The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

Sister Catherine Louise provides a healing touch to Sunny Lovel, a woman who has been living in an extensive “hootch” in an industrial area of San Francisco for several years.

Calling herself Christine on some days and Molly on others, one particular woman at The Living

Room—a drop-in center for San Francisco’s homeless population—stood out to Sister Catherine Louise Ginther. From the moment she saw “Christine,” Sister Catherine Louise was convinced that the woman could benefit from one of the neck and back massages she offered to the men and women who spent their days at the center. Unfortunately the woman, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, consistently refused Sister Catherine Louise’s offers of massage—rebuffing her even if she wished her a good afternoon. Determined not to participate, “Christine” sat in a corner watching skeptically as others took their turns in the chair. Then, after almost a year, she responded to Sister Catherine Louise’s invitation with a “Yes,” instead of her usual emphatic “No.” She didn’t say much else but she now seeks out Sister Catherine Louise, putting herself on the list for a massage almost every time she is there.

Small successes like these are the hallmark of Sister Catherine Louise’s ministry of touch which provides massage therapy and a compassionate presence for people who are homeless and marginalized in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco—a thirteen-block area where approximately 15,000 homeless spend their days and nights. Sister Catherine Louise does much of her work on the streets—on park benches and street corners, under bridges, in encampments under viaducts, as well as in shelters, clinics, residential hotels, and day care facilities. She works with those who are homeless not only wherever they are, but also however they are—mentally or physically ill, addicted, unwashed, afraid.

“This is my way of preaching the Gospel message of compassion and love without using words,” said Sister Catherine Louise. “These are people who have been alienated by society. Having someone recognize them and offer to touch them in a nonviolent, sacred way helps to regain their dignity and lift their self-esteem.”

A New Direction

In 1999, after more than thirty years as an elementary school teacher and eleven years as a pastoral associate, Sister Catherine Louise began a year of sabbatical at the School of Applied Theology in Berkeley, California. During that year, she attended several presentations on embodied spirituality and massage. By the second half of her sabbatical, Sister Catherine Louise knew she wanted to move into a new ministry.

“In the beginning I just was responding to a movement in my heart that asked me to open, trust, and follow,” said Sister Catherine Louise. “I wasn’t sure where it would lead but I knew it was about embracing the pain and indignities of those who are poor and doing what I was called to do as a person sharing the universe and as a follower of Jesus and Francis.”

After completing her sabbatical, Sister Catherine Louise began training at San Francisco’s Care Through Touch Institute (CTI). In addition to anatomy, physiology, and massage techniques, Sister Catherine Louise learned particular skills to help comfort and care for those at the very margins of society. “Working with the homeless population requires that one learn a whole new way of touching,” explained CTI Director Mary Ann Finch. “For example, the people we work with are far too vulnerable to remove their clothes and receive a traditional massage so our students focus on techniques for fully clothed, seated chair massage and hand and foot massage.”

Most importantly, those who train at CTI learn to love and embrace a group of people society has left behind. For Sister Catherine Louise, that lesson was the most transforming aspect of her education. “Like many others, I once hurried by the person sleeping on the bench or in the doorway or pushing the cart,” said Sister Catherine Louise. “When I first began this work, I felt sick at the stench of human odors and wanted to go home and burn all my clothes. But my aversions have been turned. My mind, spirit, and life have been enlarged. I have come to love and learn from those who are homeless.”

The Epidemic

One of the lessons Sister Catherine Louise’s clients and friends on the streets have taught her is that the homeless are not so different from the rest of us. “When you work with people who are homeless, you learn to see way beyond the outside indicators to the beauty of the person God created—the person just waiting to be recognized,” said Sister Catherine Louise. “I thought I knew all the reasons for homelessness and all about ‘those kinds of people.’ All my preconceived notions crumbled when I became the learner and those who are marginalized became my teachers.”

Despite the still-pervasive belief that those who are homeless are lazy or irresponsible, the reality is that many of them hold down steady jobs but simply don’t make enough to pay for food and rent. With run-down, roach-infested single rooms with no bathroom facilities going for about $700 per month in San Francisco, it is no surprise that the fastest-growing population of homeless people are those with minimum-wage jobs. Other people on the streets are former salespeople, dancers, professional athletes, or engineers who have lost their jobs. Some are women fleeing abusive situations. Others’ lives have been crippled by mental illness or addiction.

