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 St. Aloysius Outreach Center/Canticle Cafe: Detroit, Michigan
Brother Al Mascia, OFM, is a Franciscan Friar of the St. John the Baptist Province headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Born in the Bronx, he first served the poor and homeless in a New York City soup kitchen while still in high school. He knew even then that his life's calling would involve working with those in need. As a singer/songwriter his music tells the stories of some of the men and women who call the street their home and who are some of the most vulnerable among us.
While Brother Al holds Master's degrees from Catholic Theological Union and Western Theological Seminary, as well as a Doctorate from Chicago Theological Seminary, he believes he has learned some of life's most important lessons from the poor he has been privileged to serve. Brother Al is currently on staff at St. Aloysius Outreach Center in the heart of downtown Detroit. Their Canticle Cafe is a Franciscan ministry of radical hospitality extending community beyond the margins of traditional outreach and charity by allowing all people to enjoy its pleasant environment, surf the internet, browse the library and partake in a variety of beverages and light fare, much of which is prepared or baked on site, all at no cost. Sales of Canticle Café Blend Coffee, Friar Lights Candles and Brother Al's Canticle Cafe CD enable St. Aloysius to continue serving those in need with the Franciscan ideals of uncompromising dignity, reverence and respect.
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