Traveling museum shares personal stories from Catholic Charities
By Emily Booker
People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a national storytelling initiative, arrived in the Diocese of Knoxville last month, sharing stories of and insights into lives impacted by Catholic Charities.
Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) launched People of Hope in March. The traveling, tractor-trailer–sized museum will be touring the country for the next two years, offering immersive experiences and personal stories to help people understand the lives of Catholic Charities’ clients and staff.
The museum opened in Knoxville at World’s Fair Park on Aug. 7 with a blessing by Bishop Mark Beckman. After its Knoxville leg Aug. 7-8, the museum was in Chattanooga at Miller Park Aug. 11-12.
Deacon David Duhamel, executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee (CCETN), welcomed those who attended the opening and blessing of the museum.
“Thank you for coming out. As we inaugurate and welcome the People of Hope museum here in East Tennessee, first in Knoxville and then later on next week down in Chattanooga, we’re very blessed to have you all participate,” he said.
He particularly thanked Just Love Coffee, which provided coffee and snacks for the opening, and CCETN community partners The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which helped with the organization and made a large food donation.
“Thank you on behalf of Catholic Charities. I love the partnership, and it means a lot to us,” Deacon Duhamel said.
He also thanked the CCETN board members, volunteers, and diocesan vicar general Father Peter Iorio for attending the opening.
Bishop Beckman then offered the blessing over the museum and all the staff and volunteers who made the experience possible.
“God is love. In a desire to make us share in this love, He sent His own Son into the world to come to our aid and as a gentle kindness to help those who are weak, sick, or unfortunate,” he said.
“In this great love for all of us, Christ said that whatever we do for the least among us, we do for Him. We call those who show mercy blessed of His Father and promise them eternal life. Let us now pray for the Lord’s riches and blessings upon all of those who need our assistance and all of those who are devoted to helping our brothers and sisters.
“Let us pray: Blessed are you, O God of mercy. Your Son gave us a marvelous example of charity and the great commandment of love for one another. Send down your blessings upon your servants who so generously devote themselves to helping others when they are called on in times of need. May they continue to faithfully serve you and their neighbor. This we ask through Christ our Lord.”
Inside, visitors found multiple immersive experiences to engage with, highlighting dignity and hope: first-person video stories from Catholic Charities staff and volunteers across the country about clients who impacted them deeply; interactive poverty-simulation activities to demonstrate the challenges many families living in poverty face; poverty data visualizations that offer insight into local and national needs; audio recordings of book excerpts about poverty, social isolation, and bridge-building; and a recording booth where visitors could share their own stories of hope, service, and compassion.
Jasmine Ball, marketing and events coordinator for CCETN, emphasized how the personal experiences helped visitors understand the situations of many people in their communities that often go unnoticed.
“Guests spent the most time going one-by-one, participating in the poverty simulations, which was an eye-opening opportunity to learn about the daily struggles faced by seniors, veterans, single mothers, families with disabilities, and individuals re-entering society after incarceration who are experiencing poverty in America,” she said.
“The simulations forced us to put ourselves in their shoes and face the heartbreaking reality of choosing between basic needs like food or life-saving medicine.
“Many left enlightened and deeply moved to take immediate action and do more to give back. Seeing these struggles firsthand shattered preconceptions and created more unity in our community through shared compassion,” she added.
But she noted that sense of hope and compassion is bittersweet when faced with the reality of the challenges people live with every day.
“For some of our guests, this was the story of their life. A handful of whom we were able to successfully connect with our program leaders to find help or additional resources they needed that they could access right away. For others, it was a heartbreaking reality knowing we are not able to help everyone who truly needs it,” she said.
Bishop Beckman toured the museum, listening to personal stories, interacting with a poverty simulation, and looking at statistics for different demographics in Tennessee.
“I think this is a great opportunity,” he said. “One of the things I enjoyed most as I walked in was just experiencing the opportunities to connect with how we bring hope to each other. There are stories along the way of people who need hope and life, and you walk alongside them and make decisions. Do you accept this job with its perils or not? And then you see kind of the consequences of making those choices for the individual. That part was very interesting.
“Another thing they had was some of the Catholic Charities employees who bring hope to others, and the thing that really touched me about the story I listened to was that this worker at Catholic Charities helped this man who had pretty severe mental illness find an apartment. And three years later, he’s still living there, a model employee. But at the end of the story, you find out that the employee came from Jamaica and needed shelter himself when he first came to the U.S. So, you know, he experienced other people helping him and now he’s helping others,” the bishop said.
Ms. Ball said she was thankful that CCETN was able to host People of Hope in both Knoxville and Chattanooga and considered both legs of the tour a success. More than 200 guests came through the museum, with some traveling from more than an hour away to catch the interactive exhibit.
“Hosting the People of Hope Museum was a profound experience that deeply moved our community, leaving a lasting impact on everyone who walked through the doors,” Ms. Ball said.
“We cannot unsee these truths; we must work harder as a community to support our vulnerable neighbors, whether that’s through volunteering or considering the various ways to give back,” she added. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who came with an open heart and a willingness to understand.”
Top photo: Tiffany Doxey, Deacon David Duhamel, Bishop Mark Beckman, Kimberly Montierth, Trevor Hobbs, Father Peter Iorio, Tiffany Shreve, and Jasmine Ball take part in the People of Hope traveling museum in Knoxville, which was on display at World’s Fair Park Aug. 7-8.