Amen, I say to you,” says the Lord. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
To some, this parable is just one of many that can be found among the gold-leafed pages of the New Testament within a standard Christian Bible. Amy Betros and Norm Paolini don’t see it this way. These twenty words from parable 25:40 of the gospel according to Matthew happen to be just enough to form the framework of what they know to be a purposeful life well-lived.
In the early ‘90s, one might have found Amy Betros at 3234 Main Street, feeding students, passersbys, and regulars. She called her successful restaurant, simply, “Amy’s Place.” Betros served traditional Lebanese and Middle Eastern food while still offering simple diner favorites like French fries, grilled cheese, and burgers. Speaking about her original, mushy, lentil-berry concoction, she recalled, “One of my friends said, ‘No one’s going to eat this stuff.’ And that’s when it hit me.” For a friend on-the-go, Betros wrapped the dish up into sandwich form using provolone cheese, hot sauce, and flatbread to create the favorite that has transformed many customers into regulars.
As she grew more successful, she began to help needy locals, never turning anyone away for a meal. Though Betros sold the restaurant more than a decade ago, for her, Amy’s Place was only the beginning.
It is tough to imagine something great enough to impel a successful restaurant owner sell her business. For Betros, it wasn’t a matter of giving anything up. After a pilgrimage to Fatima, Portugal’s Apparition Hill, caused her to cross paths with a man who shared her strong faith and desire to help the poor, she realized exactly what she wanted. The man was Norm Paolini, a researcher at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. The two quit their previous professions and gathered enough money to purchase St. Luke’s, a parish that had closed in 1993. Located on Sycamore Street, the complex includes a church, convent, rectory, and school. Betros and Paolini purchased the entire St. Luke’s complex from the diocese of Buffalo in 1994 and began St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy.
At the Mission today, there are 16 missionaries, including the two co-directors. The entire organization are supported solely by private donations. A fundraising group called the FOSLs, or “Friend’s of St. Luke’s,” has been active since 1996, holding fund raisers to keep St. Luke’s running smoothly. Another program to raise money for the Mission is APOSTLE, standing for A Part of St. Luke’s Everyday. This program gathers 30 dollar donations monthly from members.
Located within the basement of the school is the soup kitchen, which offers people both brunch and dinner each day except Sunday, when only one meal is served. Feeding approximately 200 people at brunch and 300 at dinner, the Mission prepares and gives away at least 500 meals per day in addition to coordinating two weekly food-giveaways. St. Luke’s Mall can be found on the first floor of the school. The Mall is stocked with clothing and shoes of all sizes and household goods acquired through donation. Kitchen appliances, decorations, clocks, and other items can be found neatly arranged on wooden tables for “shoppers” to choose from. Anyone in need is able to come in and fill up to one bag per day to take with them.
St. Luke’s homeless shelter provides shelter for anyone in need. The Don Bosco House accommodates teenage boys, carrying on the tradition of the Catholic Italian priest, St. John Bosco, and helping them to become valuable and productive members of society. The Good Shepherd House, located in the old rectory, provides shelter and support for men attempting to overcome addictions. Joann Heimiller, one of the missionaries at St. Luke’s explains, “We help them to keep on track to the point where they’re hopefully able to live on their own.”
Heimiller, herself, lives in the Queen of Peace House with three other missionaries and two other women. She helps many of the mothers at the Mission and affords them the peace of mind that their children are in good hands. Sometimes remaining awake throughout all hours of the night, she cares for them expecting and accepting absolutely nothing in return. “It doesn’t matter what faith they are or if they are of no faith at all,” she explains. Heimiller also works at the sacristy, which is the office of the Mission, doing everything from administering toiletries and candy to arranging rides and providing bus tokens. As a missionary of almost three years, and an affiliate of St. Luke’s for more than eight, Heimiller is positive that she has found her calling. “God was calling for several years and at first I didn’t listen,” she said.
St. Luke’s has big plans for the future. One such plan is the construction of the proposed St. Joseph Labre House. A pursuit that is estimated to cost $300,000, the home will provide refuge, shelter, and care for those who have mental or developmental conditions. Another hopeful plan is the establishment of St. Joseph’s Room at the Inn. Designed as a “bed and breakfast for the homeless,” this project will require approximately $1,500,000 in donations.
Throughout this past year, the church has been slowly renovated. The murals in the church were created by the Polish artist John De Rosen and are being restored with the help of Henry Swiatek, winner of the Landmark Society Craftsman Award in 2004.
Saint Luke’s Mission will always accept a helping hand, if offered. “Whatever you’re interested in, we have a place for you,” says Betros. Monetary donations aren’t the only gifts that keep the mission running. The “Need of the Month” section of the mission’s website mentions areas where specific necessary goods and services are particularly lacking while thanking those who have contributed to the pool of resources that the mission has to draw from. This November, St. Lukes specifically seeks paper towels and body care products such as lotion and deodorant.
“There’s just such a need and people don’t realize it,” laments Dave Topor, another dedicated missionary. St. Luke’s welcomes volunteers to work with people at any of their established homes, the kitchen, or the office. A Thanksgiving food-packing event and Christmas caroling in late November are just two of the events that will attract volunteers to the mission this month. Volunteers are needed year-round, however, to tutor young students, aid in fundraising events, and drive people to appointments. These valuable gifts of “time and talent” are a wonderful way of supporting the Mission.
Those involved in the work of St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy operate on time, energy, and effort. Their seemingly endless supplies of these are sustained by faith and love for those around them.
As Victor Hugo writes in his 1862 novel, Les Misérables, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” By living among the poor and the sick, Heimiller feels closer to God with every improvement, big or small, that she is able to make in an individual’s day, week, or life. Each day, the missionaries and volunteers find a way to fill the needs that are presented to them in their work. No one, it seems, is quite sure exactly how it all logically falls into place. No one questions it, either.
