Group Photos from Nun Build 2011

All the Sisters of Charity at the Nun Build

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth portion of the Nun Build

Nun Build Day Two

Here at the House of Charity, we begin each day reflecting on the words of SaintsVincent and Louise.

As you can see by the photos we are still "mudding" and cutting plasterboard.

Sister Luke

Nun Build 2011 is Underway

SCNs Luke Boiarski, Maria Vincent Brocato, Teresa Kotturan, Eva Kowalski, Carol Rogers, Grace Mary Whittaker and SCNA Mary Gene Frank joined other Sisters from around the country for the annual Nun Build in New Orleans. They will be assisting the homeowners who have experienced devastation during Hurricane Katrina. Please keep them in prayer as they travel and work the week of November 13-19.

For more information and photos on the trip click here.

Last Day for Volunteers in Wauchula, Fl.

Our last day of Bible School. It was hard to say goodbye to all the lovely women and children.  It was such a privilege to be here in Wauchula.

SCNs Kitty Wilson, Nancy Gerth, Angela Hicks and Luke Boiarski with the students from Spalding University in Wauchula, FL.

Wauchula Bible School

Day 3 theme: Grow Love

Today the children reflected on the love and mercy of Jesus.  A skit depicting Jesus healing the blind and feeding the hungry  was presented by the students from Spalding University.

The children continue to enjoy each and every day.

Day Two in Wauchula, Florida

Theme: Sprout Hope

Today, the children learned of Noah, a person of hope. Their art work reflected the theme.

Volunteers Check-in From Florida

From Sister Luke:

Today, was our first day of Bible School here at St. Michael's in Wauchula, FL. We were all excited to see the children come into the main Assembly Room for the welcome and theme: Harvest God's Gifts. We focused on day 1 — Plant Faith. As of today, we had over 75 children.

We also conducted a crafts class for the women in the parish. They are learning how to make jewelry.

SCNs Luke Boiarski, Nancy Gerth and Angela Hicks, along with 20 students from Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., traveled to Wauchula, Fla., to work with Kitty Wilson, SCN. They will be conducting a Bible School at St. Michael’s Parish.

Wauchula Bible School

SCNs Luke Boiarski, Nancy Gerth and Angela Hicks, along with 20 students from Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., are traveling to Wauchula, Fla., to work with Kitty Wilson, SCN. They will be conducting a Bible School at St. Michael’s Parish. Please pray for safe travel and for this important ministry.

Volunteer Ministry in Dunbar, Penn.

Sisters Luke Boiarski and Nancy Gerth will be facilitating a volunteer group from Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, Mass., to work in the Dunbar, Penn. area from July 25-30. SCNs Anne Magruder, Angela Hicks, and Alice O’Connell will be assisting with the group as well. The students will be working with the elderly and needy of that area. This outreach program is an annual event that will help the Sisters stay connected with Archbishop Williams High School. Please pray for safety for the group.

Hope Springs Eternal!

Children of Pierre Payen

We visited the village of Pierre Payen which is two hours from Port au Prince by car.

Through the generosity of many donors, the people in this village are enjoying the fruits of a community development project that has built 40 homes with sanitation and water. My eyes were delighted to see an array of small colorful homes.

Also in this village, 800 fruit trees have been planted. I felt hope rising from within.

Mesi (Creole for thank you) God

Clothes of the needy in Boca Grande

Food for the Poor's nursery in a local village

The nursery in Pierre Payen sponsored by Food for the Poor

Luke Boiarski, SCN, Carletta and Phil Fortwengler, SCNA Candidates, their granddaughter, Morgan, and Rev. Jim Graf, SCNA, are in Haiti until July 15. They are working with “Food for the Poor” to help victims of the 2010 earthquake. Please pray for their safe travel.

Sister Luke - Update from Haiti

A young girl waiting for company

I spent my first day in Haiti asking many questions.

Why are there so many people living in such disparity? How do these people survive? What is my purpose in coming? Why am I so blessed?

Questions that I have asked before on mission trips but the vastness of poverty in an area devastated by earthquakes and political corruption over the years is so in your face.

We, as a group, fed people who waited in line for hours for a simple meal of rice and beans. We also fed children at a local school. We visited the dump area where many families are trying to survive.

My journey is one of questions, reflection and prayer.

