US Outreach Ministries
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”
(Mt. 25:35-36)
St. Alexius Outreach Ministries
The Alexian Brothers' ministry traces back to the Middle Ages in the Low Countries and along the Rhine, emerging from an earlier group known as the Beghards as early as the 12th century. They dedicated themselves to tending the sick and burying the dead, activities most people feared at the time.
The Brothers rose to prominence during the Black Death (The Plague) in 1347, still doing what they had done for almost a century; fearlessly caring for the sick and burying the dead. At the time, families were abandoning members to outside the town when they were ill out of fear of the sickness. This courageous work became a defining characteristic of their mission, they began to be referred to as the Alexian Brothers.
As the centuries passed, their mission continued to evolve throughout Germany and Europe. In 1866, the Alexian Brothers expanded to America where they established their first hospital in Chicago. This expansion continued from coast to coast at the height of their hospital system.
St. Alexius Outreach Ministries, a non-profit subsidiary of Alexian Brothers Communities and Ministries, was founded in 2017. It focuses on continuing the Alexian Brothers' legacy through hands-on community outreach, particularly serving the sick, the poor, and isolated older adults. After eight centuries, the Alexian Brothers are still holding to the call the Beghards heard so long ago.
- Mobile Delivery: In partnership with United Way 2-1-1 and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, this program delivers emergency food boxes to individuals and families in crisis who lack transportation or mobility.
- Senior Center Food Delivery: SAOM purchases, packages, and delivers supplemental bags of groceries to senior activity centers across Southeast Tennessee to combat food insecurity among older adults. These supplemental bags of canned and dried goods are dropped off once per month.
- Senior Shopping Shuttle: Partnering with the Chattanooga Housing Authority, this program offers transportation for residents of CHA complexes to local stores. It not only helps open access to healthy food in food deserts but also gives those who may be alone a chance to meet others and alleviate loneliness.
Mobile Delivery: In partnership with Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, St. Alexius Outreach Ministries provides delivery services two days per week to those who are unable to access the Our Lady of Angels food pantry on their own.
Kolbe House: The Alexian Brothers partner with Kolbe House, an outreach program of the Archdiocese of Chicago, to provide support to incarcerated individuals and their families, including assistance with their reintegration into society.
St. Francis Catholic Worker House: This collaboration provides funding and pastoral support to those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
In addition to these programs, St. Alexius Outreach Ministries in Illinois hosts a Bible Study program at Cook County Jail and Ascension Behavioral Health Westchester weekly.
