By Fr. Fred Kammer, SJ and Mary Baudouin
On a cold Monday morning, Jesuit Superior General Arturo Sosa Abascal, SJ, accompanied by Jesuit Frs. Thomas P. Greene, provincial of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province; W. Penn Dawson, Steven Schoenig, Douglas Marcoullier and Vernon D’Cunha, waited with the unhoused people lining up to enter into the safe haven of the Rebuild Center, the home of the Harry Tompson Center, named in honor of the late Fr. Harry Tompson, SJ. Although the Jesuit priests were there as guests, the actual “guests” of the center were there to receive one or more of the services offered daily: warm showers, clean toilets, access to telephones, a place to charge cell phones, mail retrieval, sinks for shaving, laundry, haircuts or a check-in with case workers. The Jesuits were greeted warmly, as every guest of the Center is when they step into this sanctuary and find respite from the harsh realities of street life for a few hours each day.
Center Director Emily Bussen and Board Chairperson Mary Baudouin introduced Fr. Sosa to the history of the Harry Tompson Center. In 1999, Fr. Tompson opened the doors of a building next door to Immaculate Conception Church in downtown New Orleans (known to many New Orleanians as “The Jesuit Church”) to offer a space where homeless people seeking food and clothing from the parish could go during the day. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated much of New Orleans in 2005, the parish rectory and church basement flooded, as did the building that housed the ministry to the homeless.
Without a congregation to support it, a staff to work in it or a building to house it, this ministry appeared unlikely to re-open. But a conversation between the Jesuits, UNITY for the Homeless, the Vincentian Fathers and the Presentation Sisters sparked a dream for a new collaborative ministry to maintain and enhance the services provided to homeless people by each individual organization.
The New Orleans Province of the Jesuits contacted the School of Urban Design at the University of Detroit Mercy (a Jesuit school) to accept an earlier offer of help in rebuilding province structures, and they designed what is now the Rebuild Center on the property of St. Joseph Church near downtown New Orleans.
In the 26 years since the doors first opened, the center has become a cornerstone of support for the unhoused and housing-insecure population of New Orleans. In 2024, the center recorded more than 30,000 visits, providing vital services for those experiencing homelessness.
Beyond meeting immediate physical needs, the Harry Tompson Center significantly impacts local efforts to reduce homelessness and build community resilience. A close partnership with organizations like UNITY of Greater New Orleans and Depaul USA allows the center to be part of a “continuum of care” for the city’s vulnerable populations.
Father General had the opportunity to witness that continuum of care and have conversations with the dedicated staff of the center. The center has recently been renovated from its initial complex of trailers and decking to permanent buildings. When one walks into the Center, it is clear that it was designed specifically to serve homeless people. It is functional yet beautiful. Even though it is built on blacktop, lush greenery and open benches give visitors and guests alike the feeling that they are in a country campsite. Homeless guests are provided with a sense of openness, yet there are areas available for much coveted private space. The fact that the center was built specifically FOR homeless people is a statement of respect for this population.
The staff and volunteers of the Harry Tompson Center, many of whom have Jesuit affiliations, shared with Fr. General the many ways that they lovingly “walk with the excluded” each day. They stressed that, although they have been successful in helping guests navigate into permanent housing (over 150 people found homes this past year), they count their greatest success as helping guests feel a sense of safety, community and dignity each day.
Father Fred Kammer, SJ, is a Jesuit of the USA Central and Southern (UCS) Province who was the director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute at Loyola University New Orleans, former president/CEO of Catholic Charities USA and former provincial the New Orleans Province. Mary Baudouin is the UCS provincial assistant for justice and ecology. She was raised in the city of New Orleans, where she served as the administrator of parish outreach programs for Catholic Charities before moving to Washington, D.C., to become the director of the Office of Implementation for the Pastoral Letters on the Economy for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. She has worked alongside the Jesuits for more than two decades. Both Fr. Kammer and Ms. Baudouin have spent their lives serving the underprivileged while promoting a “faith that does justice.” Together, they provided the following reflection on the visit of Superior General Arturo Sosa Abascal, SJ, to the Harry Tompson Center in New Orleans.