Sister Luke's group at Food for the Poor

Children receiving food at school

Tent city

Warehouse food bank

Luke Boiarski, SCN, Carletta and Phil Fortwengler, SCNA Candidates, their granddaughter, Morgan, and Rev. Jim Graf, SCNA, are in Haiti until July 15. They are working with “Food for the Poor” to help victims of the 2010 earthquake. Please pray for safe travel.

Volunteers to Haiti

Luke Boiarski, SCN, Carletta and Phil Fortwengler, SCNA Candidates, their granddaughter, Morgan, and Rev. Jim Graf, SCNA, will be traveling to Haiti from July 11-15. They will be working with “Food for the Poor” to help victims of the 2010 earthquake. Please pray for safe travel.

Chattanooga Volunteer Trip

A Message from Those Receiving Help in Chattanooga

Charlie and I looked out into our back yard last evening and for the first time in weeks, felt HOPE that our lives would finally get back to normal sooner rather than later. We cannot thank Sister Luke and the Emergency Response Team enough for ALL that they have done: cutting and splitting logs, repairing the fence so our dogs Riley and Sarah can run around and not have to walk on leashes, and clearing out storm debris for us. And to know these good people are volunteers who gave of their time to help others -- what a blessing!

Connie and Charlie Blake, SCNAs
Harrison, TN

Day 2 in Chattanooga

The volunteers arrived at the work site which was a homeowner whose needs included removal of two trees. They were rather large trees that the group cut in to small logs. The team was rolling the logs to the road side for pick up when a man who was working in the area approached the group, asked were they volunteers, then offered to bring his "Bob Cat" to help move the logs to the side of the road. This Good Samaritan helped the group move the logs to the side of the road. Sister Luke stated that, "God Provides," what we need to help others. The remainder of the day will be spent at Connie and Charlie Blake's, SCN Associates, home to continue to provide fence repairs and tree removal.

Volunteers Arrive in Chattanooga

From Sister Luke Boiarski, SCN


We arrived in Chattanooga around 7:30 p.m. and were graciously met by SCN Associates Connie and Charlie Blake, Deb Moore, Lisa Harrison and Sister Marie Celine, SCN. Lisa's daughter, Lindsey, offered to be our guide for the next three days. Thank God!

We outlined our plans for the upcoming three days. First day, Monday we will be working to cut and remove trees, repair fencing and remove debris. We started at 7:00 a.m. and will probably work until 6:00 p.m. We'll end the day with cookout.

Chattanooga Commissioning

Luke Boiarski, SCN, along with seven lay mission volunteers, will be commissioned on Sunday, June 19, at St. Vincent Church, Nazareth, at the 10:30 a.m. liturgy. They will be traveling to the Chattanooga, Tenn., and northern Georgia areas to assist homeowners in their continued efforts with clean-up and home repairs after tornadoes hit the area in late April. They will return on Thursday, June 23. Please pray for their safety.

Volunteers continue work in Joplin

Five volunteers continue to help with immediate assistance for families affected by the recent tornado in Joplin, Missouri. They plan to return to Kentucky on Sunday. Check back for a full account of their experience soon.

Volunteer Efforts Continue in Joplin, Mo. Today

See St. Mary's Parish before the storm hit here.

The group of five, two SCNs, two SCNAs and the nephew of one Sister have been in touch and are still hard at work in Joplin, Mo., today. They report that damage from the storm is almost unbelievable to witness in person and that there is much relief still needed for the area.

More photos sent from the volunteer group have arrived, including the picture above of the remains of St. Mary's Church. Click here for more photos of the effort.

Joplin, Missouri - This says it all...

Joplin, Missouri

After receiving word from Amtrack that the train from Chicago to Montana was once again being delayed because of flooding in North Dakota, five of the nine volunteers made the decision to postpone our mission trip to the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and travel to Joplin, Missouri on June 8th.

We arrived in Joplin around 5:30pm. We were graciously welcomed to take up residence in the College View Baptist Church for the next four days.

In our hearts, we know that this is where we should be,
helping our brothers and sisters to recover from the harshness of this horrible tragedy.

Love,
Sr. Luke
Nick
Sharon
Sr. Janet
Trudi

Montana Commissioning

SCNs Luke Boiarski and Janet Ballard, SCNAs Sharon Cecil and Trudi Maish, along with five other lay mission volunteers will be commissioned on Friday, June 3, at St. Vincent Church, Nazareth, at the 10:50 a.m. liturgy. They will be traveling from Chicago by Amtrak train to the Blackfeet Native American Reservation in Browning, Montana. They will be working with the De La Salle Christian Brothers painting and repairing homes on the reservation. Please pray for safe travel on their journey.

