Inside an Istanbul Parish Where Refugees and Mothers Find Support
In the bustling heart of Istanbul, just beyond the tourist avenues and traffic noise, a quiet ministry unfolds. At Santa Maria Franciscan Parish, the friars are serving some of the city’s most overlooked residents: refugees, undocumented individuals, homeless people, and women in prison—many of whom are caring for children behind bars.
Led by Fr. Eleuthere Baharanyi Makuta, OFM, the Caritas Santa Maria Project offers practical, ongoing support in a city that has become a crossroads of hardship for thousands fleeing war, poverty, and instability.
Sister Bindhu (India) with new racks for used clothing; donations are multiplying and space is becoming a luxury!
Brother Jeff Haller, OFM welcomes hungry guests to the new soup kitchen, April 2024
Meeting people in transition
For refugees and undocumented migrants, many from Afghanistan and neighboring regions, Istanbul is often the first stop on a long, uncertain journey. But arriving doesn’t mean settling. Housing is scarce. Work is hard to find. And for those without legal status, food and medical care are out of reach.
When they reach Santa Maria Parish, they are met not with suspicion, but with a warm welcome and a warm meal.
Since 2016, the friars have been providing food, medicine, hygiene products, and basic supplies to those who turn up in need. In April 2024, they opened a new soup kitchen to meet the growing demand. Each day, it serves migrants from the Istanbul Interparish Migrant Program as well as local families facing hardship. The friars and sisters also help women with prenatal and hospital expenses.
The dignity of choice
At Santa Maria, donated clothes are arranged on racks, not dumped in bins. People are invited to “shop” freely, with the quiet dignity that comes from being able to choose for themselves and their children. Donations arrive often, and they disappear just as quickly into the arms of someone who needs a sweater or a pair of shoes.
Women behind walls
Some of the friars’ most important work happens out of view—inside Istanbul’s women’s prisons. There, they support incarcerated women with hygiene products, prepaid phone cards, and, for those caring for infants behind bars, basic baby supplies. This consistent presence brings welcome relief to those the world often ignores.
Volunteers from the Philippines, Argentina, and India
A continuous ministry, thanks to generous donors
This isn’t a single project that ends with a ribbon cutting ceremony—it’s a ministry that keeps growing because the need keeps growing.
Thanks to donors like you, the friars can continue to do what they’ve always done: show up, every day, with whatever they have to offer.
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