Dear Friends of Joseph House: God is the Author of life, the only One who can create, but from the very first moment of our existence other people are indispensable. Pope Leo spoke to this in a homily from earlier this summer: Dear friends, we received life before we ever desired it. As Pope Francis…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Fifty years ago, on a sunny Sunday morning in July, our community was born. It didn’t have a name yet (that would be decided on a few weeks later), but the Little Sisters of Jesus and Mary trace their origin to July 7, 1974, the day when Pat Guidera and…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Twenty-five years ago, we renovated and expanded the Joseph House Crisis Center. One of the main additions was the Hospitality Room, which is a day shelter for men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. It is often a busy place. Here is a report about this ministry from Sr. Virginia, who…
The Joseph House Crisis Center has a long history of transformation. Before it opened in 1984, the building was a warehouse that belonged to the Campbell Soup Company, which had a plant next door. Wicomico County was leasing the warehouse to store voting machines. After the Mayor’s Office and community leaders arranged for the Little…
Our work at the Joseph House is like farming in that we plant seeds, although we don’t always see how they grow. Once in a while, however, we get a glimpse of how a seed planted has taken root and flourished. Carla used to come to our Hospitality Room off and on for a fair…
Dear Friends of Joseph House: Sr. Mary Elizabeth Gintling, our founder, had a vision for our ministry that continues to guide us. When she started the Joseph House, she had next to nothing apart from a few principles in mind. These principles, and the rationale behind them, were explained by her in this way: 1)….