Wednesday, September 2nd, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County raised walls at 51 George Street, Bridgeport, CT, the future site of the organization's Pope Francis House. The Wall Raising began with a brief program followed by an actual "wall raising" which conducted by representatives from local educational institutions working alongside Habitat volunteers and families. The new structure pays tribute to the Pope and aligns with his arrival in the United States this month.
The Pope Francis house is partially sponsored by an anonymous donation. The donor's purpose of this house is threefold:
- To honor Pope Francis for his commitment to social justice and reinvigorating the Catholic Church;
- To provide a unifying, celebratory opportunity for both Catholic and non-Catholic volunteers to work together towards a common goal (as Pope Francis says, "Work confers dignity.");
- To further Habitat's mission of building and preserving homes.
The future Habitat homeowners will be the Zepeda Family. Marlon and Magaly (Maggie) Zepeda, parents of Joshua and Aliana, are active members of the St. Augustine Cathedral parish. 51 George Street is not far from the Cathedral and very close to the Thomas Merton Center. The family will move to their Habitat home along with Maggie's mother, Milagros Ortiz.
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