Abstract

This paper explores the conflicts arising from St. Brendan’s Catholic Church’s decision to offer sanctuary to a homeless encampment on its property. On one front, church officials battled the City of Bothell, Washington in court over the church’s constitutional right to shelter the homeless. On another front, St. Brendan’s became ensnared in debates with members of the First Baptist Church and parents of children at Heritage Christian School about the “appropriate” Christian response to homelessness. These arguments centered on what form of “compassion” should be demonstrated, how best to “care” for the homeless, and what it means to be a “good neighbor.”