By By Mary Ellen Mitchell When we first started Lydia’s house we had a category of volunteer that we called “Bread and Roses.” Meridith came up with it, with the thought that we needed a place for people that would bring both practical and nice things to the guests. A few months back I cleaned out the old volunteer folder and got rid of that job, thinking “well that never panned out.” And then I paused and reconsidered… actually it did, surprisingly well with one person, Anne. The term Bread and Roses—a Catholic Worker Favorite—has a storied history. It started in
By Welcome Faith!
An Introduction to Mercy Volunteer, Faith Casella-Lopez Full Circle: through a series of developments that lead back to the original source, position, or situation or to a complete reversal of the original position When I discovered the potential opportunity to do a year of service with Mercy Volunteer Corp in fall of 2020, I had just started a new position with a wonderful community services agency supporting foster children during their supervised family visits. Since work hours were limited and the future held many unknowns at that time, I took the chance at applying to be a Mercy Volunteer for the
By A backyard transformation…in progress
In July 2021, we purchased the vacant lot next to the Lydia’s House shelter. In doing so, we started a year long process of clearing out the empty lot and preparing to expand the backyard space behind the shelter. On the first of many Saturday morning yard days, the Bellarmine Youth Group came and helped us take out the chain link fence along the left side of the shelter. The Bellarmine Youth Group came four times, over the Summer/Fall of 2021, and made excellent progress preparing the yard, including, prepping the garage for a fresh coat of paint. During the
Sabbath Rest
On Sabbath Rest and What God Wants For Us by Mary Ellen Mitchell I often look to the Old Testament to imagine what God was designing for humanity, albeit re-told through the eyes and minds of humans. If we look to the Garden of Eden, theoretically the best version of life God could offer, we lived outside unencumbered, were provided for daily, and were friends with the Creator. From here, we fell, out of a desire to know more, to have more agency, to taste of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. We were then consigned to wearing
Spring has ended, and Summer is here!
It’s officially the first day of Summer and Lydia’s House had a very busy Spring season! In April, New City Church invited Lydia’s House and the Norwood community to their Easter Egg Extravaganza. Our current guests and aftercare guests were able to enjoy a mimosa and donuts while watching their little ones hunt for eggs. Thank you New City Church for always including us in your fun events! At the end of April, we celebrated the end of this year’s Atrium season and honored volunteers, while also saying thank you to Laura Menze Green for her many years of service