 |
 These before-and-after shots show what Fr. Enman and a host of volunteers accomplished at 50 Queen Street in Worcester, Mass. It's worthy of its own "This Old House" series. Their inspiration came from the Bible: Matthew 25. | |
 | ||
s a theology student, Fr. Fred Enman, SJ, was expected to make Scripture tangible by getting involved in a service project. He went beyond the call of duty. He made it concrete by becoming a builder. Those famous lines from Matthew 25, "For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink," were his inspiration; they served as the mortar for building justice in the inner city.
Enman rescues historic buildings in Worcester, Massachusetts, from the wrecking ball and creates affordable housing for low-income residents of Worcester's troubled Main South neighborhood. Enman, who lives at Holy Cross College's Jesuit community, founded Matthew 25, a nonprofit organization with roots that go back to his years of theology study. A modern disciple of the Word, Enman is revitalizing lives as well as neighborhoods.
"Matthew 25's mission is to provide food, clothing, and housing relief to those who are economically needy," he notes. "It's about promoting justice. And, you have to take care of people's basic needs. We try to do that."
Enman, who graduated from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., in 1989, is finishing his second building project in the underprivileged Main South area. In the '60s and '70s, he watched urban decline demoralize a generation of families there while he grew up less than a mile away in the Grafton Hill area.
A graduate of Boston College's law school and former poverty-law advocate, he saw the need to stem the tide of decay by providing for minimal needs.
Working recently at 22 Kingsbury Street, a three-flat he is renovating in Worcester, Enman, in work clothes, looks more like a construction worker than a priest. He and volunteers are putting up insulation; he looks tired as the clock nears four and the temperature inside has risen close to 90.
With sweat streaking his forehead, he describes how the idea for Matthew 25 began back in '88. He was reading The True Church and the Poor by liberation theologian Fr. Jon Sobrino, SJ, who cited Matthew 25, imploring Christians to put faith into action.
"It was on page 37," Enman recalls, amid the hammering of volunteers working on a ceiling. "I just stopped reading. It was a profound prayer experience for me."
Shortly after, with the approval of Fr. Robert Manning, SJ, then provincial of the New England Province, he began collecting and distributing clothing and food, raising the needed money by holding garage sales and selling Christmas cards.
Six years later, with the help of Holy Cross students and alumni, Main South friends and neighbors, and scores of students from Worcester Vocational Technical High School, Enman's dream to create decent housing became reality.
He looked over a number of abandoned buildings and chose the one at 50 Queen Street, a fire-damaged Victorian listed in the Massachusetts Historic Register.
"That house caught my attention," he says. "It was on the demolition list, but I could see it all fixed up--it was going to be beautiful."
Enman got it for $50,000, all donated. More than $20,000 of that amount was needed just to pay the back taxes on the property, but Enman's legal expertise helped him through the lengthy title transfer process.
He then set about transforming the building with additional donations, a $100,000 federal grant, and an $83,000 loan via loan officer Kevin Kane at locally based Flagship Bank.
That's when the priest learned about what's possible with the support of an enthusiastic community.
Worcester Vocational student Jason Vangel (left) uses a miter saw for finishing touches on Matthew 25's Queen Street project.
ith technical help and labor from Worcester Vocational students, led by instructors Phil Solomon and Mike Mitchell, Enman spent days gutting the house while businesses such as Gilrein's, a Main South blues club, held fund-raisers. Architects Fran Zitomersky and William Foley donated their services, and alumni of St. John's Prep, run by the Xaverian Brothers, pitched in with muscle power.
The house got new plumbing, electricity, walls, appliances, fixtures, windows, a fresh coat of paint, and landscaping; 50 Queen Street started enjoying life again.
"It was a huge education," Enman recalls. "I never did stuff like that before. My hands are a little rougher now."
Today, this first project is home to four families, all of whom pay no more than 30 percent of income for rent. His Kingsbury Street project, also assisted by bank and federal monies, will have three apartments and should be ready this fall.
Enman proudly notes that these one-time eyesores are becoming the "best houses in the neighborhood."
And that's just fine with neighbors, including Lorraine Griffin, who has lived all her 55 years in Main South. She says the renovations have had a very positive influence on the neighborhood, whose self-esteem and pride are returning after years of struggle.
