Section:
Ministries
Activities are in full swing at Anna’s Place, our congregation’s newest sponsored ministry. Anna’s Place is named after our foundress, Maria Anna Bachmann (Mother Francis) and is a hospitality drop-in center in Chester, Pennsylvania. The name is truly an appropriate one. Anna Bachmann, a widow with four young children, opened her home in Philadelphia to young German immigrant women who needed a safe place to live. Later, after our congregation was founded, she and the early sisters brought into their home the sick who were too poor to be accepted into the hospitals. Today many of the elderly residents in Chester "drop in" to Anna's Place—for computer classes, for lunch, for knitting and crocheting classes, or just to socialize.
Sr. Julie McCole, director of Anna's Place, realized early on that for some of the elderly residents, getting to Anna’s Place was difficult--either because of distance or through fear. A collection at the congregation’s 2009 golf tournament established the beginnings of a fund to purchase a van. Monies from a grant provided the balance and the van was purchased in October 2010. On December 8 Anna’s Place hosted a celebratory high tea to celebrate the new van and--well, just to celebrate! At one point during the tea, the door to the parking lot was opened and Monsignor Joseph McLoone blessed the long-awaited new van. Despite the frigid weather, a few brave souls ventured out to the parking lot to get a closer look. The rest looked on from the doorway. When computer classes resume in January, guests at Anna’s Place will be able to reserve a place in the van to get to class.
Florence Smith, our director of communications, and I were among the lucky folks
invited to the high tea. What a great experience that was! Volunteers, including some of our sisters, came around to serve tea, as well as scones and tea sandwiched. Florence and I both commented that people looked so familiar—yet neither of us had ever been there before. We realized that we recognized people from the Good News article we had done earlier in the year! If you haven't read the article, you can find it at http://www.osfphila.org/files/file/gn132final.pdf.
A variety of healthcare opportunities are available for visitors to Anna’s Place, including presentations arranged by Crozier-Chester Hospital Outreach and visits by Widener University nursing students. The Widener students have been visiting with people at Anna's Place for the past two years. They conducted one-on-one interviews with the people, found out what health information they needed, and supplied packets of material for them. They attended exercise class and taught the folks how to take their pulse. They made posters outlining important information for guests at Anna's Place and—true evidence that giving is always reciprocal—did PowerPoint presentations for their classes describing their involvement at Anna's Place.
Sister Julie was also able to utilize resources from the Crozier-Chester Hospital Outreach program. Kathy Lehman, RN, coordinator of the outreach program, together with Marge Omler, RN, did a series of health presentations for the folks at Anna's Place. Topics included avoiding infections, fall prevention, diabetes, strokes depression during the holidays, and medication safety. Sister Julie plans on having the sessions resumed in the New Year.
Guests at Anna’s Place also participated in St. Katharine Drexel Parish’s health fair—many of them donating blood—and were also able to visit the free eye clinic. Yes, somehow I think our Mother Francis (Anna Bachmann) would be very proud to lend her name and her heart to our work in Chester!
- Ann Marie Slavin, OSF