The harsh realities of life on the streets make it extremely difficult for people who find themselves there to get back on their feet. Practically all of those who are homeless are without family support. They are hungry, seldom get a good night’s sleep, and often have a host of untreated physical problems. “Once a person gets into this position, it is very hard for them to climb out,” said Mary Ann. “How can they get the energy to make a change when there is so much working against them?”

Sister Catherine Louise goes with CTI Director Mary Ann Finch to visit Sunny Lovel, who is suffering from bone cancer which has spread to her brain and who recently started a new round of chemotherapy treatment. To add to her hardship, Sunny’s makeshift home in the high grass alongside an abandoned railroad track has been destroyed by the city’s earthmovers several times.

A Touch of Hope

Perhaps the single most overlooked barrier to making a change for the better is a loss of dignity, self-respect, and belief in the possibility of a different future. Although the point or goal of Sister Catherine Louise’s ministry is simply to be a loving presence rather than to “fix” the specific problems that face her clients, she sees the work she does as enabling people to gather the strength required to enter a drug treatment center, try for a higher-paying job, seek the medical care they need, or just face the day with a touch of hope for tomorrow.

Clients often come up to Sister Catherine Louise in the street and give her a hug, thank her for making them feel better, or even tell her that they would never have gone into a treatment program if it hadn’t been for her. “That’s what this kind of touch does for them,” said a rehabilitation counselor in one of the clinics where Sister Catherine Louise offers massage. “It is about a whole lot more than comfort. It’s about people who call themselves ‘the gutter people’ and ‘the ones who didn’t die’ getting reconnected to themselves and being able to recognize that they are persons.”

As humans, we all need touch to allow us to feel connected—to know that we are not alone. For those who are homeless, that need is even greater. “Touch is the best medicine we can give people who feel so abandoned and isolated,” said Mary Ann. “Often when we’re working, we’ll see a glimmer of something in a client’s eyes. One of those glimmers can be the fire that ignites the belief that they are deserving of care and respect.”

The longing to be part of a genuinely nurturing relationship is highlighted by the story of Kenny, a man Mary Ann encountered in a clinic. After waiting several hours to see an addiction counselor, Kenny agreed to a neck and shoulder massage. Not long after he sat down, one of the clinic staff told Kenny that a counselor was ready to see him. “I don’t need to be seen,” Kenny responded. “I need to be cared for—like I’m being cared for right now.”

Beyond the physical

It is that extra dimension that sets the massages Sister Catherine Louise provides apart from the massage experience one might enjoy at a spa. According to Sister Catherine Louise, the fundamental difference is the spiritual aspect of this kind of touch. “For me, one of the most meaningful strokes of massage is that of ‘resting’ where I place my hands on the client’s shoulders,” said Sister Catherine Louise. “It is a time of blessing the person, resting my hands, my intention, my heart, and wishing for God’s grace and love to be lavished on this person. Silently I am saying, ‘I am here with you’ and we are both being transformed.”

Sister Catherine Louise’s ministry of touch does so much more than soothe muscles. It stirs the heart and restores the soul. It lifts spirits and restores hope. It makes those who are alienated and alone feel like part of the family of humanity again. “A massage feels totally different if the person giving it really cares,” explained one homeless person. “It’s not just physical, but spiritual. It’s more than a massage—it’s a blessing.”

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HOW YOU CAN HELP...

• Pray for the continued growth of ministries that focus on the needs of people who are homeless and marginalized.
• Inform others of the work of Sister Catherine Louise and others at the Care Through Touch Institute so that hands-on care for people who are poor and marginalized will become more and more a part of the fabric of society.
• Consider volunteering your time in a ministry that may be just outside your comfort zone. Challenging yourself and your assumptions can be a wonderful way not only to help others but also to stretch yourself as well.
• Be an advocate for those who are homeless. Speak out in favor of a universal living wage. Lobby for access to education for children who are homeless and for affordable housing and healthcare for all those who live on the streets.
• Give to the ministry. Funds are needed to provide student scholarships to those who want to train at the Care Through Touch Institute but cannot afford the tuition. Make tax-deductible contributions online via our secure website.