Happy Summer to All!
Many people have dedicated their lives to the well-being of St. Louis Center. One of these persons is Fr. Joseph Rinaldo (Fr. Joe for many).
He came to Chelsea in September 1980 and moved back to Italy in May 2022. He achieved many landmarks during his tenure: construction of St. Joseph Hall, the remodeling of the main building, construction of Fr. Guanella Hall, the purchasing of the property in Grass Lake that eventually became the site for the Pious Union of St. Joseph and the transformation of the old barn into a chapel/shrine.
He was also instrumental in the vision of the St. Louis Guanella Village at St. Louis Center.
Activities with benefactors started to be solidified, including the creation of the Fall Dinner Auction and the Memorial Golf Outing, as well as establishing many contacts with local politicians and other agencies.
The quarterly newsletter is the fruit of his vision as well as reaching out to other agencies and people and the establishment of the endowment trust fund.
The Center has gained a lot of recognition. He has given the basis of what the Center is today as a thriving facility poised for the future.
If anyone would like to send Fr. Joe a card, here is his address:
Fr. Joseph Rinaldo
Centro Anziani Don Guanella
Via Giulio Petroni, 121
70124 BARI, Italy
Thank you for your generosity!
I want to thank all of you for going the extra mile during this fiscal year and helping St. Louis Center with your precious donations. During this year we were able to open new programs geared toward a higher degree of independence and we secured another tenant for the second duplex thus creating a truly integrated village where people with I/DD and other people live next to each other.
On June 29th we had the opportunity to celebrate St. Louis Center Day at the Capitol in Lansing, MI. A grateful thank you goes to those politicians who made room in their busy schedules to listen to the families’ concerns and also to Trinity Health organization for their outstanding support in organizing such an event.
We still face many challenges due to the present social situation and resignations: as any other business, St. Louis Center is suffering from a shortage of staff (only here in Michigan there is a need for another 160,000 direct care workers!) and we need to seek additional revenue to face the competition.
However, we don’t lose hope for we know that the Good Lord never abandons those who are very precious to His Heart; doing so, our mission of hope and love for society will continue.
Fr. Enzo Addari
Find this and previous posts from Fr. Enzo Addari, Scd, St. Louis Center Chief Executive Director in Fr. Enzo’s Corner.
If Fr. Enzo’s message, or any other stories in the St. Louis Spirit Summer 2022 Newsletter inspire you, please consider a gift of any amount to the Center by submitting the secure online form below.
