As advent approaches, it gives me joy to share with you something small but extraordinary – something that was almost impossible, yet it came to pass! Something for which we give thanks… Michael Holman, a young volunteer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, began his year of service at Joseph’s House this past September. He had not been here much …read more »
Beauty, Wonder & Gratitude
June 27, 2017 by
On June 24, the Joseph's House community, joined by neighbors and friends, dedicated our new healing garden. These remarks were delivered by Scott Sanders, Deputy Director. At the entrance to the garden is a plaque with the words of the activist Vito Russo from 1988, some of the darkest days of the AIDS epidemic. He said, “Someday, the AIDS …read more »
The Hard Work of Living
May 19, 2016 by
Recently when the weather was softening a little and the trees were almost in bloom, Dwight finished breakfast, left the table to smoke a cigarette on the porch and walked away from Joseph’s House. For months he had been longing to get back to the part of town where he had lived most of his life. Much of Dwight’s adult life had centered around a …read more »
The Legacy of Ryan White
September 15, 2015 by
August 18th marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Ryan White CARE Act, creating a program that has saved the lives of thousands upon thousands of people living with HIV. Earlier this year, Joseph’s House received a Partnership Award from the CAEAR Coalition as they prepared to go on Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of funding for the …read more »
Malcolm’s Prayers
December 5, 2014 by
It’s late afternoon, nightfall in early December. An hour ago, guided by the soft glow of holiday lights, we accompanied Malcolm’s body outside through the sharp air, from the shimmering darkness of Joseph’s House to the funeral home van. This is what we do at Joseph’s House. We open our hearts and respectfully go the distance with every person who …read more »
A Smile That Melts Your Heart
August 13, 2014 by
Walking past Chrisann’s room, I saw that the lights were off and a low gray light bathed the room on a rainy, stormy afternoon. Ann and Pat, our two nurses, were both sitting quietly. That struck me as unusual. If I see them together in a resident’s room they are usually busy, cleaning or adjusting someone in the bed, or trying to understand a …read more »
Going Home
June 2, 2014 by
This morning one of our residents, a young man with late-stage cancer, flew home to Central America – back to a country and a family he had not seen since he left 11 years ago. His journey home, which actually began several weeks ago, took a small village of people to make happen. When Alberto arrived at Joseph’s House from a local inpatient …read more »
“Te Iubesc”
April 4, 2014 by
Lying in her bed, Colette was teaching a few of us how to say “I love you” in her native Romanian. “Te iubesc,” we struggled to say with an accent that matched hers. Though I first met Colette six or seven years ago, when she first lived at Joseph’s House, it was the first time I’d heard her speak in her native tongue, which she had started to …read more »
NPR: “A Big Helping of Christmas Compassion at Joseph’s House”
December 22, 2013 by
Rachel Martin, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday came for breakfast to get a sense of what Joseph’s House is like around the holidays. The tree was decorated, the lights were up and there was plenty of hot coffee. There was definitely a sense of holiday cheer in the air, but in most ways the breakfast was like it is on other days. Plenty of …read more »
When We Dwell in Compassion
September 18, 2013 by
Sometimes a person we invite to Joseph’s House for shelter longs for a different home. Zoe cannot be comforted. For many years she lived on the streets and for years at a time had no contact with her mother. Dying now, of liver disease, she was referred to Joseph’s House a few months ago for hospice care. Since then Zoe and her …read more »