Maria Plati Bishop Coburn eats lunch with students at St. Stephen's in Boston The Rt. Rev. John B. Coburn, retired 13th bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts, braved snowy streets to make a Dec. 18 visit to the afterschool program at St. Stephen's Church in the South End of Boston.

He had heard about the services and community that St. Stephen's provides for neighborhood children and youth through its afterschool and B-SAFE summer programs, and he wanted to come see it for himself. He was accompanied by his daughter, Sarah Borgeson, and her husband, Steve.

At early afternoon on any given school day, some 90 students of all ages start streaming in the doors of St. Stephen's, where a hot lunch is ready for those who haven't eaten yet and tutors await to help with homework.

Bishop Coburn, now 93, was the calm eye in this storm of activity, gamely enjoying a grilled cheese sandwich while meeting and greeting the children and volunteers.

"It's wonderful to be back here and see what goes on," Bishop Coburn said.

He said it called to mind time he spent in New York in the late 1960s teaching reading and writing at a street academy in Harlem, where he said that violence was as prevalent as it is now in city neighborhoods like the one surrounding St. Stephen's.

The Rev. Timothy Crellin, vicar, and Liz Steinhauser, director of youth programs, described the network that helps keep the afterschool program running: 17 teen staffers, 75 volunteers from colleges and community organizations and partnerships with suburban Episcopal churches.

"I'm so pleased to hear all of this," Bishop Coburn responded. "A generation ago, that wouldn't have happened."

St. Stephen's Church needs partner churches to provide lunches, field trips and reading partners for 450 youth at six B-SAFE sites this summer. Get more info from Liz Steinhauser at lizsteinh [at] netzero [dot] net or 617-262-9070.

Watch a video about the B-SAFE summer program>>