By Summer fun is a big part of life at Lydia’s House. This summer we were pleased to offer field trips, camps, and parties. We took a day trip to the Cincinnati Zoo. Special thanks to our summer intern, Melinda, for adding some order to this chaos! The boys really loved getting to climb on the gorilla statues there! Before the Norwood Day Parade we had a very nice magician, Richard, come and interact with the kids, showing them some cool magic tricks. We also spent some time at Procter Episcopal Summer Camp and Camp Joy. At these two amazing camps,
By What’s the Catholic Worker?
By Mary Ellen Mitchell If you’ve ever looked closely at our publications, you’ll see that we offer “Hospitality in the Catholic Worker Tradition.” The Catholic Worker is a model that Meridith and I drew inspiration from in our young years of formation when we volunteered at the Open Door Catholic Worker Community in Atlanta, Georgia, serving grits and boiled eggs to folks in their breakfast soup kitchen. Meridith went on to live with this community for several years as a resident volunteer. Different than a typical non-profit, Catholic Worker houses are typically founded by a small group or community of
A Tribute to Dorothy Day Fellows – Ebony & Macey
By: Meridith Owensby One late night this past winter, Macey was dropping off a friend in Bellevue, just over the river from Cincinnati. It was bitter cold, and both parties were tired from the evening’s festivities. As Macey drove through the dark streets of the neighborhood, she noticed a strange light ahead of her. Slowly, she realized that a house on the street was on fire. No emergency vehicles were on the scene. Fearing that people could be trapped in the house unaware, Macey pulled over, jumped out of the car, and raced to the front door. She began banging
Anything but Ordinary Time
By Mary Ellen Mitchell In our children’s atrium program we sing a song about the liturgical year and corresponding colors: purple is for preparation, white is for celebration, green is for the growing time, red is for Pentecost. Because our program ran October – May over the last year, we tended toward all the colors but green. Green, however, as our liturgical calendar wheel makes clear, is the bulk of the year. In a European growing cycle this time is also the time when you grow and harvest; outside of an agricultural framework we know it as “ordinary time.” As
The Case for Two Adults
The Case for Two Adults After a decade working to house homeless mothers and their children, I’ve come to realize that more affordable housing for single parents is a limited solution to family homelessness. By Mary Ellen Mitchell It’s 5ish on a Wednesday night and my young boys are taunting the smart speaker, much to the dismay of my teenage daughter. They all yell at each other to be quiet. Chaos is overtaking my kitchen, while I convalesce with the flu, safely hidden under the weighted blanket; my husband is at a zoning meeting that’s set to last well
