LEWISTON— After 30 years, St. Martin de Porres Residence has appointed a new executive director following the retirement of its founder, Brother Irenee Richard, at the end of 2020.

Andrew Phinney of Wilton was hired in July 2021, drawn by his deep Catholic beliefs after he heard about the opening via word of mouth.

“I was seeking something that was more faith oriented, and then I was told by someone that (St. Martin de Porres) was seeking a new executive director. I thought ‘OK, am I in the right spot?’ and then this opened up and I thought, ‘What’s the worst that can happen if I try?’” said Phinney, 33.

Brother Richard’s sudden retirement due to illness left the residence’s board of directors scrambling to fill the void. Jimi Cutting, house manager of St. Martin de Porres Residence, was appointed to the position to help the staff cope during the period of transition. “The position of house manager was created by the board of directors in late 2019 along with a reworking of other positions at the same time. This was done to create a smooth transition for when Brother Richard retired. At the time he had no concrete plans to retire, but it was something everyone knew was on the horizon eventually,” said Cutting.

As a licensed clinical social worker, Phinney previously worked all over the state in residential facilities for children, day treatment behavioral schools and outpatient clinics. Already familiar with fostering an atmosphere of long-term growth and healthy habits, Phinney concerned himself with staying true to the original spirit of Brother Richard’s mission.

“It is daunting to try and follow the founder of such a wonderful organization; the founder who poured his heart and soul for almost 30 years into this mission, made tremendous connections, and who is pretty well known throughout the city as a good man,” said Phinney. “Some have said (to me) ‘You have big shoes to fill.’ I am not trying to fill any shoes, I am just trying to keep walking in the same direction.”

Founded on Sept. 9, 1991, St. Martin de Porres Residence was created after an encounter Brother Richard had with Alan Devost, a homeless man who said he didn’t know what love was. Devost later died by drowning, and a plaque in the residence commemorates his influence. Moved, Brother Richard created the residence to exemplify the idea of “show love to thy neighbor.”

Since then, St. Martin de Porres has established a sister residence in Lewiston, St. Catherine of Sienna, in 2018, which houses women exclusively. Prior to this, St. Martin de Porres accepted both men and women. St. Martin de Porres is able to shelter 10 guests, while its sister residence can house eight. Both operate on a referral basis, although both are operating at reduced capacity due to COVID-19.

Both facilities have been a beacon of hope for those down on their luck, providing the structure necessary to make positive changes in their lives. Phinney encourages residents to use the resources available to them for improvement, emphasizing meetings with parole officers, taking prescribed medications and establishing routines that instill responsibility, all of which equate to a positive perception of themselves.

To this effect, the residence provides a common-room for guests and requires them to attend dinner every night where, in an effort to create better communication with each other, cell phone usage is prohibited. Donations from benefactors and volunteers enable the residence to launder guest’s clothes and provide home-cooked meals.

“Brother Richard described St. Martin’s as a school of sorts for life. For myself, and I use this term often, it is where I finally learned how to adult — I am not perfect, I falter now and then, but I keep pushing forward. As is often said in the recovery halls, ‘progress, not perfection’,” said Cutting.

Cutting was a resident of St. Martin de Porres for a month at the beginning of 2013 after an acrimonious split from his wife led to a mental breakdown.

“I had an on again, off again history of homelessness going back to 1996,” said Cutting. “The best reason I can give as to what led to all that is ‘a failure to learn how to adult.’ I wasn’t ready to be responsible, to answer to someone else or do anything that did not benefit me in the moment.”

Volunteer work with the 12 Hour Club, a sober social club in Lewiston, during and after his stay at St. Martin de Porres provided Cutting the foundation necessary to get his life in order and in 2015 he was hired at the residence.

“I think the overall goal for us is to see every guest that comes in to find stable housing, but also feel like someone was there for them, to feel that they were worthy,” said Phinney. “When society might look down on them or make judgements about them or their past, hopefully their stay here has allowed them to feel the love and the empathy that many of us have for each other just as people.”

Phinney’s outreach via social media and work done in partnership with other shelters and Catholic charities has furthered the residence’s message and the hope that people will volunteer. While keeping in stride with Brother Richard’s goals for the residence, Phinney hopes to leave his own positive mark on guests, employees and the community through his time at St. Martin de Porres, and says the support he’s received has been wonderful.

“I want to be very clear in my meaning here. There is no replacing a man like Brother Richard, however, Andrew has done an amazing job in carrying on the mission and moving forward with both residences,” said Cutting. “Those who chose Andrew for this position made an excellent choice and St. Martin’s is all the better for having him at the helm.”

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