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For women who have
experienced homelessness
and are ready to rebuild their lives
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Remembering why we're here:
The legacy of Father Regis Scanlon, OFM Cap
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Fr Regis loved a good party. Here he celebrates at one of his many February birthday fests, this one in 2017. | |
Friends kept Fr Regis well-fed, but it's your friendship and support that turned his idea, the Julia Greeley Home, into reality. | |
He was energized in 2014 when JGH became a 501(c)3: "When we're officially a nonprofit, we can really start to grow." | |
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To All Our Friends of Julia's,
Every year in February, word went out -- "Let's take Fr Regis out for his birthday!" He probably had more birthday celebrations in a year than most people have in a lifetime. He was the kind of person that friends want to throw parties for.
When he became seriously ill in 2010-2011, the era to celebrate seemed over. Fr Regis expected to enter end-of-life hospice soon. Instead, to everyone's surprise (and his own), Fr Regis got better. How else to take it? "I think God has something more for me to do."
His "something more" was to found the Julia Greeley Home. He put it under the patronage of a powerful saint-in-the-making, Julia Greeley, known even in her lifetime a century ago as "Denver's Angel of Charity." Immediately, the generous response of so many of you became the cornerstone of JGH: Thanks to you, Fr Regis was able to create his last, great project - a faith-based, Christian haven for the woman alone.
Our world has seen a lot of turmoil since then; for the Julia Greeley Home, that includes the passing of Fr Regis in 2021. But his legacy has endured, and so has his memory - friends still go out to dinner to celebrate his life. Before February escapes away, here's a birthday tribute to Fr Regis, to the mission he created, and you have continued:
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Fr Regis had a knightly heart. He was especially moved by the ways a woman's dignity was endangered when she was alone and unprotected. He knew she was vulnerable to street violence and sexual predators, and demoralized by the weary search for a safe bed at night. That's why he created the Julia Greeley Home.
Fr Regis was ahead of his time. Today, vast sums of public money are earmarked for homeless causes, but one of the unintended consequences of this massive effort is that the woman who is alone and homeless is more vulnerable than ever: The perils seeping into society (random crime, drugs, aggressive behavior) have invaded the homeless shelters, too.
Women tell us they can't sleep in a shelter for fear of being robbed, or worse. Crowding, lack of privacy, fear of violence, leaves them demoralized and unable to plan their next step.
A former guest explained how the Julia Greeley Home is different: "A homeless shelter was horrifying at my age," the 53-year-old said. "What I needed was healing, not adding to the trauma. To be in a quite, peaceful neighborhood -- this felt like a normal home."
Most of "Julia's guests" - as we call them - have been wives, mothers, working women. To be homeless is a threatening experience to their lives and dignity as women. Some suffered the death or loss of the family breadwinner; unmanageable housing costs; a family breakup, or violence in the home. Some lost their jobs after an emotional or physical illness. Lacking the resources to meet the crisis, each woman needed time and peace to rebuild her life.
That's the work of mercy Fr Regis envisioned, and thanks to all of you - past, present, and to come - his vision came to be. We hope you want to see it continue! As a private, nonprofit organization, we rely solely on private funding to serve our guests as Fr Regis intended, by preserving our Christian identity and values. So we count on you, and hope you'll remember us in your giving plans. In the last two years especially, our costs have spiked in every category, including housing, utilities, food, and program development.
What's ahead? We are truly blessed by our housing partnership with Shannon's Hope, a fellow Christian ministry that serves pregnant mothers. The family-style home we share is a spacious, safe residence where our guests meet weekly with a trained and experienced program manager who helps them reach their goals of self-sufficiency. The purchase of our own home is a future dream, too. But as you know, this is an uneasy and unpredictable era, with astronomical housing costs and interest rates to match. We want to be good stewards of your generosity and plan wisely. So, for the present, we are blessed that Fr Regis's goals are fulfilled and women's lives restored in our present, well-run, neighborhood-friendly home.
"When you trust God completely, you force Him to take care of you," was one of Fr Regis's favorite sayings. Following his lead, today, we ask for God's His protection over each woman we serve, and over each of you. Thank you for all you do!
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Jean Torkelson
Executive Director
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Father Regis had a heart for the woman alone, like Deborah: | |
"Not just your dignity but your humanity suffers when you're homeless ... at the Julia Greeley Home, I found peace and love" | |
Deborah joins a growing band of Julia's graduates who have turned Fr Regis's vision, nourished by your support, into a productive new life. Since she moved to her new apartment in December 2023, Deborah sends us inspiring text messages that say a lot in a few words. | |
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When she joined JGH in mid 2023, Deborah, now 61, was already a praying woman, sure about one thing: "God has a plan for me." But sometimes the plan has led her over rough ground. Early in life, she suffered a painful divorce and its aftershocks. She found comfort in a happy second marriage, but that ended sorrowfully when her husband died of cancer.
