Franciscan Ministries' Newsletter - Summer 2023

From the desk of Sr. Ann Cecile Albers, SFP Interim Executive Director

We hear in Ecclesiastes “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” ECC. 3:1. Effective in June, Sarah Wagner resigned as Executive Director of Franciscan Ministries. During this time of review and revision, I have stepped in as interim Executive Director.

This is Franciscan Ministries season for a fallow time. A time to step back, rededicate our local efforts and recognize the dedication and passion of our employees.

Tau House is the highlight of this newsletter’s issue. Enjoy!

Message from the Director of Tau House

I truly feel like I am where I am meant to be – How many people can honestly say that? In my almost 12 years at the helm of the program, I have grown to love every aspect of the beautiful chaos that is Tau House - from the excited nervous energy of those arriving to the happy exhaustion of the same individuals as they depart.

This program invites people in, meets them where they are, welcomes them like family, and then empowers and encourages them to do the same for others.

Our hope is to open participants’ hearts to a love of service, a sense of spirituality, an experience of community, and a desire to live simply. We hope that they then continue these beyond their time with us at the House. I am so grateful to be a part of it. To join us at Tau House, contact Marci at mpeebles@FranciscanMinistriesInc.org

Special thanks to St. Clement and St. Columban churches!

The former St. Clement convent (St. Bernard, OH), is our Tau House. This location can house up to 36 people, provides a welcoming space to settle in for the week, is central to our service partners, is available to Franciscan Ministries year-round, and is (quite literally) our HOME base.

St. Columban (Loveland, OH), also has a former convent that we are blessed to be able to use when needed and available. Occasionally, multiple groups wish to serve the same week, and when they cannot share the Tau space for whatever reason, they are able to find a home at St. Columban for their stay so that no one who wants to serve is turned away. We simply could not do this without you! MUCH THANKS!

Marci Peebles, Director of Operations

Marci was hired as Director of Franciscans for the Poor (the former name of Tau House) in 2011, right before Franciscan Ministries, Inc. was incorporated. In 2016, Marci additionally took on the directorship of the Community Garden, and she also added the role of Director of Haircuts from the Heart in 2018. She holds a Bachelor’s in English and a Master’s of Education in Human Resource Development, both from Xavier University. Prior to arriving at FM, Marci worked in Youth Ministry and Young Adult Ministry within the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and she has served as a trainer for the Cincinnati Association of Volunteer Administrators and as adjunct retreat staff with the Jesuit Spiritual Center. Over the years her duties at Franciscan Ministries have expanded exponentially, resulting in her current, inclusive title of Director of Operations. She loves what she does - being a part of FM’s mission of meeting unmet needs in the community while carrying on the charism of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. When not at FM, Marci is preparing to send her twin sons to college – without losing her mind in the process.

Gabbi Jones, Program Assistant

Gabbi has been the Program Assistant at Tau House for a collective 5 years. She started working with Franciscan Ministries when attending Xavier University. Upon graduating, Gabbi couldn’t stay away, and while working in parish youth ministry, she brought her youth group to the House to serve with us. She is now teaching Religion to freshmen at Purcell Marian High School – allowing her to devote her time to Tau in the summers. (As an added bonus, occasionally we get lucky and her daughter comes along as our unofficial mascot!) We are so blessed to have Gabbi as part of our efforts at Tau. We asked her what keeps her coming back – “It is always such a pleasure to welcome and provide for the different groups that take time out of their summer to serve Cincinnati and more importantly, God.” We agree, Gabbi!

This year, we have been blessed with a new addition to the Tau House Family!

Earlier this year, Sr. Giannica Selmo, SFP, came to Cincinnati from Italy to be a part of the St. Clare community. Her arrival has brought a few lovely additions additions to the Tau program. Sr. Giannica and fellow Franciscan Sister of the Poor, Sr. Teresa Lamparelli (also staying at St. Clare from Italy), have been cooking a delicious homemade Italian meal for groups upon their arrival! Additionally, Sr. Giannica has been volunteering alongside the groups for a day during their stay and joining in various reflection activities we provide for groups. With her presence and participation, we have also been able to again offer the opportunity for groups to come to the convent and share a meal, tour the Chapel and Archives, and spend time sharing in the charism of the Sisters. THANK YOU, Sr. Giannica!

