THOMAS FOUNDER
Father Jim McCartney
If there is one thing I have learned from leading THOMAS,
it’s this: never to give up on what you set out to achieve.
Seventeen years ago we published our first edition of Edges. In those days I lived above our Drop-in-Centre, in a chaos of noise, unpredictability and a copious ingestion of heroin, intravenously fragmenting the lives of so many people accessing the building.
Waking up to the absurdity of doing nothing propelled me to do something. I recall my meeting with Susan. She was heavily addicted to heroin and sniffing glue. She did not hide her reality; a prostitute, homeless, addicted to gear and in need of a fix. All I could give her was a hot drink and some food. She spoke gently but with a most impressive sincerity. The characteristics of her struggle were part of a bigger picture, as you search for an answer you cannot find the solution. That night I established a sense of direction, a purpose, an encounter that provoked a tingling sensation of unbelievable determination to make a difference.
In the pandemonium of Susan’s night she took time to write me a poem that she posted through my door the following morning. Susan died a year later aged 22. In this 50th edition of Edges I publish her poem below this column. Her memory lives on in our work.
Thankfully we have been able to help many people turn from crime, drugs and alcohol. I am so inspired by the many graduates of THOMAS who have contributed to this publication over the last 17 years.
Morning Light
A Message to Father Jim From Susan
Homeless living in Blackburn Town, Addicted to Heroin known as Brown
I’m 21 nearly 22, And all this pain I have been through.
I’m only alive ‘cause of Fr. Jim, St Anne’s Church and the soup kitchen
Some days I wish that I was dead, But I’ve got a brain within this head
And even through all this strife, God created me and I have a life
As I look upon the moon and stars, I wish I had a home, I feel so alone
And I don’t know where I’ll sleep tonight, Until the morning light.
A prostitute in Blackburn Town, Addicted to Heroin known as Brown
Please Lord I pray to you, Find a home for this lass Sue