Background: Saint Elizabeth House is part of Mercy Housing and Shelter Corp.,a non-profit organization sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. It is a residential setting for 58 adults. It is also a day shelter, offering free meals twice a day, six days a week to more than 300 men, women, and children. It also offers a variety of social services to its clients.

The Sisters of Mercy have been managing Saint Elizabeth House since 1983. Parishioners from Saint Catherine of Siena Church have been serving Sunday dinners there since the early 1990’s.


What the Ministry does: Approximately once a month Saint Catherine of Siena parishioners purchase, prepare, and serve the Sunday dinner to the 58 residents at Saint Elizabeth House.

How the Ministry operates: Two weeks before our serving date we set up a display table in the church atrium, which allows parishioners to sign-up to purchase food items, prepare side dishes or the entrée, or to drive down to Hartford to serve the dinner. The Sunday of our serving date, volunteers bring the food to the church and leave it in the kitchen by 3:45 PM. Those who are serving arrive at 3:45 PM. We pack the food in our cars and leave for Saint Elizabeth House by 4:00 PM. We set up and start serving by 5:00 PM, and we are home by 6:15 PM.

Why the Ministry may be right for you: This ministry offers a few levels of involvement. If you don’t have a lot of time, you can purchase fruit, bread, or a dessert. If you like to cook, you can prepare a sidedish or the entrée. (We provide the recipe.) And if you would like to work directly with others in need, Saint Elizabeth House offers a clean, organized setting for you and your teenage children to serve dinner to a grateful community.