Inspired by Pope Francis, 360 Volunteers Minister to Homeless People

Most people here came to see Pope Francis. Patty Disney came to see George Spellman.

Spellman, who said he is in his sixties, is not a world leader or a celebrity. He is a homeless man, living on the streets and battling colon cancer and a broken heart. His 10-year-old daughter was killed, hit by a car, and his life unraveled from there.

But as Francis delighted hundreds of thousands with his appearances at Independence Hall and on Benjamin Franklin Parkway Sept. 27, Disney and a band of 360 volunteers bypassed the crowds and went in search of people like Spellman — down and out and living on the streets.

“We didn’t want to just be present with the Holy Father,” Disney said, preferring a “true spirit of service and a missionary heart.”