Deo Gratias Ministries & their Be The Light Gala

Detroit Catholic: Capuchin Bro. Gary Wegner joins board of directors for Deo Gratias MinistriesDeo Gratias primarily serves people living on the Northeast side of Detroit, operating out of a building provided by the St. Jude Roman Catholic Mission on East Seven Mile Road. The organization’s mission is to honor the dignity of each person as they offer Christ-like hospitality to people in need. They fulfill this mission by operating a Café that serves free hot meals Monday through Friday, a Food Pantry that is open on Tuesdays and Fridays, a Community Garden, a tutoring program for children in grades 1-8 on Mondays and Wednesdays, and an art program. In addition, a Case Manager is available five days a week that provides referrals to additional community resources.Bob Sadler is Executive Director of Deo Gratias Ministries Detroit — a Catholic nonprofit on the east side that has a daily café, food pantry, child tutoring, adult GED classes, an art room, a community garden and more! He is the first layperson to lead the organization, which was founded in 2018 by two Felician Sisters: Sister Felicity Marie Madigan and Sister Shelley Marie Jeffrey.Brother Gary Wegner is executive director of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.Be The Light Gala event on Thursday, September 24 Benefits Deo Gratias Ministries DetroitDETROIT – The annual Be The Light Gala takes place Thursday, September 24 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Felician Sisters’ Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent, located at 36800 Schoolcraft in Livonia adjacent to the Madonna University campus. All proceeds from the event benefit the work of Deo Gratias Ministries Detroit to combat food insecurity in northeast Detroit. This exciting evening will feature dinner (with roast beef and chicken prepared in the Encore Catering kitchen of “Chef Bobby” Nahra), silent and live auctions, and a celebration of all the Christ-like hospitality Deo Gratias performs to make their neighborhood a better place. Former Local 4 News reporter Paula Tutman will serve as mistress of ceremonies for the event. Be The Light tickets are $130/person and are available at www.dgmdetroit.org/events-1. $90 of your event ticket is tax deductible. Sponsorships are also still available. Deo Gratias fulfills its mission by providing the following services:· A Café that serves free meals Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. – three days a week, meals are provided via a partnership with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen;· A Food Pantry that is open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that provides grocery and fresh food items to a roster of monthly guests and emergency food bags to anyone in need on weekdays;· A Case Manager that can provide referrals to additional community resources available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through the partnership with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen;· A Community Garden that provides vegetables and herbs used both in the Café and Food Pantry;· A tutoring program available to children in grades 1-8 that is offered on Mondays and Wednesdays during the school year from 3 to 4:30 p.m.;· A Library located in the Café provides a variety of free books for all ages;· An art program is offered for children and adults during the year.Deo Gratias addresses a growing need in an economically challenged section of the city, serving an average of 100-150 meals each day in the Cafe, translating to over 30,000 meals served in 2025. Similarly, its Pantry served 8,456 people from 3,466 households over 170,000 pounds of food in 2025. Get full access to Epiphany at epiphanyradio.substack.com/subscribe