"It's a neighborhood coming alive again," she says, noting that the historic homes would have been demolished without Matthew 25. "We're very grateful to Fr. Enman and all the volunteers. They've done a wonderful job. I feel we're all here on earth to make life better for one another," Griffin says, "and this is one example of how we can all work together to make it happen."
Jeannine and Calvin Confer, who live at the refurbished Queen Street home, say their apartment has dramatically improved the quality of their lives.
"I love the house," Mrs. Confer, 59, remarks, within earshot of the construction sounds coming from Kingsbury Street. "I'm very glad for Fr. Enman. The place I was in before was a rattrap. To be able to get out of there and live my later years in a nice house is wonderful."
The Confers, like Reno and Frank Oster and their five children in the apartment below, pay rent twice a month and have volunteered time and labor on the projects as well.
Art Tucker, of Worcester's Department of Planning and Community Development, works on developing low-income rental property, and this usually means granting funds to professional development companies. But Tucker feels that Matthew 25 has more than proven itself.
"Fr. Enman has established his credentials as being able to facilitate these projects," he says. "And the quality exceeds that of our other developers."
Tucker says completion of the Queen Street and Kingsbury Street projects will help stabilize the area. The properties, partially rehabbed through government funds, are required to be rented at affordable rates. Everyone benefits.
"It's really an asset to the neighborhood," Tucker comments, "and we'd absolutely entertain another project by Fr. Enman," who pays close attention to preserving the historic character of the homes.
aggie Hayden, from Illinois, a Holy Cross history major, is on the board of Holy Cross's Student Coalition on Hunger and Homelessness. She started working with Matthew 25 after Enman began attending board meetings.
Before long, she was spending afternoons off campus at the Queen Street project and became a believer in the hands-on, direct approach that is bringing hope back to Main South.
"It's affected me in the sense that in my free time I went to work on the first house," Hayden comments. "It's one of the best housing advocacy programs I've worked on. I've got a lot of admiration for Fr. Enman. I believe in the cause."
Hayden, who likes to put ideas into action and "not just talk about it," says college students are often isolated from the needs of the less advantaged. For those Holy Cross students who work with Matthew 25, the college ideal of service to others is one they live.
"Worcester has one of the highest homeless rates in the United States," she says. "But Matthew 25 shows there are those in the community who care what their city looks like."
Hayden cites the involvement of all segments of the community as one of the keys to its success and emphasizes the need for legislation to support the efforts of those tackling housing problems on the local level.
Enman's leadership extends not only to taking the initiative to begin the projects but also to doing dirty work himself. He pitches in with all phases of the work with students from Worcester Vocational's painting, plumbing, carpentry, and electrical departments, who report to the job site at the start of each school day. The dedication that Enman and the students show keeps this private initiative on schedule.
Phil Solomon heads up the carpentry department at Worcester Vocational. He is particularly glad that the projects give kids a chance to develop skills while contributing to the community. "It's real hands-on experience," he says. "That's the best thing in the world for them. It gives them a sense of value and pride. And, as their skills improve, they become more confident."
Enman has spent two years developing Matthew 25 housing projects; he feels that the Gospel and the tradition of the Church have always affirmed the importance of acting in response to the Word. From the prophets to Jesus, the call to care for the physical needs of others and to effect social change is clear. It is a matter of recognizing the dignity of individuals and their right to have basic needs met in a just fashion.
"There has to be action by those capable of caring for the needs of the community," Enman says. "That's real, basic justice. Without it, the cycle of poverty continues to dehumanize those who depend on us."
As for the future, a Main South home donated by Enman's friend John Power will become Matthew 25's third project. Located next to Worcester's Clark University, the house looks as old and tired as the first two did before Enman got his hands on them.
"It's going to look beautiful," Enman laughs. "Just beautiful."
Author Neil Isakson edits the Weekly Record, which covers communities northeast of Worcester. The former editor of the Vermont Catholic Tribune, he and his wife, Paula, are expecting their first baby in October.
Page maintained by R VandeVelde, vande@math.luc.edu. Updated: Fri., January 17 1997