Chattanooga to New Orleans — May 2011

Eight Memorial Hospital employees, who also serve as Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Associates, lay mission volunteers, and others helped victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in May of 2011. Here is a video of their experience.

Botswana Volunteer Video

Luke Boiarski, SCN, along with three SCN Associates, (Evelyn Faldowski, Trudi Maish and Pat MacIsaac) and five other volunteers were in Botswana in April, assisting the Sisters in Kayne, Lobatse and Metsimotlhabe. Here is a video of their journey.

Memorial/Chattanooga SCNA Mission Trip Day Three Reflection

We awoke to a gorgeous, sunny day, with temperatures in the low 70s; the perfect weather to conclude our work time in New Orleans.  Breakfast eaten and lunches made, we're now ready for the morning Prayer Service; today our reflection is about the legacy of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton; the first American born Saint who founded the Catholic School System.  We were reminded to learn to 'meet our grace.'  Sister Monica has blessed us with our reflections each morning, a meditation moment to strengthen us and carry us through our day including sharing of our hopes, our cares and our prayer.  "Let your chief study be to acquaint yourself with God, because there is nothing greater than God, and because it is the only knowledge that can fill the heart with a peace and joy that nothing can disturb." - Our message from Saint Elizabeth.  Steve has to leave today, so we send him off with prayers for safe travels.

Today we divided into 2 crews, similar to yesterday, so we could finish as much as possible.  One group of us went back to Mr. Frank's home.  We asked him what color he would like his front porch painted; he chose gray.  Off to Lowe's we go gathering supplies and paint.  We come back to Mr. Frank's house and we started getting the porch ready to paint.  Mr. Frank realizes that we are here for awhile today and he opens his front door; out comes his electric guitar and up goes the volume.  He entertains us with Amazing Grace and This Little Light of Mine.  Next he sings 'God is so Good,' a simple tune we sang with him on Day One of this journey.  Four of us begin rolling and brushing his porch with the gray paint - teaming up to cover the details in his steps and front porch floor.  While we are painting, Mr. Frank entertains and intermittently peeks around his chair to see outside - what activity is happening; his response always is "I am so blessed.  God is so good to me.  He brought you to me."  We completed the porch painting and went to Lowe's for some more River Stone ground cover for his new garden areas.  Ten bags were spread.  That coupled with the painted porch present a very nice view from the street.  As in our other days' experiences, the neighbors came by and thanked us.

The second group went back to Pastor Dylan's home where there was more insulation to place.  Our 'A' insulation team went into formation and completed placing ALL the insulation for this home.  Our worker from Honduras, William, who was with us yesterday, was also there today.  His role is to put up the drywall.  Through Translator Betsy, we offered to assist William with his project for today.  He realized that we were there to assist him, not take any work away from him.  Our team was able to learn more skills today as well as learn more about each other.

Meeting our Grace - we each experienced our own component and together we further finessed seamless team building and communication skills.  Our sense of accomplishment looms large.

Our closing Prayer Service allows each of us to reflect on what we have learned and what we will take with us.  Candles lit, we sing the song 'Light Your Candles' - we are refreshed and ready to light our world!  In the words of Mr. Frank - We are making it look like somebody lives here!

Our time for this work in New Orleans is complete.  We will leave Thursday at 0700ish and travel back to our destinations - Martha to Little Rock, Sister Luke to Nazareth and the rest of us to the Chattanooga area.  Our trip planning started one year ago.  It will soon be concluded......or will it?

Thank you for your time reading our story.  Thank you to Sister Celine, our Chattanooga Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Associate leader, to Sister Luke SCN for being with us and guiding us and "letting us", to Sister Renee, Sister Claire and Sister Monica for their leadership and warm hospitality.  Thank you too to Mr. Earl, Mr. Frank, Pastor Dylan and all the other people we have encountered during this time.

Memorial Employees Continue Journey to Help in New Orleans

See more pictures here

Memorial and the greater Chattanooga community have benefited from the gentle, compassionate guidance of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth for more than 50 years. Over the years, several Memorial employees have served as Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Associates. SCN Associates are lay people who make a commitment to make a real difference in the world.  They are men and women of all faiths and backgrounds.

