Sister Mary Scullion among 'Time 100' most influential

It's not often that Sister Mary Scullion is mentioned in the same breath as economist Paul Krugman, actress Kate Winslet, and Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff.

But the release yesterday of the "Time 100" list of the most influential people in the world has put the 55-year-old Philadelphia nun and homeless advocate in unusual company.

Scullion, who started Project HOME, a nonprofit provider of housing and homeless services, finds herself in the magazine's sixth annual list, in the portion for "Heroes & Icons." The category includes Michelle Obama, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey, and pilot Chelsey B. "Sully" Sullenberger III.

In late March, Scullion learned she was under consideration for the Time 100. The magazine's correspondents around the world nominated candidates, with Time editors deciding the final list.

"We thought it was a stretch," Scullion said of her odds, "but we were very appreciative that people wanted to put our work forward."

Scullion found out April 23 that she was an honoree when her invitation to a red-carpet gala next Tuesday at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan came in the mail.

In a citation in the current issue of Time, author Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote the best-seller Eat, Pray, Love, said Scullion was trying to help her city "one desperate citizen at a time."

Rick Stengel, Time managing editor, said the list includes "people who are using their ideas, their visions, their actions to transform the world and have an effect on a multitude of people."

"The Time 100 is not a list of the most powerful people in the world," he said. "It's not a list of the smartest people in the world. It's a list of the most influential people in the world."

Scullion has made her mark working with Philadelphia's population of street homeless, which has fluctuated over the years, rising to about 400 people today.

She advocated the idea of reaching out directly to them, especially those suffering mental illness or addiction - a practice that other cities have adopted.

Scullion started Project HOME in 1989 with Joan McConnon, a former corporate controller who focuses on the nonprofit's business side. Since then, it has created 500 units of housing for homeless individuals and families. It runs a learning center in North Philadelphia, a small health clinic, and a community-development company.

Project HOME employs 200 people - a third of them current or former residents - and manages a $13 million budget.

Scullion's "passion and influence have been crucial to the progress we have made in reducing homelessness across our city," Mayor Nutter said in a statement yesterday. "Her quiet dignity belies her willingness to speak up for the voiceless and fight for those who cannot stand up for themselves. It's time the rest of the world got to know our Sister Mary."

Of the other Time honorees, Scullion said she was eager to meet Obama - both to compliment her for her work on behalf of women and, of course, to recruit her as an advocate for the homeless, especially mothers and children.

"The public attention," Scullion said, "is a great thing for our work."