite his apparently unfamiliar outward appearance. It seems that their intellects caught on only after the familiar act of breaking bread with him. It is fortunate for them and for the fledgling Church that they responded to their burning hearts and invited him to stay on with them. Jesus reassured his motley crew that they and their spiritual progeny would continue to do his works of healing and wholeness. We must believe Him and respond with our unique set of aptitudes, even if the established wisdom says that our figurative hosiery does not quite match our dress.
Amaus Health Services at the Cathedral provides interim primary care for the most socially vulnerable in our region and is a site of education for health care professionals in training. In the last year, we provided medical care, mental health care, and related social services to almost 1000 patients and exposed about 150 students in the health care professions to this work of service. Amaus is not merely an entity or a clinic site; it is a community of diverse and dedicated people who respond from their authenticity and volunteer to perform a collective labor of love that includes serving the Lord’s poor and also sensitizing the next generation of health care professionals to the needs of the vulnerable. The patients as well are an integral part of the Amaus community. Members of the Amaus community come from the Cathedral faith community, from the local and regional secular community, local and regional parishes, non-catholic faith communities, students and faculty from Upstate Medical University, LeMoyne College and Syracuse University, and staff of Saint Joseph’s Hospital. Medical students, nursing students, nurse practitioner students, physician assistant students, and social work students serve and learn at the clinic. Many of our volunteers are retirees and bring with them great expertise in their field and lots of wisdom from which we all benefit. The Amaus staff considers itself a fluid and inclusive community. Amaus is always in need of additional volunteer administrators, receptionists, nurses, doctors, nurse practitioners, social workers, counselors, and pastoral care providers from various faiths. One of my goals is to bring seminarians into the volunteer roster.
The Amaus staff recognizes the authentic dignity in the humanity of the people they serve, even when those served may have forgotten this truth about themselves. Believe it or not, this goes for both the patients and students. The process of health care education can be brutal and Amaus has been a place of healing and recollection for several students. One such student, a bright and compassionate medical student, states that his work at Amaus grounds him in his initial conviction that caring for and about people is the main reason that he went to medical school.
It is deeply fulfilling to the staff when a patient heals and returns to Amaus to serve beside us. It happens frequently. One such patient returns weekly to sort mail and prepare new charts for us. Initially homeless, on parole, depressed, and in chronic pain, he diligently works towards his recovery and healing, has his own apartment, and hopes to pursue additional formal education. He expresses empathy towards the patients who are having difficulties and is always careful to ensure that the staff and patients in the waiting area are never without a fresh, full pot of delicious coffee.
We are funded entirely on community and parish donations. In the quiet of prayer one Advent here in our beloved IC Church, the idea of Amaus wafted into my consciousness. Subsequently, Fr. Neal, without knowledge of my idea, asked my husband and I about what the Cathedral might do to help meet the huge medical needs of the poor. My heart burned within me. Together with Fr. Neal and some intrepid colleagues and students, we did some research and networking. We concluded that it was feasible to start a clinic in the 100 year old parish hall building that already housed the food pantry and social outreach program co-sponsored by our Cathedral and Catholic Charities. It promised to be an ideal place for a clinic because it is a place where the most vulnerable of the city already felt safe, were fed, and formed community. The office space was built and meticulously painted by Cathedral and St. John’s parish members. It was outfitted with donated supplies and furniture. A lawyer from the Cathedral parish donated her services and processed the paperwork to make Amaus a legal medical entity. Amaus was thus founded.
We began with such minimal funding and such a radical vision that many in the established medical community told us that we’d never be able to pull it off. Once at a meeting, an administrator from a local medical institution shouted at us, “You CAN’T do that.” Two years later that same medical community has given us significant donations, talented volunteers, specialty services, and two medically prestigious awards for service. Susan Boyle comes to mind. A plain looking middle aged woman with kind eyes and the voice of a superstar has some key things in common with a tiny faith based clinic for the socially vulnerable that runs on Love, liturgy and Eucharist, prayer, diversity, caffeine, and a budget way smaller than that of the local Little League. We invite you to visit with us today after liturgy in Dwyer Hall, to visit the clinic someday, to consider volunteering or donating, and to support us in prayer. Together, let us love one another and foster resurrection using our authentic gifts. Are not our hearts burning within us?
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