By Bill Brady
Churches across St. Anthony Park and Como have joined an initiative to serve the overflow of asylum-seeking families in the metro who have yet to find stable housing.
Launched last spring by Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul, “Faithful Hospitality” works with congregations to offer overnight shelter inside their buildings and provide volunteers to stay with the families. The houses of worship commit to hosting up to 20 adults and children for a month at a time.
Though funded by the state through Hennepin County, close to two dozen Ramsey County sites have participated so far by offering space or providing volunteers. Those include at least five churches in the Park Bugle coverage area: St. Anthony Park Lutheran, St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, St. Matthews Episcopal, St. Cecelia’s Catholic and St. Timothy Lutheran of Como Park.
St. Anthony Park Lutheran may be among the most active of the participants, having hosted guest families during four separate months—August, September, November and December. Congregation member Lisa Sackreiter was among the 50-plus volunteers who helped welcome the guests.
“Some nights were very quiet,” she said. “The guests arrived around 7 p.m. and headed straight to their private rooms (converted classrooms). Other nights were much more social with guests, especially the kids, and volunteers hanging out doing craft projects, playing games, chatting in Spanish or using Google Translate to communicate until bedtime at 9.
“On weekday mornings families were up and out before 7 a.m. On weekends they stayed until 8.”
During the day, family members who aren’t working or going to school are taken to a full-service day center located at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown St. Paul. There, trained social workers from Interfaith Action provide the families with “wraparound” services, including workforce training, legal assistance, language skills, financial classes, family reunification support, a dining room and a day care for preschoolers.
Careful screening of families
All asylum-seeking families are screened and referred by Hennepin County to ensure they are eligible for the program, with priority given to families with young children who demonstrate a commitment to achieving self-sufficiency.
“Faithful Hospitality is a powerful example of how faith communities can combine compassion and practicality to create lasting change,” said Liliana Letran-Garcia, Interfaith Action’s chief executive officer. “It’s not just about providing shelter. It’s about offering a holistic path to self-sufficiency, dignity and hope.”
Trepidation, then exhilaration
When the opportunity to host overnight guests was first presented, the St. Timothy congregation had what its pastor, Hans Jorgensen, called “A vibrant mix of responses—excitement, anxiety and of course, lots of questions, ranging from big ones about immigration to nitty-gritty ones about cleaning bathrooms.”
Ultimately, the congregation decided to “Lean into this thing that made us a little uncomfortable, as a way of listening for God’s living voice.”
Then they met the families.
“Oh, my goodness!” Jorgensen recalled with a smile. “The children stole the hearts of our overnight volunteers, whether blowing bubbles or playing with balls or coloring or crafts. We didn’t know much Spanish, so we learned to be beautifully awkward together. The Google translation app got quite a workout.”
At the same time, he continued, “We also witnessed the incredibly hard work of the parents, who had come through treacherous miles from Ecuador and Venezuela to make a better life in Minnesota. They worked hard to learn English, to learn how to bank and save and get around on public transportation. We saw the glory of God in these human beings.”
Hopeful future
State funding for Faithful Hospitality is set to end in March 2025. Beyond that, the program’s future will depend on securing additional resources. Letran-Garcia says Interfaith Action is “hopeful and committed” to finding ways of continuing the program.
“The need remains significant,” she said. “Families seeking asylum face unique challenges, making programs like Faithful Hospitality essential to helping them transition to stability and self-sufficiency.”
Bill Brady, copy editor for the Park Bugle, also serves on the board of directors for Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul.
Photo cutline: St. Anthony Park Lutheran volunteers Breanna Mueller (seated with glasses on left), Molly Breen (standing at back) and Kristin Shardlow (seated in rear at right) mingle with Faithful Hospitality guests on a recent evening at the church. Photo courtesy St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church.