Recently widowed and without living family to help, Deborah moved to Colorado to be close to a friend, only to see both their promised jobs vanish during the pandemic. Her friend went away. Deborah found a small apartment alone. The state-mandated rent freeze sustained her until the lockdown ended. Rents skyrocketed. Deborah could not meet hers.
"I was evicted for the first time in my life, and homeless for the first time in my life." The only immediate option was a public shelter. She saw those in charge as trying to help but overwhelmed by the numbers. "They don't see people as persons, they see us as masses of people with problems. I think they get get desensitized."
When she arrived, an unsmiling attendant told her to find an empty cot and grab a blanket where ever she saw one. "I slept that night using my coat and a sheet for a blanket, and my purse as a pillow." Worse than the discomfort was the whispered warnings of robberies and criminal activity in the night. "It was frightening. I was in shock."
Deborah turned to prayer. Where was God's plan taking her? In time she was given a list of private organizations for the homeless -- and the Julia Greeley Home was one of them.
"When I walked into the Julia Greeley Home, I felt I was home. It was a beautiful house with loving people inside. I shared a bedroom with just one other woman and it had its own bathroom. It was luxury compared to where I had been. I could be myself and no one was there to harass you. Best of all, I could sleep without one eye open!"
Deborah fit in immediately - she plunged into household chores and took part in evening classes, and contributed her inspirational ideas and life story to the weekly Bible classes. She was a sweet friend to all. But foremost was to keep pursuing the plan God had for her.
Within a few months, Deborah had met her goal: This past December, she found an apartment and was on the trail to a possible vehicle and restored job prospects.
Looking back - although she never knew Fr Regis - Deborah agrees that rediscovering her dignity as a woman was key to healing and restoring her independent life. "When you're homeless,, there's a stripping away of everything you had and a sense that you're going as low as you can get. You have no control over your own existence. I knew I had to commit myself to God or completely fall apart ...
"So, to walk into the Julia Greeley Home was like coming home. Even though it was not permanent, it was a good place to be, a place of safety and peace. It was my landing place, until God helped me find my permanent place."
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The house that Father Regis built | |
Teamwork and vision: JGH's foundation is in its people | |
One of the first things Fr Regis did when he founded the Julia Greeley Home in 2012 was to assemble a dedicated Board of Directors. Over the years, the Board has naturally evolved and changed, and today, it's strong as ever. Here's the first in a series of Newsletter "backgrounders" on our talented and dedicated Board members. | |
Writer, speaker, and JGH Board Member
Mary Beth Bonacci has shared
speaking gigs with her hero, Pope John Paul II
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Meeting of the minds
In sync: The messages of Fr Regis and Mary Beth Bonacci
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Just as protecting a woman's dignity was paramount to Fr Regis, explaining to women how to cherish it is what drives the multi-faceted career of writer, speaker, and author Mary Beth Bonacci.
At the age of 23, Mary Beth began giving talks on what is a radical concept in this day and age: Her theme, "Finding and Living Real Love," was based not on TV reality shows or "Sex in the City" episodes, but on the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage and human sexuality.
Right at the start, her message was as radical as the age of its messenger: "I figured somebody should get out there and let people know. I figured I'd start with teenagers, since I was still pretty close to their age," writes Mary Beth on her website, realove.net.
In the decades which followed, Mary Beth's bold, countercultural stand has taken her to speaking tours all over the world and led to a prolific book writing career, including her best-selling book, Real Love, which has been translated into ten languages.
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Mary Beth gives a 2023 Thanksgiving holiday hug to Patricia,
a sweet guest of Julia's
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Mary Beth joined the Board of the Julia Greeley Home in 2023 and is enthusiastic about adding her message to our mission.
We're thrilled to have Mary Beth on our programming roster for 2024. Our JGH audience is eager to topics such as repairing family relationships, the sacredness of marriage, how a woman can preserve her dignity in an undignified world. We know Fr Regis would say we've put his message into good hands!
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Ever the warrior:
Father Regis Scanlon, OFM Cap
February 17, 1943 -November 6, 2021
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"The Lord is a refuge in time of trouble ...
he will not forget the cry of the afflicted."
- Psalm 9: 9-10
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Your support continues to keep the Julia Greeley Home
a God-centered 'landing place' for the woman alone ...
Father Regis saw the need ... and you are filling it!
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Your donation is deeply appreciated! Here's how to reach us:
Through our mailing address
Julia Greeley Home Inc
3613 Wyandot St
Denver, CO 80211
Or through our website
juliagreeleyhome.org
(click the button and it will take you there)
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The Julia Greeley Home Inc. is a 501(c)(3) registered in Colorado
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