For the hungry and needy of Toronto’s Parkdale community, St. Francis Table has been a beacon of hospitality, and over the past 20 years, a service kept alive through the care of Br. John Frampton.

A native of Canada’s east coast, Frampton — of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin — was quick to flash his trademark Newfoundland sharp-wittedness when asked how his journey in service has evolved over the years. 

“ Reflecting on that journey, I can tell you that I was much younger when I started,” he said with a laugh. “ Sometimes God tells us to do things we don't want to do or are afraid to do, but God gives us the grace to do what we're called to do and I really think that I was called to be here.”

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Frampton’s time with St. Francis Table, a hub that provides nourishing meals and companionship to Toronto’s single parents, refugees, the unemployed, elderly and homeless, has been a testament to his dedication to community service to the poor. 

On March 8, he celebrated 20 years as animator at St. Francis Table with staff and volunteers gathering to congratulate the Capuchin friar on his lasting impact, having overseen the last 800,000 meals served at the establishment. 

A personally fulfilling experience he admits, having taken over as animator in 2005 to assist in the near 250 meals served daily, six days a week. Still, he credits the work of St. Francis’ staff and ever-rotating volunteers as the main reason service has become a staple of the Parkdale community over the last two decades. 

“ Without our donors and our volunteers, I would not be here either. Still, several people mention that the staff and I can call a number of our patrons by name thanks to our strong relationships and not just seeing them as people who are hungry,” Frampton said. 

It’s this personable, dignity-centred service that has allowed the organization, an offshoot of Capuchin Outreach to the Poor (Parkdale) founded in 1987, that has allowed it to remain a prominent institution despite various difficulties. Even at the self-described old, worn-down building, Frampton recalls surviving the COVID-19 pandemic without missing a meal. 

“ I remember I got upset because we were being told not to do this and that, almost like people were trying to put the fear of God in us. I told myself that we are not going to live in fear, we are going to live in hope,” he said. 

Fearless and steadfast in his own right, the now 66-year-old admitted that he hadn’t always been that way, despite the belief he feels many have about religious and consecrated people. He described his time growing up in Newfoundland and the people as just as rough and tumble as some of those he now serves in Parkdale in Toronto's west end. 

“ People often look at religious, priests and sisters and think they must come from a good family. I think every family is dysfunctional to a point, and in my case, my father was an alcoholic, my mother died when I was five, I lived for a few years in a foster home and my sisters were in orphanages,” he said.

“ Coming out of the foster home, I wanted to get even. Somebody told me along the way, ‘If you get even, you're not just going to be as bad as they are, you'll be worse.’ I knew it was true and so God being part of my life, my relationships with others and my family, allowed for everything to come together.” 

Frampton was taught in high school by the Irish Christian Brothers, whose sense of brotherhood was something that appealed to him, especially having grown up with five sisters. This sentiment, along with his relationship with his Capuchin high school chaplain, shaped his growing vocation.

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His time with the Capuchins saw him  take on ministry as a youth director in parishes for the Archdiocese of St. John’s, a high school chaplaincy involved in retreat work with young people, work in communication and fundraising for the Capuchin Province and even as a hospital chaplain at St. John’s Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre. 

“I’ve been all over but  God works in mysterious ways and I never thought that I would be a youth director, hospital chaplain or even the animator at St. Francis Table for 20 years now. I’m thankful for the good work I could do with young people in various ways over the years and St. Francis Table allowed me to continue to do that,” he said looking back. 

From the window at St. Francis Table, located at 1322 Queen St. W., he’s seen the evolution of the Parkdale neighbourhood, gentrified over the years from its hardscrabble working class roots. Thinking about the transformation, he notes that as much as things change, so too do they stay the same. 

He refers to it as a “day and night” difference, with the mornings and afternoons boasting lineups of hungry people before being drowned out by fancy cars driven by people more interested in the new, trendy nightclubs. 

Still, he confirmed that many newer patrons are younger than they were years ago, many with low incomes and some of whom are struggling with addiction. 

It’s this constant need that has allowed the hub to serve close to 1.5 million meals, an average of nearly 40,000 meals each year, all for $1 to provide patrons a sense of dignity. Impressive figures for sure, but Frampton and company refuse to see it as a milestone. 

“ We used to do even more and so it is sad moreso than shocking that  we are still doing that number. It’s a sad reality when politicians come knocking on the door with their glossy brochures and I have to say, ‘What are you gonna do for the people I serve?’ ” he said. “Construction, infrastructure, education, health care, we are always going to have those issues, but what about the homeless and the hungry?” 

Still, St. Francis Table continues to chip away at the ever-present need every day, a commitment to service perfectly embodied by Frampton and his team in more ways than one. 

In the fall of 2023, St. Francis Table welcomed Humber College nursing students to operate at the St. Clare Centre next door, offering a mobile clinic for wound treatment, antibiotic sourcing, blood pressure checks and even OHIP assistance. 

When asked what’s next for him and what his legacy of service truly represents, he was quick to let his humour shine through once again. 

“What’s next? Well, we never know, do we?” he said. “ I didn't think I would be here for 20 years and I also don't think I'll be around for another 20 either.”

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On a more serious note, Frampton understands how God’s call had pulled him step by step into a life he never planned, serving those who needed it most — a thread that's held those 20 years together, and one that is sure to last even after he is gone. 

“There is a prominent Catholic who described the poor as always in need, but we are all in need from time to time, so we are all poor. I think as long as we can remember that, the ministry here will continue and that makes me happy,” he said.