PALM BEACH GARDENS | The traveling People of Hope Museum was welcomed to the Diocese of Palm Beach Nov. 6 with a morning Mass celebrated by Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola.
The museum, which highlights the work of Catholic Charities, the power of Christian service and its transformative impact on giver and receiver, is on a tour with more than 150 stops across the nation in 2026, 2027 and the first half of 2028, highlighting “Faith-filled stories of neighbors helping neighbors.”
During the Mass, Bishop Rodríguez’s homily related modern-day ways of dealing with the poor to how Jesus fed the multitudes with a few loaves of bread and two fish.
“Ask anyone at Catholic Charities. There are never enough beds, hours, dollars or hands. The line is always longer than the loaves,” he said. “But hear the good news this morning: Jesus never asks for what you don’t have. He asks for what you do have! He takes those few loaves, lifts them to heaven, blesses them, breaks them and gives them away. And the impossible happens!”
The bishop said generous donors, case workers and others who assist them turn their love into action. “You offered your small loaves of time, talent, patience and love, and God multiplied them! A young mother found courage. A lonely senior found a friend. A frightened immigrant family heard the most beautiful words in the world: ‘Welcome. Sit down. How can we help?’”
Following the liturgy, Bishop Rodríguez encouraged the faithful to tour the museum and learn about the stories of hope that touch hearts and change lives.
The museum was outside the cathedral Nov. 6 and Nov. 7 before heading to the Archdiocese of Miami Nov. 9-10, the Diocese of St. Augustine Nov. 13-14 and the Diocese of Orlando Nov. 20-21. For information on Catholic Charities Palm Beach, visit www.ccdpb.org or call 561-345-2000. For more about the traveling museum, go to https://peopleofhope.us/.
