Pope Francis and the Importance of Building Bridges

The 2025 Building Bridges Gala at Ford Field raised $1.75 million for Detroiters in need. The funds not only go to providing nutritious meals, showers, laundry and other services at our Day Center on Larned Street. They also go toward our operations at the Bridge Housing Campus, which welcomed its first residents last September.

This year’s gala was particularly poignant because it occurred as the world was still mourning the death of our namesake, Pope Francis. We adopted the name Pope Francis Center in 2016 because our organization believes what Pope Francis preached — that every human being is worthy of dignity and respect, regardless of our station in life.

At the gala Fr. Tim McCabe, PFC president and CEO, recounted how Pope Francis rode in a Ford Focus instead of a Mercedez Benz the first time he left the Vatican after being elected Pope. Fr. Tim also told the story of how Pope Francis converted a palace near the Vatican into a homeless shelter.

“Francis reminded us that our lives, our hope and salvation are inseparable from those who are suffering,” Fr. Tim told the audience. “We belong to each other. When we take care of each other, it’s not just the receiver of our compassion that are healed and restored, it is us.”

PFC extends our heartfelt thanks to Lear Corp and the rest of the 2025 Building Bridges Gala sponsors, to everyone who kicked a field goal, who bid on auction items and who took the time to attend our event. Because of all of you, we can continue to do the work Pope Francis called us to do, to walk alongside our most vulnerable neighbors and create pathways to healing and hope for our brothers and sisters in need.