News

Place 2B continues service to the needy

By Sam Lucero
Compass Staff

	SERVING THE POOR: Fr. Quinn Mann, left, stands outside of Fr. Carr's Place 2B in Oshkosh with Sr. Angela Dassinor and Adam Brechtel. Sr. Angela serves as house mother at the women's shelter, called Holy Family Villa, and Brechtel is house father at the men's shelter, Bethlehem Inn. The center founded by Fr. Marty Carr, who died last June, is looking for an executive director. (Sam Lucero photo)

OSHKOSH -- Fr. Quinn Mann remembers the first time he met Fr. Marty Carr, who founded The Place 2B in 1974.

It was Thanksgiving Day, 2001, and Fr. Quinn, a young seminarian, paid a visit to the center. "I came here and introduced myself and said, 'Fr. Carr, I'm going to be a priest.' He said, 'That's great. Here's a spoon.'"

And Fr. Mann proceeded to scoop corn for hungry visitors at The Place 2B's meal program.

For those who remember Fr. Carr, who died last June 17 (Father's Day) of complications from diabetes, the story reflects his view of the Gospel and putting the needs of the disenfranchised before others.

Fr. Carr's impact on Fr. Mann and countless other people remains strong, six months after his death. While there will never be another Fr. Carr, his legacy as a champion of the poor continues through the work of The Place 2B, said Fr. Mann, who serves as spiritual director at The Place 2B.

Following his ordination to the priesthood on May 24, 1974, Fr. Carr opened a youth center in the basement of St. Peter Church in Oshkosh, where he served as associate pastor. He called it The Place 2B, and the name remained even after the program relocated, first to a building on Main Street, and then to its present location on Oshkosh Avenue.

Its programs have expanded over the years to include homeless shelters for men and women, meal and pantry programs and a free community clinic providing medical and dental services.

"One thing that we realize is that Father wore a lot of hats," said Fr. Mann. "He was remarkable at what he did. He was a holy priest. I don't think any one of us could do what he did."

Deacon Keith Holschbach concurs. He has served as temporary administrator of The Place 2B since Fr. Carr's death.

"We continue in the direction that Fr. Carr - and originally Jesus Christ - put us on, taking care of every person that shows up at the door," said Deacon Holschbach. "Because we don't have a full-time person there - we (the board of directors) are taking responsibility for everything - we lack a continuity and we need to remedy that. That's number one."

The seven-member board of directors - all friends of Fr. Carr - has guided the center since last June. Now the board is searching for an executive director.

"The board's main goal is to hire an executive director," said Fr. Mann. "We hope, by end of January, to at least have applications in."

Just as both men see the Holy Spirit's role in The Place 2B's creation, they say it is the Spirit who will help guide its future.

"As we talk about filling the position, I would ask people to pray about it and see if it is a role that fits their call to ministry," said Deacon Holschbach. "It is an on-site resident position that offers the chance to live side-by-side with the people we serve. Depending on what kind of candidates there are ... we don't want to move at a fast pace if we don't have the right person. I'm dedicated to holding the mission together as best I can until we have the right person here."

"We all had a chance to talk with Fr. Carr" before he died, said Fr. Mann. "He said to move slow and discern the Spirit. Be open to the Spirit's direction."

One direction Fr. Mann sees as important is greater collaboration with area ministries in Oshkosh and the Fox Valley. "We want to work together with them. We want to get our feet on the ground and really complete the transition."

A new partnership at The Place 2B, one that "was Father's prayer since the early 1980s," said Fr. Mann, is the introduction of a religious community.

Last May, Sr. Angela Dassinor, a Handmaid of the Divine Redeemer and native of Ghana, West Africa, arrived in Oshkosh to serve as house mother at the women's shelter, known as Holy Family Villa. Two other sisters, who professed their vows last August, also live at Holy Family Villa.

"The shelter is for people who are looking for a place to stay and for a job," said Sr. Angela. "They stay with us, we feed them three times a day, and they go look for a job. We can encourage them, we pray with them, we advise them so they can go ahead on their own and don't have to depend on anyone."

Maintaining the center's ties to youth ministry is an essential part of its future, said Deacon Holschbach. "We know how Fr. Carr started so many years ago - working with the youth - and we know that much of our support, both financial and volunteer, are those youth who have become adults," he said. "We know that to ensure the future, we need to inspire the young. They just want to be invited."

"Ministry to the young will continue to be a big part of it," added Fr. Mann, who started Catholic Youth Expeditions out of The Place 2B in 2002 - with Fr. Carr's blessing.

Bringing young people together for social and spiritual events, along with service opportunities to the poor, is part of the church's "new evangelization," said Fr. Mann.

"It's not only an education on poverty, but an opportunity to roll up your sleeves, and do work of service to those less fortunate," Fr. Mann said. "Social justice should be part of our faith, instead of relegating it to government agencies and other philanthropic groups. The Place 2B is becoming a real resource. People look at it as a real model of ministry."

Fr. Mann believes that even without Fr. Carr, whose name is forever synonymous with Catholic social justice ministry in northeast Wisconsin, good things will continue to happen at The Place 2B.

"There's a lot of us that think Father was a saint, and all of us who loved him ask for his intercession every day," he said. "I see this place as having great potential for vocations; for priests, for sisters and for holy families. It could foster an incredible amount of vocations."

One of the keys to The Place 2B's success, he added, is having high expectations in all endeavors.

"We are going to keep dreaming," said Fr. Mann. "Father was a real dreamer. We don't want to just sustain and maintain. A mission is much more than that. It's a movement. It's the new evangelization."