Students from St. Ignatius spent a day with Residents of our Home in July. The Little Sisters were a stop in the weeks of the students summer service camp. Both the Residents and students had an exquisite time sharing stories and constructing crafts. The following is an excerpt from the blog about their experience written by the student’s teacher, Anne Burgan:
“St. Paul’s Home is one of those places where you can feel the love and compassion as soon you walk into the door. It is run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, and their love for Christ permeates into every corner of the building and is echoed in the nurses, assistants, residents and volunteers.
This morning, we had the pleasure of meeting Sister Rosario who was our tour guide for the day. She was kind, joyful, enthusiastic, and so much fun to be around. She showed us around the building that houses almost 100 men and women ranging in age from 65 to more than 100 years old. (We met Flo today – she will be turning 101 in September and is as sharp as a tack!)
After our tour, we were able to work on a few crafts with some of the residents and we had time to just sit and talk. We learned about their families, interests, and life experiences. They were really funny people!
Then, at 11 a.m., we went upstairs to the chapel for Mass. One priest celebrated the Mass, but four other priests were there, including Archbishop Pilarczyk who is now retired and living at St. Paul’s Home. Lauren, Mary Helen and Austin were brave souls for volunteering last minute to read at Mass. (They did a great job and got many compliments afterwards from the residents!) Thanks for volunteering guys!
After that, Sr. Rosario surprised us with a snack of donuts and punch, and we took time to write in our journals and discuss the day. The students enjoyed talking to the residents the most and commented on how good it made them feel to know that we had brightened their day. We talked again about how much it means to a person to feel as if they are being listened to and accepted.
Sr. Rosario then took us upstairs to the dining room where we were able to walk around and interact with some more residents. It was time to leave at that point, but no one wanted to! I was not able to pry everyone out of the building until about 12:20. Sorry to all the parents who were waiting so long for us! It was an experience we really didn’t want to end.
St. Paul’s Home was a memorable end of our week of serving others. I am so proud of all the students this week and how seriously they took our service to others. Every single person agreed that is made them feel wonderful (God has a way of doing that!) and that they feel they got so much out of the week. Thanks everyone!”
St. Ignatius Shine your Light Summer Service Camp