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Julia Greeley Home

For women who have

experienced homelessness

and are ready to rebuild their lives

Merry Christmas 2023 !

_{Christ in the City}_,

and Christ in the House

Six wonderful missionaries from the urban ministry, Christ in the City, joined us recently to celebrate one of the best reasons for the season - to find cheerful fellowship in Christ's love. They brought games, energy and laughter and we're grateful to them

Here are the missionaries who brought their friendship and the peace of Christ into the Julia Greeley Home this Christmas. Back row (left to right): Shayla, Mary Grace, Miriam, and Claire. Front row: Meaghan and Lydia. And thank you, dear donors, for your support, which makes our ministry possible, and brings new life to women in need

Lydia (in front of the tree) launches a holiday game with the ladies of the Julia Greeley Home and the women of Shannon's Hope, which serves women pregnant and exploited

Moving on to a new life

The New Year starts with new digs for Deborah,

Your generosity inspired her never-give-up spirit

Deborah is happy to share her success -- a new home that she's moved into days before Christmas

She is decorating slowly but surely. At JGH, Deborah showed the same patience and attention to detail as she moved toward self-sufficiency

A safe place to sleep -- before she came to JGH, Deborah was always afraid of being robbed at night in an overnight shelter. Now she has her own safe apartment

A great friend of Julia's:

Angel Haus Inc.

The inspirational nonprofit ministry, Angel Haus,

has a motto: 'Make your home a domestic Church'

The hope and prayer of the Arling family was to create a ministry to help disabled persons find employment as they put their creativity and artistic skills to work. Today, Angelhaus.org is both a ministry and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has a Christ-centered mission all year long. The original inspiration of Deacon Dave and Mary Ann Arling was their own disabled son, John, an artist in his own right, and from that idea a mission and a business was born. Deacon Dave is also the head of St Elizabeth's Fraternity, the Apostolate based in Denver that our own Julia Greeley was a member of, more than a century ago. All of us, in our individual ministries, know and love Julia, who is on the path to sainthood. Let's all pray that Julia helps all of us with our needs!

Deacon Dave

and Mary Ann Arling

A beautiful Angelhaus display

Another piece of art

Here's how one homeowner shows their Angelhaus artwork at Christmas.

Deacon Dave Arling had the idea in 2012 - two years later he asked his pastor if he would support and pray for the Angelhaus project - he said yes! Today, Angelhaus provides jobs for disabled artists and inspiring beauty for all who buy their exquisite designs

A skilled artisan at Angelhaus made the JGH sign that hangs over the front of the home we share with Shannon's Hope as "two ministries under one roof." Paying a recent visit were JGH Board Members Prof. Camilla Raymond; Father Bill Kraus, OFM Cap; Kevin Knight; Mary Beth Bonacci, and Kevin Hutchison. (Traveling at the time, Attorney Carla Little, and JGH President, Father Christopher Popravak OFM Cap, who stays close to JGH from his post in Texas.)

Scenes from the Season

JGH Board Member Mary Beth Bonacci kicked off the holiday season with a visit on Thanksgiving Day, bearing treats for everyone at the house

JGH Board Member Professor Camilla Raymond (second from right), gave a powerful presentation on handling personal trauma and pain.

One of the sufferings of being without a home is the isolation it brings - to be involuntarily homeless is to be lonely.

At the Julia Greeley Home, women live in community with one another, take personal responsibility for cooking, cleaning; they learn skills to go back in the workforce, or find permanent housing or new family ties. They pray together and develop confidence in their dignity as women, and the assurance that God has a purpose for their lives. It's a cheerful place to be, where they can establish goals and regain a way forward to self-sufficiency.

When Board member Mary Beth Bonacci stopped by at Thanksgiving, she caught the spirit of the day perfectly. For Pat, a Julia's guest, Mary Beth's greeting made her day!

Many of Julia's guests want to remain anonymous, and we respect that. Sometimes privacy brings challenges in photo editing while other times (like above), it just needs Leslie's kind touch.

Christ in the City helps with kitchen duty

Leslie Pottebaum keeps a steady hand on the operations of the house. Leslie founded Shannon's Hope for pregnant women more than 40 years ago, and her expertise and management skills have been invaluable to the Julia Greeley Home, which has occupied a wing of the lovely residence since 2015.

Leslie and Father Regis Scanlon, JGH's founder, met by chance as they were each exploring new opportunities for their ministries. God knit together an alliance, and He continues to lead each ministry forward individually, in the best and wisest way for each of us.