Eight Memorial employees who also serve as Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Associates Lay Mission Volunteers and others are helping victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans this week.

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We began this second day of our mission with morning prayer and devotion in the beautiful chapel of the Charity House on Apricot Street. We prayed and remembered Saint Louise deMarillac; a Saint who was very practical and realistic; co-founder of the Daughters of Charity — a community of women religious dedicated to serve the poor. We focused on our purpose here and set out to further this mission. From her quote, we were reminded by Saint Louise to "Teach me to show great gentleness toward all and to imitate your goodness in welcoming all."

We continue to pray for those hurting from the devastation from the storms in our area and others who are suffering.

Brown bag lunches packed, we head out in 3 vehicles. Today is cool and windy; temperatures are in the 60's; much different than yesterday!

We have so much work to get done in our short time remaining here, so today we divided up into 'crews' to be stationed at our two work sites; the home of Mr. Frank in the 7th Ward and the home of Pastor Dylan in 9th Ward.

As we headed out, we all made a caravan to Lowe's to get some plants for Mr. Frank's front yard. While gathering up supplies, we encountered the sweet sound of a chirp chirp. We found a small bird under one of the flatbed carts — he appeared to have tape on his beak. Jerry picked up the bird and then realized he had swallowed the tape. Steve and Jerry, with Cindy's oversight, managed to free the tape from our new feathered friend. We left him in stable condition and hoped he would be able to find his family soon.

Our 7th Ward crew consisted of Steve, Martha, Cindy and Karen. The front of Mr. Frank's home consists of two patches of black dirt, surrounded by concrete from the sidewalk, his porch and his driveway. He is not able to mow grass anymore so he has had the areas sprayed with weed killer — brown dried strings of what used to be grass remained. We cleared these areas picking up broken glass, nails, coins and other remnants of the history of that spot. The soil is rich — like the history that we were learning there.  It was important to choose low maintenance perennial plants that can withstand hot dry weather so he can enjoy the yard without any maintenance — we found 4 unique varieties of flowering plants and shrubs to plant for him. River rock as ground cover adds a nice touch and makes the garden 'pop' with a newfound glow. Like our first day, Mr. Frank's neighbors made it a point to come out and see what we were up to — both admiring the pretty view they will have from their homes and thanking us for helping Mr. Frank and their neighborhood. Mr. Frank peeked out of his door, smiled so all his teeth showed and said "I am so blessed!  Now it looks like somebody lives here."

As Mr. Frank's home and yard was being revitalized, it seemed like he was also. While we were working in the garden, Mr. Frank's son came by — he ran up to us and thanked us for helping his dad. Next we sanded the beautiful wrought iron railings that lead to Mr. Frank's front door. We came up with a creative way to use black Rust-O-Leum spray paint on a windy day. We had time to chat with Mr. Frank and learn about his life and career, including the prejudice he has experienced over the years. We left there with many offers of food, shrimp boil, and invitations to return. We will be back on our last day, to paint his front porch.

Our 9th Ward crew is Sister Celine, Sister Luke, Betsy, Lisa, Deb, Jerry, Jackie and Pam. Pastor Dylan met us at his home site and is very surprised with what we have accomplished there. He has had to restock insulation material two times — this group has a system down to near perfection for hanging insulation! And we still need a little bit more to complete this project tomorrow. Pastor Dylan has reborn energy and is overwhelmingly grateful for the work that we have done in two days. Pastor Dylan hired a young couple from Honduras to help with the hanging of drywall; since they knew no English, our faithful interpreter Betsy was called upon to communicate with these hardworking, dedicated folks. It was amazing to see how everyone worked smoothly together, without barriers.

We had time to spend with our leader and mission trip organizer, Sister Luke. She's very interested in our SCNA Faith Group, how we started together and our backgrounds.

Today we were able to 'be in the moment' with communication and listening for our thoughts of focus for today. Like Saint Louise, we were welcomed and we welcomed.

After a delicious meal downtown, we are resting, getting ready for our final work day tomorrow.

