Cristo Rey St Martin: A Resource for the Community

Fr. Corey Brost (second from left) arrives to help at the vaccine clinic with three of the residents of Viator House of Hospitality.

This semester, a rare intersection of young people from three Viatorian institutions in Illinois came together to serve the wider community. This unique partnership started in February, when students from Cristo Rey St. Martin and Saint Viator High School, as well as men from Viator House of Hospitality worked together to feed the hungry. Working side by side, they staffed a mobile food bank that took place at Cristo Rey St. Martin High School in Waukegan, which partnered with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to provide the non-perishable food items. The young people worked with approximately 80 volunteers in all, including faculty, staff and Viatorians. Their roles included directing traffic, setting up stations, loading foodstuffs into cars and greeting people as they drove through the campus.

In all, the first event served more than 900 area families said Jim Dippold, campus minister at CRSM and organizer of the project. But that was just the start. Over the course of the semester, the school hosted six pop-up food banks and four vaccination clinics – in partnership with Jewel Osco Pharmacy – that served roughly 1,200 people at each one. “It was such a good connection to make among the three communities working together to help serve families from the greater Waukegan area,” Mr. Dippold said. The vaccination clinic provided shots for people 65 and over in the Waukegan area, as well as retired Viatorians living at the Province Center and members of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Guadalupe sisters. “It all added up to an amazing day,” Mr. Dippold said after the first clinic, “that makes St. Martin and all of us proud.” Viatorians who accompanied the young people at these events included Fr. Corey Brost, CSV, Br. John Eustice, CSV, Br. Michael Gosch, CSV, and Associate Brian Hansen, while Associate James Thomas helped with logistics at the vaccine clinic.

“These 900 families are our neighbors,” Mr. Dippold said in thanking food bank volunteers. “You are a ray of light through some difficult times. You offered hope and compassion to people who appreciated it.” Preston Kendall, President of Cristo Rey St. Martin, said that the disruption of holding these large-scale events on the school campus was worth it. They offered tangible ways the school could reach out and help the community during the long pandemic. “The vaccine clinics felt like progress,” Mr. Kendall said. “Being part of the solution to these terrible troubles is a very good feeling indeed.”

He said that in searching for a permanent home for the school, board members dreamed of a facility that would not only meet the school’s needs but would have the potential to become a rich resource for the entire community. “We are a faith-based school and we want our students to put their faith into action,” he added. “It’s the only way we will make the world a better place. Our school strives to model these values by leveraging the campus for our collective, greater good.”

High school volunteers load boxes of food into cars. Br. Michael Gosch helps welcome residents for their vaccine appointments.