Edmundite Missions is an Alabama Bright Light shining in the Black Belt
Endmundite Missions has been serving the poor and the marginalized in Alabama's Black Belt since the Great Depression. (contributed)
During the Great Depression in 1937, two Catholic priests of the Society of Saint Edmund came to Selma intending to spread the Gospel, but the poverty they encountered was so shocking and profound they began handing out sandwiches and other food out of the back door of their mission house.
That was the beginning of Edmundite Missions, an organization still based in Selma and still feeding the stomach along with the soul.
“We’re focused on the works of corporal mercies: food, clothing, shelter and education,” said Chad McEachern, president and CEO of Edmondite Missions. “Selma is a home base, but we work in several other counties in the Black Belt region of Alabama and in Louisiana and Texas.”
Edmundite Missions has become an essential part of life in Selma and throughout the poorest part of the Black Belt, home to a multitude of former divides, present reconciliations and a hopeful future. The current COVID-19 pandemic has only strengthened the resolve of the Edmundite Missions team.
Edmundite Missions is an Alabama Bright Light meeting needs in the Black Belt from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
“Since the COVID-19 health crises began, we have modified our mission work and outreach,” McEachern said. “We serve an average of 1,300 meals a day, and we’ve changed that from delivery to a grab-and-go service. We have also modified our summer program which usually holds over 100 students and downsized it to 30 students.”
Edmundite Missions has a clear goal in mind when helping the poor and marginalized in the Deep South. According to its internet page, “Our motto, instilled by our founder the late Father Frank Casey, S.S.E., resonates today: Do the best we can, with what little we have, to serve those most in need.”
The motto and mission depend on support from many people and organizations, like the Alabama Power Foundation.
“Grants from places like the Alabama Power Foundation make what we do possible, and give us the resources to reach out to people who are severely destitute,” McEachern said.
McEachern noted that loving and caring for each other is the best example to set, especially in light of the current movement against social injustice.
“Fifty years after the civil rights struggle in Alabama, we find ourselves in a similar place having to confront the same racial divide,” he said. “We have a greater African American population in our area, and we work more cohesively and as a fabric woven together rather than ‘us and them.’ The way we deliver our ministry is by being one with the community.”
The racial unrest throughout the U.S. has spoken loudly to the issues Edmundite Missions faces daily as it works and reaches out to the marginalized and poor.
“Our mission will stand up and speak truth to power when necessary, and together we will continue to move forward and speak up for those who are often voiceless,” McEachern said. “We will ensure that every person is viewed with dignity and respect.”
For more, visit www.edmunditemissions.org
Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Award-winning journalist Karim Shamsi-Basha tells their inspiring stories. Email him comments, as well as suggestions on people to profile, at karimshamsibasha@gmail.com.
