A Calling

“Hello! How are you? Nice to see you!” said Father Alfred Boedekker to me as he enclosed my hand with both of his hands in a warm friendly manner in front of St. Boniface Church. I had just started working for St. Anthony Foundation back in 1990 and it apparently was a common sight to see this old Franciscan stopping total strangers in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco to greet them a warm good morning. Father Alfred began St. Anthony Foundation back in 1950 in an effort to help the hungry people of the Tenderloin community. What began as a simple dining room has flowered into what many call the miracle of Jones Street. St. Anthony now offers a free clinic, a home for senior women, a halfway home, and various social services for the community and the city at large. It has become a beacon of hope in the city of St. Francis. It has been said that vocations are contagious. 800 years ago a man in Assissi answered his call from God. From that simple act of St. Francis 800 years ago, a man in San Francisco followed by joining the Franciscans and then opening a free dining room for everyone. Both men are gone now but their work remains for others to follow, continue and hopefully, finish. “Lord make me an instrument of your love” is an enduring theme for all who follow in the footsteps of the man many have called the second Christ. From St. Francis of Assissi to Fr. Alfred of San Francisco, we have seen the results of answering this call.