BY JOAN SHIELS

Kate McMichael is a part-time theology student and a full time pastoral associate. During our interview, I asked her only one question. I said, "St Francis lived a life of radical love, practical peace and intense joy. I see all of those qualities in you. Could you tell me how Francis has influenced and guided your life?" Her response to that question says it all.

    Kate McMichael         

" You know, there was a time when I thought of St Francis as just a garden statue! Once I started to learn about the real Francis I found something very compelling about his character. His relationship with Jesus - the Jesus who could look out at poor, sick or abandoned people and see his brothers and sisters. What Francis taught, and what I believe, is that we are most able to see the face of God in those people whom the rest of our society doesn't want to see at all. That's where God is the most present.

"I live and work at St Boniface Parish, which is in the hard-core part of San Francisco's inner city called the Tenderloin. The larger society in this city refuses to believe that this neighborhood is a real community. They think of the Tenderloin as just the home of drug dealers and prostitutes. This infuriates me. Yes, there are a lot of people with no other place to go. Yes, there are homeless people, people in transit or in transition, people seeking refuge from the streets. There are also a lot of elderly people who lived in this neighborhood before it began its downward slide and who now can't afford to leave. There's a large Filipino population, a vibrant Vietnamese community and a Hispanic community that comes from all over the Spanish-speaking world. There are 4,000 children.

"What amazes me most about the people who worship here is that they are - well, they are so grateful. Our culture mistreats the elderly and the poor and the marginalized so much that these people appreciate even small things. Mostly, they are grateful for the presence of one another. They seem to know that each of us, somehow, reflects God. Many people in our society tell them they don't deserve anything. For that reason I try to make things beautiful for them. I will pour in hours to make every detail of a celebration special. I try to fuss over each person and make him or her feel like a treasure - because that's what we all are!

It's radical to love these people. But Jesus loved them. Francis loved them. It's what we are supposed to do. I take inspiration from a retired schoolteacher who was an active member of our community until she died last year. She had a pension, and she could have chosen to live almost anywhere she wanted to, but she chose to live in the Tenderloin because, as she told us, 'That's where Jesus would be.' That's a big part of my own motivation to live in this neighborhood.

"Dealing with such diversity population can make it hard to create 'community'. We don't always succeed at it, but we've learned that presence, a sense of humor and lots of good will are the tools that can make it work. While differences in our languages often make it difficult to communicate, gender can be a great bond. The population at St Boniface is probably half men, half women, but as far as being really active in the community, far and away the majority are women. Sometimes when there are a lot of us (usually a lot of women) in sacristy and we find we can't really speak to each other, there's just a lot of smiling and a lot of hugging. Sometimes that's all we can do. And often it enough.

"For example, one of the matriarchs in our Hispanic community received serious injuries when she was hit by a truck last year. During her recovery, friends and parishioners would bump into each other while visiting her. We learned that the important things to be able to say are 'Good day,' 'How are you?,' 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you.' It's amazing how far you can go if you know how to say those simple things.

"My official title at St Boniface is 'Pastoral Associate for Adult Faith Formation,' but I do lots of things: I plan and direct and sing with a choir at Sunday Masses. I coordinate big multi-lingual celebrations that bring all of our various communities together. I prepare adults for sacraments like baptism and confirmation. I also facilitate a Bible study group, which is a real grace: In this group the recovering alcoholic and the clinically- diagnosed schizophrenic sit alongside every other kind of marginalized person you can imagine. Bible study in the Tenderloin is incredibly meaningful.

"When I'm not working at St. Boniface, I'm part of another Franciscan community at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, where I'm finishing up my Master of Divinity degree. My studies there have helped me confirm what I already know: that I am very, very Franciscan. This means I start with a belief in the blessedness of all creation.   From that perspective, everything and everyone shines forth the face of God. Then, as Francis did, I have a desire to create safe, welcoming places for everyone. St Boniface and FST are typically Franciscan because they are places that not only welcome people but also nourish them.

           Franciscan School of Theology

"I have visited Franciscan communities all over, and in the company of every Franciscan family I see a celebration of God's life within us. This is the life that we share. It's often overlooked, or lived unconsciously, but we have an ability to distill and crystallize the knowledge that we are not alone, nor that we are alone with God, but that we are in communion with ourselves, with God and with each other - all at the same time.

This opens us up to a lot of heartache and pain, because there's a lot of vulnerability in being fully present to other people. But that's why, I think, the Incarnation was always a part of God's plan. That was God's love embodied and shared. Jesus had to come and be among the people. Love that's encased in shrine or kept to itself isn't really love. It only becomes love when it's shared.

                                             Joan Shiels 

" I have days when I feel despair, when I can't help someone or when I don't know what to do with all the pain I see around me. But I have never doubted my decision to work here or to be a part of the Franciscan community. This is where I belong. These are the people who make me know I'm real. this is where I feel connected. When I was younger, I worked in advertising and made a lot of money. I know I can do that kind of work. But I also know that I was miserable doing it! I feel blessed that through St. Francis  God has shown me a path to a real life, a satisfying life - a fun life. And I'm grateful. Incredibly grateful."