Rev. Guy Blair, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Green Bay, sits next to what he refers to as the "first homeless family" inside the church. Jim Matthews/Press-Gazette

When push came to shove, the Rev. Guy Blair pushed back.

For daring to stand up to city officials; for enlisting the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay to raise its moral voice; but mostly, for caring about some of Green Bay's most vulnerable residents, Blair is the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Person of the Year.

"Besides being a good Samaritan to the homeless, he has inspired many others to take up the cause of loving care for others, thus providing many the opportunity for good works which are necessary to the human soul," wrote Peggy Burns of Green Bay, among the dozens of area residents who wrote nominating Blair.

"As a spiritual leader I need to stand up for the people we are praying for," said Blair, 56, who came to Green Bay in August 2005 to serve St. John the Evangelist Parish, the oldest in Wisconsin, and specifically the deaf community in the diocese of Green Bay. "I have to speak and act as a follower of Jesus."

Shortly after he arrived, Blair was also asked if he would be a member of the Brown County Housing and Homeless Coalition. He accepted.

"I am a hypocrite if I ignore all of these homeless people," said Blair, who confides that there was a time when his own parents were homeless. "What could be more vulnerable than being homeless in Green Bay in the winter?"

A Connecticut native and a member of the Priests of the Sacred Heart, Blair said it was never his intention to be a lighting rod for controversy. In fact, a search of Press-Gazette archives found little mention of his name outside of his official capacity until late last summer, when renewal of the Brown County Churches Operating Temporary Shelter program became a major issue.

City officials and neighborhood leaders were dissatisfied with the shelter that had operated the two previous winters on the St. John's campus, serving the chronically homeless. City leaders refused to issue a conditional use permit to allow it to open for another winter, and briefly sought to establish a new homeless shelter on the city's west side, a move that was blocked by staunch neighborhood opposition.

When it became apparent to Blair there would be no alternative to St. John's, he began preparing to defy city officials by reopening a shelter on the parish campus at 413 St. John St. that would ostensibly fill that void.

In response city officials intimated that they might fine St. John's up to $600 per day for defying city zoning rules.

That's when the diocese stepped into the fray. Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan said the diocese would assume responsibility for the shelter. And Dolan made it clear to city officials, including Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt, that he considered efforts to limit the diocese's role in serving the homeless a violation of the Catholic Church's First Amendment rights.

At the same time, diocesan officials offered to work with city officials to address their concerns. It was an olive branch the city accepted, even with the understanding that the new St. John's Homeless Shelter would remain at the parish, serving the same homeless population, and that Blair and some of those who had worked there in the past would still be involved.

"I know there are some people who say I'm too much of a social worker and not enough of a priest," Blair said. "But I'm not a Lone Ranger. There is a homeless coalition."

In the initial week after the shelter reopened, Blair said he actually stayed there overnight, fearful that those who staunchly opposed its existence could attack it.

Blair denies enmity between himself and Schmitt, but he doesn't deny there was friction.

"I don't bear him ill will. I won't say that I like him, but I respect him," Blair said. "I don't think that he should see me as a rival. I certainly don't see him as a rival. We should be working together."

For his part, Schmitt said that he appreciated Blair's passion for helping the homeless, but added that substantial progress was made when Deacon Tim Reilly and the diocese stepped forward to assume authority.

"There's no question Father Blair raised the issue of homelessness. That was his single issue and his whole heart was with the homeless. I give him credit for that. But to bring it to resolution, we needed the broader view that included the neighbors and government," Schmitt said.

"I think that the real credit belongs to Deacon Reilly," said City Council President Chad Fradette. "Father Blair would never admit to us that there were problems at (the old shelter). When the fact is, there were scores of police problems. It took Deacon Reilly to say, 'Here's how we're going to deal with it.'"

Blair and Reilly acknowledge that the St. John's shelter is not a permanent solution. While it is expected to close on April 15, no long-term alternative has been identified.

Fradette candidly admits that he believes St. John's will reopen next fall. And he is comfortable with the current working relationship.

It wasn't just Blair's willingness to challenge city officials that earned him recognition. His determination catalyzed the moral authority of a church that too often has found itself on the defensive in recent years.

"I've had other priests and clergy call me to applaud the action by the church. And none of this would have happened without Father Guy's initiative and vision," said Reilly, who is the administrative head of the diocese. "The way I look at it is, Father Guy initiated many aspects of service to the homeless and motivated many people and organized people. And when it ended up in limbo and it appeared on Oct. 31 the homeless would have nowhere to go, that offered the church the opportunity to step forward."