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Of Note:

Camillus House in the 1970s

March 4, 2010

by Dr. Paul R. Ahr

The 1970s brought a continuing correspondence between then-Archbishop Coleman Carroll in Miami and Brother Mathias Barrett, BGS in Albuquerque. Their letters reflect a reciprocal fondness and respect, as well as a shared love for the poor. In a letter dated November 19, 1973, Brother Mathias wrote of his gratitude for the Archbishop’s ongoing support for Camillus: “By the time you receive this letter you will have been to Camillus House and have served the poor men a lovely Thanksgiving dinner.” He closed with thanks, ‘for all you do for us and for Christ’s poor and now for all the dear Cuban refugees…”

A shelter for men who so badly need services.

The primary subject of their correspondence, though, was a shared desire for Camillus House to be expanded, “in the way you have in mind,” Archbishop Carroll wrote to Brother Mathias in early 1973, “namely…a shelter for a limited number of the unfortunate old men who so badly need your services.” In a letter to Archdiocesan Chancellor Monsignor Noel Fogarty, dated December 1975, Brother Mathias shared his frustration that this project - “a boarding house type of dwelling for those poor men who have difficulty in subsisting on a very meager pension and for some nothing at all” - was itself having difficulty getting underway. A year later, the Archdiocesan newspaper, the Voice, carried this heartwarming headline: Camillus addition planned to serve more of area poor. Archbishop Carroll took this opportunity, the week before Christmas, to praise the work of the Brothers:

“As the Archdiocese is preparing its annual fund drive to assist those who cannot help themselves, we must also remember the work of the Brothers of the Good Shepherd. We must be reminded of the serious obligation to care for those less fortunate individuals, “the archbishop continued.

“Many of them are without shelter; others barely have enough food on which to subsist each day. Then they find someone to whom they can turn for help - the good Brothers - who have for so many years accomplished this great work, which is indeed Christ’s work. They minister to the poorest of the poor, to the homeless and downtrodden,” Archbishop Carroll said.

On September 28, 1977, the Miami Herald’s Barry Bearak told the rest of the story:

Tuesday afternoon [the Brothers of the Good Shepherd] held the blessing for the dormitory named for the late Archbishop Coleman Carroll at Camillus House…Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy officiated at the ceremony. Camillus House, a refuge for Miami’s unfortunate, already has 15 beds and facilities for serving hundreds each day with hot meals. The new dorm, funded by $220,000 of private contributions, will raise sleeping capacity to 40.

“I remember when all we had was a bungalow,” says Brother Mathias Barrett, 77, the man who opened the mission 17 years ago. “On the first night, one poor man came and I was able to give him corn flakes and milk.”

New leadership and new challenges.

In November 1978, Brother Paul Johnson, BGS returned to Miami as Administrator of Camillus House, the first of several top management posts he would hold until 1998. Under his guidance, the Camillus organization would frame a comprehensive model of health care, employment and housing supports that would continue until today, and under his direction, the first steps to accomplish this visionary plan would come to fruition.

In December 2009, the Board of Directors of Camillus House honored Paul J, Johnson with the Good Shepherd Award for his two decades of service to persons who are poor and homeless in Miami. These sentiments were echoed at the Mass and Candlelight Ceremony that inaugurated the Camillus Jubilee Year in January, when Brother Justin Howson, BGS, the Congregation’s Brother General, said of Paul Johnson’s, tenure as Camillus CEO:

Before closing I want to recognize Paul Johnson. As Brother Paul, he mostly carried, single-handedly, the weight of development, the pressures of fund-raising and the stresses of administration. We are where we are today because of him and people like him.