New Orleans SCNA Volunteer Trip - May 2011

Being In the Moment in New Orleans

A group of SCNA Lay Mission Volunteers have traveled to New Orleans, La, with Marie Celine Osbourn, SCN, to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Luke Boiarski, SCN joined the group that consists of SCNAs Martha Borders, Cindy Carroll, Karen Frank, Lisa Harrison, Jackie Jackson, Betsy Kammerdiener, Pam Lawson, Jerry McCrary, SCNA candidate Deb Moore and lay mission volunteer, Steve Newton.

Below is a message about their experiences thus far.

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It's been a hot tiring day, but we don't even notice. The blessings we have experienced since coming to the House of Charity with the Federation of the Sisters of Charity are unending. The hospitality provided to us by the Sisters has been awesome. We are staying in Orleans Parish in a restored house that was flooded in Hurricane Katrina. There is a chapel in the house where we had a most reverent blessing for our week. We are sleeping on air mattresses, this home is used to house volunteer workers who come to New Orleans to help the hurricane victims. Our mission challenge is to go out into the world and see the face of God and to be God to those we encounter. This is the spirit of St. Vincent dePaul.

Day One - We packed our brown bag lunches and we have received our direction for work from Mr. Earl, a retired contractor who organizes volunteer efforts to assist hurricane victims in his Parish. Today we worked in the home of Mr. Frank, a retired 90 year old man who served in the Navy in the seventh ward. He is proud of his service and showed us his service picture in his sailor uniform; he and his wife have been married 66 years. He also told us stories of his experience with the hurricane. He sings and plays an electric guitar - "This Little Light of Mine" is his favorite. He serenaded us while we worked. He has had 2 contractors come to repair hurricane damage and they were scams; taking his money and ruining his home. His 2 story home needed a drop ceiling in his kitchen - we accomplished this with the help of Mr. Earl - we learned new skills with this work! Steve Newton and Pam Lawson are now the experts. The second side of his 2 story home contained a lot of assorted debris; we cleaned out the 2nd side, two stories. We found a young girl's jewlery, clothes and shoes - reminders to us that folks had to leave what they had behind to save their lives. We bagged up the items, covering the sidewalk with garbage from the house and filling the trash can - it happened to be trash pick up day for Mr. Frank; we all stood outside and applauded when we saw the garbage truck come by. The trash collectors immediately got big ear to ear smiles on their faces and were waving to us as we cheered for them. We tried to help them put the mound of trash in the truck and they insisted to do it themselves. These young men were happy doing what they do; no matter what they had to pick up. During the morning, Mr. Earl asked us where were are from; we said Chattanooga and he said "oh, my Parish is collecting supplies and money to send to Chattanooga." What a humbling vision - people still struggling from devastation from Hurricane Katrina, and now they are helping others. Wow.

Several neighbors came by and thanked us for helping Mr. Frank. A pastor stopped by and asked us if we could also help him.

Sister Luke and Mr. Earl met with Pastor Dylan the pastor who saw us working and stopped; Sister Luke and Sister Monica went to his building site, this one in the ninth ward, the area most devastated by the floods. Water had been over the roof of his home, where he raised his six daughters. This home was stripped to the outside walls and new studs were up. We were asked to install insulation, clean the site and review putting up drywall. Again, skills we learned just at this time - and we now have many skilled insulation hangers! The building and site were cleaned up by us and we'll see tomorrow about putting up the drywall and doing some other work. This pastor lost several family members in Katrina; his father-in-law was found dead in his floating home; three family members drowned when the water overtook their vehicle as they were attempting to evacuate. Stories of stress and sorrow abound here.

We stopped by a friend's home that Sister Luke has helped rebuild her home; there we were graciously treated with delicious authentic red beans and rice. She invited all of us into her home for this meal. It's surreal to see so many homes in disrepair, yet the people here are so happy and welcoming. We are relearning perspective and priority in life. They are teaching us a lot.

As a group we are learning the importance of 'being in the moment' and letting life happen. We're a group of organizers, delegators and busy people. Slowing down to listen and learn and let God be God is a lesson for us.

Saying of the Our Father in a school in Lobatse

Luke Boiarski, SCN, just returned from Botswana where SCNs minister in pre-school education. In this video by Sister Luke, Ann Muthukattil, SCN, and one little boy leads the class in the saying of the Our Father in a school in Lobatse. He is three years old.

Botswana Volunteer Trip Nearing the End

The volunteers are finishing up. Today, at the village of Ntlhantlhe, the children watched as Sr. Luke, Peggy and Pat worked their magic painting animals on the walls of the day care. As we painted we drew an audience of old and young. When we were leaving An elderly man saw us and with a big grin said "you are finished"!! This village has really appreciated all the work done by the volunteers.

