Tag Archives: Fire

News, Women's Communities

St. Joseph’s Carmelite Home – Rebuilding After the Fire

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On Sunday, May 16, 2021, St. Joseph’s Carmelite Home in East Chicago, Indiana, suffered a devastating fire.  Home to the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus, it also is home to children needing emergency shelter or longer term care, and expectant teen mothers. Their mission is the opening their hearts & homes to children in crisis from birth to 18. What a beautiful work of mercy!

Thankfully, everyone was safely evacuated, and no harm came to any of the residents.

As a result of the fire, the entire main building (built in 1920) was completely destroyed, and the interiors of their north and south building are also unable to be salvaged.   Due to limited space now,  the numbers of youth and children they can help has dwindled considerably. Many have been sent to other facilities or to foster homes.

“Grasselli Avenue has turned into a zone of massive reconstruction with huge trucks and equipment covering the entire street,” says Sister Maria Giuseppe. “At the present time, we have a construction crew in the Tauscher Center remodeling the entire area to be more user-friendly and in compliance with DCS codes.  This work is going smoothly and hopefully will be completed within a few months so that our doors may be re-opened to accept new children.  Our nuns are living in our Casa Maria in quite small quarters, with our chapel, dining and living area all blended into one. ”

“The sisters are grateful “beyond words to the many people who have poured forth upon us their love and interest in our Carmelite Home and have showered us with blessings of donations both monetary and material.  We are tremendously  grateful for each one and for the indescribable kindness of each donor – may our merciful Lord Jesus bless them in every way!”

The sisters ask only for prayers to deal prudently and successfully with the many decisions that have to be made so that they can continue on with their ministry among God’s children and youth.

But we also noticed on their GoFundMe page that they are only $5,000 short of their fundraising goal.  Go here if you would like to help!

“We are inviting the Holy Spirit to be present continuously in our Carmelite Home,” says Sr. Maria Giuseppe.  “We hold HIM to be responsible since the whole thing was made for Him and belongs to Him anyway!”

St. Joseph’s Carmelite Home
4840 Grasselli Ave.
East Chicago, IN 46312

News, Women's Communities

Sisters Escape Burning Building

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card dolan fdcSomehow I missed this terrible story.

On October 12, 2013, three 19-year-old men set two fires in a Daughters of Divine Charity convent in Staten Island, New York, critically injuring one of the sisters. The three college students had spent the evening smoking marijuana and drinking before breaking into the convent, looking for something to steal. Upon leaving, one of the men set two fires: one in a first floor closet and anther in a 3rd floor bedroom.

The convent is located at St. Joseph Hill Academy on Staten Island. The fire destroyed their chapel, sacristy, archives and provincial offices.This follows on the heels of two other incidences of vandalism on the property. Fortunately, arrests have been made in this latest incident.

Thankfully, Sister Regina Gegic, F.D.C., 45, celebrating 25 years as a religious, was able to return home on Monday after a two-week stay in the hospital. Click here to see the video. Sister was injured when she jumped from a second floor window to escape the blaze, breaking three vertebrae in her back. Another sister escaped the fire unharmed.

Just one day after the fire, Cardinal Timothy Dolan was with the sisters, celebrating the mass in honor of 100 years of service in America. In addition to their education apostolate, the sisters run St. Mary’s Residence for young women in Manhattan. “Sisters, you were prolific from the very beginning,” he said. “The best is yet to come. I think our gratitude is even deeper in the shadows of what happened and it shows how fragile life is and how vulnerable we are.”

On November 7, a fundraiser will be held at Jimmy Max restaurants in the area to help raise funds to restore the convent. If you would like to make a donation, please visit their website.

May God protect them and those they serve.