| Written by Tony Gosgnach, Catholic Register Special,
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 Brother Richard MacPhee
Faith in People, as the campaign is known, was launched along with a new logo for the Good Shepherd during a news conference at the Catholic agency’s Emmaus Place non-profit housing site on Oct. 15. Over the next month, messages and advertisements are slated to appear on transit shelters and billboards, as well as in newspapers and on television and radio.
“What does Faith in People mean? It means seeing the whole person, not just the problem … seeing potential and promise where others can’t or won’t,” said executive director Brother Richard MacPhee. “We confirm our commitment to seeing the whole person, not just the problem. Our great hope is that Faith in People will encourage more people to have faith in their fellow brothers and sisters in need.”
Good Shepherd has been serving the Hamilton area since 1961, when it was founded as a men’s hostel by the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd. It has expanded to provide a wide range of services to the community, including emergency shelter, hunger relief, referral and counselling services, palliative care, housing for street youth, assistance to victims of domestic violence and housing for special-needs adults. These services are now in demand more than ever, as one out of five Hamiltonians lives in poverty.
“We are not the same charity we were when we opened our doors in 1961,” remarked MacPhee, adding that the campaign “projects a future filled with hope and promise … (and) our unwavering commitment to reduce human suffering in all its forms.”
The agency’s new logo features a stylized “G,” standing for “Good Shepherd,” in the shape of a shepherd with his crook.
At the press conference, a range of people gave testimonies on how the Good Shepherd has changed their lives in positive ways, including Juan Carlos Velez, who came to Canada from Guatemala with his pregnant wife and young child 17 years ago, and was helped by the men’s shelter, while his wife and child were housed by the agency’s Martha House.
Youth program member Montana recounted how her school average has improved from the 50s to the 70s since the agency’s Brennan House took her under its wing.
“I honestly don’t know where I’d be right now if it wasn’t for Brennan House,” she said. “I would probably be on the streets.”
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger said there was no way public institutions could provide the level and kinds of services offered by the Good Shepherd.
“There is so much to do.… We are very, very grateful as a city that you are here.… On behalf of the city of Hamilton: thank you, thank you, thank you. Please keep up the good work.”
That was an exhortation MacPhee said the Good Shepherd will follow up on, in keeping with its mission of “Never Stop Loving.”
For information on the Good Shepherd and the Faith in People campaign visit: www.goodshepherdcentres.ca.
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