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0 We celebrated All Saints this past weekend in typical Lydia’s House fashion— with a “saint parade”, music, and of course Chinese food. We enjoyed creative liturgy based on the many saints that form our life at Lydia’s House. Children and adults alike had the opportunity to dress up as these saints in costume!
The Feast of All Saints, or “All Saints Day”, is a holy day recognized by many Christian denominations. This festival, celebrated each year on November 1st, cherishes the lives of all the saints that have come before us and will go after us.
A Lydia’s House All Saints tradition we share is recognizing the “Saint of the Year”. We announced this Saint of the Year to be Marian Spencer. You’ll find a photo of Marian Spencer placed in the corner of the Lydia’s House living room for the year as we look to her for inspiration in our journeys.
Marian Spencer (1920-2019) was known as “Ms. Civil Rights” and “Cincinnati’s Redeemer.” Marian led the battle to desegregate Coney Island’s swimming pools in the 1950s. In 1983 she became the first African American woman to be elected to City Council. Judge Nathaniel Jones, former general counsel of the NAACP, said of her, “Marian made it possible for people to realize they were better than they thought they were. To that extent, she assisted people in realizing their potential goodness.”
One sweet moment in the All Saint’s liturgy was recognizing Sister Carren and Lakeitia for their accomplishments this year. Lakeitia, a former Lydia’s House resident, was congratulated for completing her culinary arts training through CityLink. Sister Carren was appreciated for being a distinguished volunteer, especially with delivering meals and organizing Women for Women. Congratulations to Sister Carren and Lakeitia!
Thank you for all the donors who contributed warm winter clothing, diapers, and presence at this lovely event. Thank you to the Red Balloon for hosting. Special thanks to the Thrivent Action Team for funds towards venue rental, to David and Beth Rose for desserts, and to the American Red Cross on Dana Ave. for diapers!
