San Fernando Region Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Wilkerson called the blessing and dedication of the new Los Angeles headquarters of the Sisters of Social Service a "prophetic act" --- one that continued the women religious' legacy in the Los Angeles Archdiocese of working with the poor plus witnessing to justice and peace.
"The Sisters have carefully listened to the spirit in their lives and mission," the bishop said during the Dec. 10 morning liturgy in the Encino foothills. "And they have chosen not to go back to so-called better times, whether it's 50 years or 60 years or 200 years or 300 years.
"They have chosen to move ahead in faith, to continue to challenge the world with their prophetic witness to justice and peace, to serve the poor, the last, the lowest and the least.
"They also recognize that in the world today those who would build the kingdom need a place where they can be renewed, recharged," he added, "where they can reflect and allow God's spirit to work with them to make sure that they are moved not by selfish motives, but by the spirit of the living God."
After, Bishop Wilkerson went outside to bless the new motherhouse and administrative offices, new assisted living center, which will be able to house 18 senior Sisters, and renovated Holy Spirit Retreat Center.
The 1994 6.7 Northridge Earthquake, which claimed 72 lives and caused $25 billion in property damage (mostly in the San Fernando Valley), also badly damaged the Sisters of Social Service's historic motherhouse at 1120 Westchester Place in Los Angeles.
During the last ten years, the religious community struggled to run its ministries and to house its elderly members at Stella Maris, an old, three-story structure next to the Harbor Freeway near downtown Los Angeles. The converted drug/alcohol rehabilitation facility in a crime-ridden neighborhood had steep stairs, no air conditioning, cramped office space and enormous utility and maintenance bills.
Last year on April 7, after a lot of strategic planning, prayers and fund-raising, the Sisters of Social Service finally broke ground at their Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Encino. And after 20 months, the new complex of modern earth-tone structures is 98 percent finished.
To date, $11 million of the total $15 construction cost has been raised. Major donors include the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation, Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
"It's hard to remember that we're a community of serving the poor when we look at this very beautiful building," Sister of Social Service Jennifer Gaeta, development director, told more than 300 benefactors and guests. "But our intention is that we see ourselves as dedicated to helping those who need help the most in society, changing structures, working for social justice and empowering the poor."
Sister Gaeta, executive director of the Los Angeles House of Ruth for battered women and co-director of Camp Mariastella in Wrightwood, said what really jump-started the whole project was the need to provide for the congregation's aging members. Up until the earthquake, she admitted, they hadn't thought very much about that because the community was so young. (The Sisters of Social Service were founded in the early 1920s in Hungary, and came to Los Angeles in 1926 at the invitation of Bishop John Cantwell.)
The aging members include Sister Bertille Prus from Portland, Oregon, who headed the Holy Family Adoption agency from 1963 to 1991. She estimates that under her helm, some 2,000 babies were placed with parents, including many from the "Vietnam baby lift" during and after the war.
Retired in 1991, the 86-year-old woman religious' main ministry today is prayer, which she said will be enhanced by being away from noisy freeways and surrounded by oak trees and grass.
"Oh, I think it's wonderful here," she told The Tidings. "We're really grateful for everyone who helped to make it possible. But it was kind of hard to leave downtown L.A. We used to pray for all the drivers who were pulled off the freeway." And she chuckled. "I think I've seen so many sobriety tests, I could do it myself."
"But," she continued, "this gives us a permanent facility, and we'll really be able to concentrate now more on our work throughout the county. We have to reach the poor people, the ones who are suffering. We have to reach out to families and children, which is so badly needed today."
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