#kenosha

The Coffee Pot has always been one of my favorite places to grab breakfast or a sandwich. The food was great. The service was impeccable. In the summer dining outside with the cool Lake Michigan breeze was a guilty pleasure. After a fire, the place is closed and the neon of the blue coffee pot remains unlit until further notice (Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2026)

Mr. Yee’s has been serving food in Kenosha since 1955. Although if it was made today, the neon would read differently. However today, the neon would never have been crafted. I always loved seeing the sign as I drove by. The food was good too. (Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2026)

I love the Kenosha streetcar. It is one of the best ways to avoid parking crowds at the Harbor Market on Saturdays. These restored streetcars are just a lovely ride through the harbor. Last time I was on it, I saw some new spaces and murals that I hadn’t seen before. (Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2026)

I was in Kenosha for some meetings and spent some time downtown shooting photos of the new developments (there are a lot!). This guy was just great. He was enjoying the day and the sunshine in all the best ways. I enjoyed meeting him. (Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2026)

In the 1970s AMC was putting out some innovative autos. One of my favorites was the Gremlin. It was nice to see it as a big mural. (Kenosha, Wisconsin, 2026)

When it comes to remodeling or construction, choosing the right contractor is the most important decision you’ll make. Homeowners and commercial clients across Racine, Kenosha, and Milwaukee trust Brewer Contracting because we bring something national chains can’t: true local expertise, accountability, and craftsmanship built on 25+ years of experience. 1. Local Knowledge Means Better…

Celebrating Social Ministers:

To begin with, I love my Catholic Charities team. Some work communities resist being a family and I cannot say that we completely see ourselves as a family. In order to maintain a healthy sense of self-care we acknowledge the need to be attentive to ourselves and our authentic family needs. But as a work community we have a palpable dynamic that allows us to love and respect each other to make for a powerful team. This is something you do not always see in other social service sectors. That is why I insist on looking at what we do as a ministry or a vocation rather than a job. In many ways we are a work community that functions as a limited family. We may not have a deep emotional attachment to each other and perhaps we refrain from seeing each other as close friends. But there is a bond between us that is characterized by mutual respect, trust, and emotional support for each other. So perhaps we have an undeclared friendship with one another. In any case, they are a great team and I am honored to be part of this community.

Like any family we have our close and distant relatives. The staff may represent siblings with different gifts and contributions but we also have cousins that are part of our work identity and share in our social mission. When we held our Catholic Charities Brooklyn/Queens Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon this past week we had a large family gathering and it was an amazing event.

We enjoyed a great fellowship with one another, an expression of Koinonia. A fellowship that St. Paul encourages us Christians to have with one another.

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit (koinonia), any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. (Phil. 2: 1-2)

And that one thing St. Paul mentions is to have the attitude of Christ and to share in his self-emptying mission, Kenosis. This is another Greek K-word that defines the mission of Christian discipleship.

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. (Phil. 2: 3-4)

We participate in the social ministry of our Church because we recognize that this is a spiritual pillar of the Church's mission. We are told about the Works of Mercy and the examples from Christ and the early Church. The mission flows from the Spirit but this must be done within the context of being a community, a Body of Christ.

And this was what our team was able to accomplish with our extended family, our witnesses of mercy. With a wonderful meal, encouraging talks, raffles, awards, and recognition we celebrated our broad social ministry community and invited them to have a closer relationship with us.

At the end of our appreciation luncheon we invited all participants to come to our May 16th "Faith in Action" Event. This will be a formational opportunity where existing and interested social ministers can be learn about CST and the Church’s social mission while learning about three critical issues facing us in NYC. Participants will know how to further collaborate with our team and share in the social mission of the Church through their own parish or school institution. The event is $10 with breakfast and lunch included. We certainly hope others who are interested in participating with Catholic social ministries will visit the QR code below and register for our “Faith in Action” event.

With this event we hope our family will grow.