By Yadira Betances
Staff Writer
Sat, May 17 2008 LAWRENCE — "Thank you for being here, but you really need to go home to your countries and take care of the poor. Especially in America, where the poor are not only physically, but spiritually poor." These words from the late Mother Teresa inspired the founding of Lazarus House Ministries, which helps feed the hungry, shelter the homeless and provide educational, vocational and medical services for the poor. Lazarus House celebrates its 25th anniversary Thursday with a Mass at St. Mary of the Assumption Church. The Most Rev. Emilio Allue, bishop of the Merrimack Valley, is the celebrant. "When people ask us who we are, the technical answer is a multiservice agency to help the poor," Executive Director Bridget Shaheen said. "What we hope we are, are the hands and hearts of Jesus providing hope and light to those who are without hope and a place for them to turn where they are appreciated for who they are." Shaheen and her husband, Paul, active members of St. Joseph Melkite Church in Lawrence, were recruited by Brother Tom Petitte to start a five-bed emergency shelter. Petitte, a Marist brother who taught at Central Catholic High School, had just returned to the city after volunteering with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India. He heeded the nun's parting words with the help of the Shaheens and members of St. Joseph. "The anniversary is bittersweet," Shaheen said. "I wish things would be better for people who we serve, but it's wonderful that we are here to be able to serve them." The gospel-based ministry has grown significantly. In December, Lazarus House opened Capernaum Place, a $1 million transitional home with 20 fully furnished apartments, and a family education and support center. Over the years, Lazarus House has added services as it has seen the need, including thrift stores, a soup kitchen, food pantry, job training, a cleaning company, and medical and dental clinics. Shaheen said Lazarus House is focusing on the increased number of people who come in looking for help with food, shelter and job training. "It's important to provide job training in order to help people move out of poverty," she said. Lazarus House has an annual budget of $3.4 million, $63,000 of which comes from the government. The organization also hosts two fundraising events annually — a summer golf tournament that raised $200,000 last year and Hike for Hope, which brought in $295,000 in September. The walk through Andover is held solely to raise money for the upkeep of Capernaum Place. "It's the volunteers and the community being so generous to us with funding," Shaheen said. "That is Lazarus House." From the community rallying to help the organization after losing all its food donations during the flooding two years ago to seeing the smile on a woman's face as she is about to receive her nursing diploma, miracles never cease at Lazarus House, Shaheen added. In addition, two graduates of the job-training program are now the manager and assistant manager of Sparkle cleaning service. Since 1998, more than 89 percent of the graduates have found permanent jobs. Shaheen said working at Lazarus House, and seeing the generosity and humility from volunteers and guests has strengthened her faith. "It just teaches you so much about their goodness and how much my faith has grown. It helps me be a better person," she said. If you go: What: Bishop Emilio Allue celebrates a Mass of Thanksgiving in honor of Lazarus House Ministries' 25th anniversary When: Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Where: St. Mary Church of the Assumption, 300 Haverhill St. A light supper follows at St. Joseph Plains Community Center, 245 Hampshire St., For reservations, call Lana Schofield at 978-269-5206 or Lana@LazarusHouse.org
Donations needed: Food items: meats, any Goya brand-name food product, gravy, cranberry sauce, potatoes, mixed vegetables, juice boxes, powdered drink mixes, dairy products, paper products, cups for hot and cold beverages. Appliances, baby clothing, toys, dishes, furniture, office equipment and rugs. Call 978-689-8575.
Lazarus House ministries: Homeless shelter has 41 beds and six cribs, with separate rooms for men, women, and families. The Good Shepherd Center houses a community day center, soup kitchen, and St. Luke's Dental and Medical Clinic. Corpus Christi residence, home for eight single men or women living with HIV/AIDS. St. Martha's food pantry supplies food for four days to 300 families every Wednesday. Bagged lunches are distributed to people who work, but cannot afford to buy food. More than 700 families receive food baskets at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Job-training program which provides on the job training and employment to enhance our trainees' skills and resumes. Sparkle cleaning service is part of this program, which offers job skills, training, mentioning and English as a second language classes. Thrift stores: The Good Shepherd, 412 Hampshire St.; St. Martin of Tours, 121 Essex St. and St. Frances & St. Clare, 220 S. Union St.
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