History of Tau House

Tau House began in 1996 under the name Franciscan for the Poor. Sr. Marie Clement Edrich, SFP, attended a conference on vocations and came back with the inspiration for a program for youth and young adults to give back through volunteering.

We started small. Most service was done with a single downtown agency and participants stayed in the site’s transitional housing when available – which often meant sleeping bags on the floor of empty apartments. When these spaces were unavailable, groups were hosted by local churches that allowed them to camp out in their gyms with members of the congregation providing an evening meal.

Sr. Marie Clement stayed at the helm for a few years, giving the program its heart. Following her, Sr. Karen Hartman, SFP, took over and gave the program its wings.

Under Sr. Karen, Franciscans for the Poor officially became a not-for-profit organization; and a long-term program was launched, where volunteers committed to one year of service while living in community. Groups grew in size and volunteer locations began to vary. Word of mouth spread and new groups joined the family - some of our current “regulars” began coming in these early years.

By 2001, the program was limited only by its ability to house everyone. But God had a plan. Sr. Karen was scheduled to talk at St. Clement Church, and as she was waiting to be introduced, she noticed a small box in the lobby with the image of a light bulb on it that bore the words “ideas for how to use our convent.” She approached the Pastor.

Sr. Karen saw the box on a Monday, met with the Parish Council on Tuesday, met with the Finance Committee on Wednesday, and had use of the Tau House for a scheduled group by Thursday. “Tau House” became our new home, and a long-lasting and lifegiving collaboration with St. Clement began.

The program grew and changed significantly in the following years through to today – leadership moved to lay directors; the long-term volunteer program ended; the number of service site partners expanded; we

incorporated into Franciscan Ministries merging the sponsored ministries of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor under one umbrella; we began to host retreat groups in addition to our service experiences; and we changed our name to Tau House. What has not changed is Sr. Marie Clement’s original vision of celebrating community, simplicity, prayer, and service.

Summer is here and that means Tau House is hopping!

Tau House is Franciscan Ministries’ volunteer experience program for youth and young adults. We are now in our 25th official year of empowering our participants to experience service, simplicity, and spirituality while living in community. Groups have joined us from the other side of the country as well as the other side of the city. Typically arriving on a Sunday night, our guests are greeted with a warm welcome and a hot meal. During the week, participants work with a variety of agencies with which we partner –they help at summer camps and food pantries, with home rehab and gardening – wherever the need is greatest. They learn about the challenges and experiences of homelessness, the value of having a voice and using it, the importance of volunteering and philanthropy, and the simple truth that many hands make light work. By the end of their stay on Friday, they have worked hard, played hard, and loved hard. They are happily exhausted and ready to do it all again, and again, and again.

But don’t take our word for it:

The entire Tau House experience absolutely exceeded every expectation I had. Living together in the house and eating dinner as a team each night brought our group so close together. We did hard work every day, and we had so much fun back at the house each night. Before Tau House, our parish had never done any mission trips, but now these trips are an essential part of our youth ministry. We look forward to seeing you again next summer! ~ Maureen, student

Franciscan Ministries, Inc.

110 Compton Road

Cincinnati, OH 45215

Closing down completely for the summer of 2020 was hard – but Tau House has bounced back since we reopened our doors post-pandemic!

451 participants for week-long service trips

116 participants for mini-mission trips

198 weekend retreatants

83% of our groups return for future trips

28 different schools, parishes, and colleges joining us

… all resulting in 14,436 hours of service across 16 different partner agencies

We partner with fantastic service agencies and sites – most frequently the following:

• Love in Action

• Matthew 25 Ministries

• Wesley Chapel Mission Center

• St. Vincent dePaul

• New Life Furniture Bank

• Working in Neighborhoods

• Dress for Success

• Prince of Peace Lutheran

• St. Anthony Center

• Free Store Food Bank

• Stepping Stones

• Heartfelt Tidbits

• Habitat for Humanity

• Tikkun Farms

• Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank

A Special Thank You to The Franciscan Peddler Thrift Store

The Franciscan Peddler Thrift Store is located on the St. Clare Campus offering a large variety of merchandise. We are very grateful to receive the proceeds of all sales from The Peddler to support the programs at Franciscan Ministries. Store hours are Fridays from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 am -1:00 pm.