A steadfast symbol of help and hope for Boston’s women

A pregnant, homeless teenager. A mother grieving the death of her young daughter. An elderly widow. A female veteran.

These women may not appear to have much in common but they do. All have been helped in one way or another by St. Anthony Shrine, a steadfast symbol of help and hope in Boston’s bustling downtown.

“I don’t think there’s any place other than church where you’ll see the wealthiest person in Boston sitting next to a homeless person. But in church, and at this particular church, you see that,” said Rev. Thomas Conway, the shrine’s executive director. “We have this really full spectrum of people that we serve.”

The shrine’s Women’s Health Clinic for homeless women opened two years ago and became so busy the clinic added a second day in March. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the shrine’s director of outreach programs, Mary Ann Ponti, walks down Chinatown’s alleys to Boston Common, inviting homeless women to the clinic. It’s run by women for women, and even the security staff is all female.

One woman treated had her eye gouged out, Conway said. “It’s very dangerous,” Conway said. “There’s a domestic violence element out there. There’s a sex trafficking element out there. If they have something, people want to take it from them. That’s the biggest need, to be protected by physical violence.”

Women can be tested for anything from the flu to hepatitis. They can get prescriptions renewed. They can be referred to detox centers and mental health clinicians.

The shrine’s Emmaus Ministry for Grieving Parents helps mothers and fathers who have lost children. The Franciscan Food Center gives groceries to 450 families each week. The seniors program offers elders, most of them women, Mass, lunch and activities. Every month, the shrine hosts an appreciation lunch for veterans, and that includes women.

From age 18 to 90, a diverse population of women are being helped by the shrine.

“The common thread,” Ponti said, “is they’re coming into the shrine for services that they need.”

FAITH NINIVAGGI / BOSTON HERALD ‘SPECTRUM OF PEOPLE’: Rev. Thomas Conway, executive director of St. Anthony Shrine, says the shrine offers help, hope to those who need it, from the homeless to the wealthy.