Story by Shelley Wolf
Realizing that they have been blessed, Janelle and Jeffrey O’Neill, a young couple from Farmington, spent a Saturday afternoon at a picnic for the homeless at Holy Trinity Church on Capitol Avenue in downtown Hartford.
On the grounds of the church where they were married last year, the O’Neills looked on as their fellow parishioners dished up picnic foods to the homeless, needy families, veterans and others. The O’Neills contributed the hamburgers.
“We donated food but this is our first time here, just to see what happens and to interact with different people,” says Janelle, an attorney of Jamaican heritage. Jeffrey, an Irish Catholic, is a resident in psychiatry at UConn Health Center. “I think it’s very important to acknowledge what we have personally, but also be willing to share with others. Anyone’s path could change on a dime.”
The O’Neills are in good company, joining their fellow Catholics, their priest and other volunteers from Hartford, who are working together to serve the poor in the capital city.
Holy Trinity Church – a mission, or quasi-parish, of the Cathedral of St. Joseph – is known throughout Hartford for its outreach to the poor. It’s located in an area with many needy people, just a few blocks away from the train and bus station, homeless shelters and social service agencies.
Sometimes the church partners with a social service group to host an event; other times, parishioners run the event themselves.
In addition to the summer picnic, Holy Trinity Church hosts holiday dinners on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Everyone is welcome: the homeless, struggling families, the lonely and anyone who would like to be embraced by the love of God. Every month, the church also asks parishioners to contribute items – such as food, new socks, personal hygiene items, and cleaning and paper products – based on the current needs of a different social service agency.
And this outreach is being performed by an increasingly diverse church that draws Catholics from the inner city as well as from more distant suburban and rural towns.
According to Father Charles Jacobs, who has been administrator at Holy Trinity for nearly 20 years, the parish is comprised of 400 registered families, with 10 percent from Hartford and the rest drawn from 28 different zip codes. The church attracts Lithuanians from afar for its bilingual Lithuanian Mass on Sunday, but now also includes Hispanics from Hartford’s closed churches, black Catholics, young adults from West Hartford and Farmington Valley, and even some curious Jews, Muslims and Hindus.
Jacobs says he makes a special effort to help integrate newcomers into the flock. “Everybody feels connected,” he says. “When people come in, I introduce them right away so they know somebody and they’re not alone.”
He says his philosophy of giving is simple: “I tell people that charity begins at home. Help your own family first. Then if you have more, help others.”
This diverse congregation appears to love donating and charitable work. “They hear about it,” Father Jacobs says of each event, “and everyone comes out to help.”
Cathy Pleckaitis, a parishioner from Glastonbury who joined the church a year ago, says, “My husband is Lithuanian and he said, ‘Let’s try that Lithuanian church in Hartford,’ not expecting that we would find all this.”
Pleckaitis says she loves the fellowship, especially the opportunity to participate in charitable events with people who share her values. “It was like a dream come true to find this parish,” she adds. “It’s a diverse community here, and we come together as one people, one faith.”
Elaine Hatcher, a black resident of Hartford, approached Father Jacobs about using the parish hall to host dinners for the homeless. He agreed, so she began organizing holiday dinners in the basement of the church, and now she attends Mass there, too.
Hatcher gathers donated food from other parishioners as well as groceries, delis and restaurants. “Beg, borrow, steal, we put it together,” she says with a laugh. Her son also cooks. She says of the volunteer cooks and servers, “It’s just overwhelming when I think of what all the people do. No one had to get out of bed and come here this morning, but they give and give with love.”
John Sullivan, the parish photographer, says Holy Trinity benefitted from the closure of several Hispanic churches, as a result of parish mergers in 2017 in the Archdiocese of Hartford. “When the churches closed, it helped us out,” he acknowledges. “We are a friendly church, but we’ve gotten even friendlier since the Hispanic people came.”
This year’s picnic for the homeless opened with a children’s mariachi band, Mariachi Nuevo Sol, whose members are some of the youngest parishioners at Holy Trinity.
Nancy Quinones is a Hispanic who joined Holy Trinity when Sacred Heart Parish in the North End closed. She says she likes the small community, which reminds her of her old parish, and how everyone pitches in. “Everyone does something,” she says. “Father Jacobs just gives the permission for this and everyone comes up with ideas.”
Quinones brings her entire family along to help. At the picnic for the homeless, her children served ice cream shakes to other children from needy families. “I think it’s amazing. I love this type of community,” she says. “We always get the kids involved. We want them to be rooted in their faith, helping out the poor and their local community.”
Bill Morgan, a former state capitol policeman from West Hartford, joined the parish a year ago, after cooking for a holiday dinner. “I joined this parish after Thanksgiving because of the Thanksgiving meal,” he says.
Last year, he cooked for the Christmas Day dinner, too, by preparing macaroni and cheese and potatoes au gratin in the kitchen of St. Bridget Church in West Hartford with the help of some of his fellow Knights of Columbus.
“The best way I can describe it is practicing my faith by giving to others,” Morgan says. “It’s not just how much I can donate and how much I can do.
“The Gospel talks about being in a place where Jesus washed the feet of others,” he explains. Morgan says he learned from Father Jacobs that serving others is about “humility” and that it’s important to be conscious of “how and why you give back.”
James Meehan, a parishioner, Rocky Hill resident and former assistant police chief of Hartford, credits Fathers Jacobs’ homilies for generating so much volunteerism and social outreach. “People love it. You can tell,” he says. “They’re always here helping. It’s like, ‘You are my guest’ not ‘you are homeless.’”
For his part, Father Jacobs is happy to offer the love of God to the homeless and to new parishioners alike. “It’s all about making people feel welcome,” he says.
