This Work Must Go On

For people in Shreveport, Louisiana, Christian Service (CS) represents different things. For many of the young generation, the term CS revives the happy memory of a picnic the first time they ever had the chance to be outside their own Ledbetter Heights neighborhood. To older Shreveporters, CS means the widespread feeling of community forged when members of various races and religions broke with tradition and got together. To contemporary Shreveporters, it means the annual CS Telethon, sponsored by the local cable station, which raised $100,000 last year.

To some, CS is the startling oasis (comprised of five neatly painted houses) that brightens ramshackle Ledbetter Heights, the most economically underprivileged section of Shreveport. In one of those five houses, 200 people are fed daily; in two houses, there are private rooms for men and women who need a place to stay; in another house there is a mini-mall where those short of money can shop free; in yet another there is an apartment ready for those who feel called to CS.

At the heart of it all is Sister Margaret McCaffrey. Two decades before the Call to Renewal made history by arranging the religious round table in Philadelphia in 1997, Sister Margaret made history in Shreveport by organizing the Poor Man's Supper that drew whites and blacks from many different religious denominations to the first citywide CS event. Incredulity and pride marked that evening as Shreveporters, always separated by economic and cultural practices, supped soup and broke bread together.

A quarter of a century before Hans Küng's A Global Ethic appeared in 1993, Sister Margaret demonstrated a Shreveport ethic by helping citizens focus on their similarities rather than their differences. Impressed by her quiet example, Shreveporters began to turn their attention toward those misunderstood and mistreated by society. Her dignified leadership inspired whites and blacks, Christians and Jews, to discard cultural habits that discouraged unity and make it possible for thoroughly decent individuals to take little notice of grave injustices in their own backyards.

A short while ago, as Sister Margaret stood in a restaurant waiting to pay for her meal, a recognized gang leader gently removed the check from her hand and paid her bill. When he was little, he said, only because of her there was always a gift at Christmas. And all his companions, as they walked past her, mentioned Christmas gifts and picnics, or just touched her arm in a gesture of gratitude.

THANKS BE TO GOD for all those like Sister Margaret McCaffrey who use their talents to spread the gospel message of love and justice. May good health permit them to continue their remarkable work for many years.

Unfortunately, Sister Margaret no longer has good health. In March, during a routine check-up, she learned she has cancer in both lungs and there is no hope for a cure. With the concurrence of her doctors, she has opted not to undergo treatments. In response to the inevitable question about whether she ever smoked, she says no, but that it is virtually impossible to avoid the cancer-causing substances in our environment. In these months since her diagnosis, except for a cough, there are no outward signs of her serious illness and she is still able to participate in CS activities. Neither she nor her doctors speculate for how long.

Currently, Sister Margaret's primary goal is to find someone who will take up where she will have to leave off. She says the interested individual, couple, or team should feel they have a calling to work with those sidetracked by society. Also, she says it helps mightily to be flexible, laugh easily, work well with others, and have experienced the joys that far outweigh the frustrations and uncertainties inherent in such work.

Sister Margaret knows first-hand the monumental human effort it has taken during the past 27 years to make CS what it is. She and countless volunteers can describe the exhilarating triumphs, huge setbacks, and indescribable delights they had experienced helping those fortunate to have more than enough to share with those who have less than enough food, shelter, and clothing. With no assured subsidies, simple living is the norm at CS, and there are no goals other than to do whatever it takes to bring justice and love and compassion to those who need them most.

Those interested may contact Sister Margaret McCaffrey at 131 Dalzell St., Shreveport, LA 71104-2511; (318) 424-7049.

PAT McSWEENEY, a retired English teacher in Taunton, Massachusetts, is active in Pax Christi and Call to Action and is a friend of Sister Margaret McCaffrey.