Seeing Christ in the homeless

John Holbrook is a photographer who has appeared on CNN twice because of his unusual ministry with homeless people:

John Holbrook prowls the streets, food kitchens, and missions of Fort Worth and other communities. He isn’t sure of what he is looking for, but patiently goes about the task in what he believes is his call to serve the Lord. He carries a small notebook and a camera to capture what he hopes will be stories and images that will inspire others. Holbrook uses his skills as a photographic artist to paint film portraits of the poor, the disadvantaged, the homeless, and the mentally or physically challenged. He portrays his subjects as saints and patriarchs, giving them names taken from scripture. He befriends and comforts them, then asks if he might photograph them. Afterward, he gives them the gift of a photograph revealing their personal beauty as God’s children. Holbrook hopes that his small gift will bring some happiness and light into the often-darkened worlds of his subjects. He hopes also, that by sharing his photographs with others, he will help open everyone’s eyes to the plight of the poor and forsaken. -- New Visions of God's Poor - By Don Patterson

There is a Web site on Holbrook's photography at http://www.holbrookphoto.com/. It contains a video clip of a CNN news report and interview with Holbrook as well as an article originally published in the the North Star Catholic,
a publication of the diocese of Forth Worth, Texas: Seing Christ in the homeless.

The article by Don Patterson quoted above also features one of the photographs of a Holbrook "saint".