(Chelsea Update would like to thank Joseph Yekulis, public relations director St. Louis Center, for the information in this story.)
The St. Louis Center will host a dedication ceremony on Sunday, June 8, to bless the newly remodeled Fr. Guanella Hall for older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
The Most Reverend Bishop Earl Boyea, Bishop of Lansing, will be present for a noon Mass to be followed by a blessing of the building and a ribbon cutting ceremony. Many state and local elected officials will be on hand to assist with the ceremonies, and guests will be allowed to tour the new building following the speaker’s program.
Fr. Guanella Hall was built on the campus of St. Louis Center in 1988 to create additional capacity for the residential care of young men with developmental disabilities, and in 2001 the building was converted to a program for adult women with I/DD and named “Our Lady of Providence.”
As the general population ages, so does the need for housing older adults with I/DD, and thus, Fr. Guanella Hall is being retro-fitted to address these needs. According to Administrator Fr. Enzo Addari, SdC., “Our vision is to provide a continuum of care for persons with I/DD that goes beyond caring only for youth. We need to help them transition to adulthood, and then as they age, transition into their senior years. As a faith based community, we provide our residents with care and compassion for both their physical and spiritual well-being.”
The cost of this project was approximately $2 million, and was raised entirely through private donations.
St. Louis Center is a caring residential facility for boys, adult men and women, and now seniors with intellectual and developmental disabilities, serving people with special needs and their families in Michigan for 54 years.
St. Louis Guanella was the founder of the Servants of Charity, and was canonized by Pope Benedict on October 23, 2011. For more information about St. Louis Center please visit the website at www.stlouiscenter.org.
