Sister takes action where the ‘fundamentals of life are lacking’

Not long ago Sister Dorothy Ann Kundinger visited a local discount chain with a man just released from prison after serving a 27-year sentence. Together they walked down aisle after aisle of new clothes—socks in packages, not yet worn. “He was so grateful, so grateful. He couldn’t get over what was happening,” she says. “I think it shows that FSPA is present where there is necessity. It doesn’t get more basic than clothing.” She is thankful that the “FSPA community permits me to be where the fundamentals of life are lacking and to fulfill those needs.”

That day Sister Dorothy Ann was shopping with a client from Matthew 25:36—one of two programs in Jackson, Miss., that serve homeless individuals afflicted with HIV/AIDS and who don’t have access to adequate clothing and food. The other is Grace House. Sister Dorothy Ann volunteers with and sponsors ministry grants for both.

The Matthew 25:36 grant exclusively assists men with the infectious disease who are transitioning from prison to society. “Often they need everything,” says Ella Tardy, executive director of both programs. “Our last client arrived with a shirt on his back and a white plastic garbage bag, the kitchen kind,” says Ella. “It was nowhere near full.” Sister Dorothy Ann, explains Ella, “takes charge of the immediate needs for new residents,” purchasing essentials like socks and underwear, deodorant and toothbrushes. Additional grant funds also cover initial parole expenses and pay for the process of obtaining legal Mississippi identification—“anything a person needs to get back into society,” explains Sister Dorothy Ann.

Grace House accommodates these parolees as well as other homeless, HIV-positive men and women, in separate facilities. Staff works with residents to achieve self-sufficiency and permanent housing goals while managing bio-psychosocial issues (the theory that biological, psychological and social factors significantly impact human functioning in the context of disease) and entitlement program eligibility. “The FSPA grant is used to purchase basics for all the residents, 18 at any time, and frequently buys food or water for the house,” says Ella. She reports that “Jackson’s water supply is safe for everyone except for those with diminished immune systems.”

Sister Dorothy Ann is usually present at Grace House on Mondays and Tuesdays, sometimes as a driver taking residents to appointments or as a staff member who has “the pleasure of keeping order,” says Ella. “Sister Dorothy Ann is a constant source of calm amid all of the goings and comings at Grace House, and is instrumental in assessing residents and keeping them on right paths.”

For people living with HIV/AIDS, healthy diets are critical. Sister Dorothy Ann works with clients to develop
meal plans and grocery lists and purchases the bulk of supplies needed each week. “With FSPA’s donation she is able to make up the difference between available food assistance funds allocated by the state and the actual cost for a month of groceries,” says Ella. “Otherwise, some residents would spend food money on pizza. It’s just one of the ways Sister Dorothy Ann goes above and beyond for our residents.”

Her desire and ability to exceed the needs of those to whom she has ministered for 15 years in Jackson (where she also ministers in hospice care as a chaplain) were celebrated in July when Sister Dorothy Ann was recognized with the Franciscan Federation’s Passionately Embracing Gospel Living award. “When Sister Marlene Weisenbeck (then FSPA president) contacted me I remarked of the many Dorothys in community—‘do you have the wrong one?’” Once past the initial shock Sister Dorothy Ann was “grateful and humbled.” For all the honor’s requirements she is most proud to be “. . . a beacon of light for others, especially the marginalized,” and a “witness to the challenge and power of Gospel values in daily living.”