See more photos here.

Botswana

Luke Boiarski, SCN, along with three SCN Associates, (Evelyn Faldowski, Trudi Maish and Pat MacIsaac) and five other volunteers will be leaving for Botswana, Africa, on Sunday March 27. There will be a commissioning ceremony in St. Vincent Church during the Sunday liturgy. They will be in Botswana until April 15 and will be assisting the Sisters in Kayne, Lobatse and Metsimotlhabe. Please pray for their safe journey and their time in Botswana.

Las Flores, Belize Immersion Experience - Feb. 2011

Return from Las Flores

SCNs Luke Boiarski, Miriam Louise Hauser and Mary Margaret Reid, along with eight lay mission volunteers, returned safely on Monday evening, February 21, from a week-long immersion in Las Flores, Belize. They were able to make repairs to three homes and assist with other needs of the families. Three nurses from the Saint Joseph Health System were among the volunteers and were able to provide health care to several people in the village.

Las Flores, Belize Immersion: 2/2011

SCNs Luke Boiarski, Mary Margaret Reid and Miriam Louise Hauser, along with eight lay mission volunteers, will be leaving for Las Flores, Belize, on Monday, February 14. They will be making repairs to three homes in the village. They began their time together with orientation on the Nazareth Campus on Sunday, February 13. During the morning liturgy, they were commissioned by the Sisters and all gathered. They will return from Belize on February 21. Please pray for safe travel.

Belize Immersion Experience - January 2011

Belize House Blessing - Saturday, 1/22/11

The Pittsburgh House of Charity was blessed on Saturday Jan. 22, 2011 at 2 pm. Bishop Dorrick Wright blessed the house. The recipients of the 150th Hand in Hand Ministries house were Nichole and her children Devante and Kolleen.

The gathering was well attended by our SCN's in Belize City, Hand in Hand staff, family, friends and neighbors.

The volunteer group will return to Nazareth on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Please pray for their safe travels home and check back here for more photos and video after their return.

Belize Immersion Update - Thursday, 1/20/11

Sister Luke reported that, on Thursday, the group finished constructing the walls, painting the house "Steeler's" yellow, and raising the walls.

Today, Friday, they will finish putting on the roof and window slats. Tonight, the group will learn a bit about Garifuna culture and be entertained by Garifuna dancers.

The blessing of the house is scheduled for Saturday. Bishop Wright will be a part of the house blessing commemorating the 150th house built through the "Building for Change" program of Hand in Hand Ministries in Belize.

Please continue your prayers for this experience and check back for more updates and photos.

Belize Immersion Update - Wednesday, 1/19/11

Wednesday, we arrived early and began measuring, sawing and planking the walls of the house. As you can see by the photos every one is hard at work. Under the guidance of Beto and Alphonso, our two supervisors, everything is going smoothly. We are remaining safe and hydrated in the tropical heat. Our homeowner, Nicole, has been working side by side with us every day; she is so excited each step of the way.

Belize Immersion - Monday, January 17, 2011

The group of twelve travelers arrived safely in Belize on Monday afternoon. Pictured above are: Front (L-R) Alida Coughlin, Lindy Kubic, Carole Kretschman; Back (L-R) HHM, Dan Horan, Katie Kretschman, Midge Bash, Janet Cosby, Kathy Weatherford, Sister Nancy, Debbie Snapp, Donna Gambol, Sister Luke

After settling into the Starfish House and a brief introduction to the week, they visited with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth at SCN Center in Belize City. On Tuesday, they begin working on building the home. Please continue to hold them in prayer and follow us throughout the week.

Belize Immersion Trip - January 17-25, 2011

A group of volunteers, accompanied by Sisters Luke and Nancy, will leave for Belize tomorrow morning to build a house for a family in need in Belize City. They will return on January 25.

Sisters at St. Louise Convent in Pittsburgh, PA raised $8,750 for all the building materials for the house and to equip the home with plumbing and electricity. Additionally, they are sending one of their employees to represent them on this trip. The house will be named "The Pittsburgh House of Charity".

The group met today at Nazareth, KY for an orientation, and during morning liturgy, SCNs and all those gathered offered a blessing for the volunteers.

Check back here for updates on their progress.