By Gus Hardy, Jesuit Novice - HTC Service April -mid-May 2023
On my first night as a Jesuit novice, the class of men ahead of us shared stories of their first year in service. One of them told us all about the month he spent serving his Hospital Experiment at a day shelter in New Orleans called the Harry Tompson Center. I had heard stories of the HTC from others who had served there, and even got to visit it at one point.
When I got the news that I’d spend a month and a half on my own experiment there, I immediately thought to myself, You've heard many stories. Many wonderful stories. They're not yours. Be open and prepare to receive Grace.
The week before I left for New Orleans, I prayed and imagined Jesus was cleaning one of the showers at the center and invited me inside. The shower enlarged as I stepped in, expanding, and reaching the appearance of a large cavern. I interpreted this to mean that this service would be bigger than I could fathom. I’ve thought about that story a lot since then as I’ve seen it come true. No, the showers haven’t quadrupled in size (to my relief as a daily scrubber), but every day that I step into the Harry Tompson Center, it feels bigger than the one before.
Each day, a new guest will share a story of their life with me, and I will know and pray for them by name. My list of names is growing ever larger. I know not only names and faces, but their grittiest challenges, past and present. I’ve come to know them beyond the veil of simply being unhoused. They share their histories with me. I’ve learned that some hold master’s degrees, have had 30-year careers, are struggling with divorce, distance from loved ones, the distress of being displaced after major natural events.
Each one of our guests amazes me with their love of life amidst such struggles, a love that at once inspires and impresses me. Listening to them, I want to actively hear what each person wishes to share of their life. I am invited to learn, to listen, to empathize – going beyond direct service. It’s a humble education in the heart of being human.
I believe that these encounters will carry me and continue to inform me when my time ends at the HTC and I leave for the next stage of formation. Realizing their generosity is so humbling that I feel I almost dare not write about it. The only thing I can do is carry our guests in turn with me as best I can along this pathway to serving God. May their lessons allow me to share myself ever-more generously, as they have with those of us who are glad and lucky to know them.
Gus Hardy just after morning shower services with Emily, Drew, and Theresa.