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The Story of Mary House The Mary House food pantry began in 1974 when a group of Sisters of Mercy moved into a home at 17 Washburn Street in Providence. Despite the fact that they were just a stones throw from the illustrious Rhode Island State House, they found themselves enveloped in a sea of poverty. Moved by the needs and hunger of their neighbors, the Sisters, led by Sister Fran Conway, opened a small food pantry and began their ministry which continues to this day. The tradition of Mary House holiday dinners dates back to 1972 when St. Patrick's parish began providing turkey baskets to the needy in the neighborhood. The volunteers quickly realized that for many, the holidays were not only foodless but friend and family-less too. Therefore, in addition to the baskets, the parishioners opened the Church on the holidays so that people could gather for food and fellowship. This is the true spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas. In 1986, with the help of so many people, Mary House opened a Monday night Meal Kitchen at St. Patrick's School.
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| Our Executive Director:
Janice Luongo
Article reprinted from
The Providence Visitor
Thursday May 4, 2006
Stewardship at Work: Time, Talent, and Treasure
'From Drug Addict to Director'
By Robert Spirito
PROVIDENCE - During the summer of 1969, the late Sister Maria Frances Conway, R.S.M. and other religious Sisters of Mercy embarked on a journey though the streets of the Federal Hill section of Providence. Their mission was to evangelize local people and spread the Gospel message contained in Matthew, Chapter 25. "For I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me..." While conducting their street ministry on a muggy day in August, Sister Fran noticed a young woman who was sprawled across a neighborhood park bench. She approached slowly, noticing her glossy eyes, and asked "What is your name?" Not receiving a response, Sister Fran sensed that this person was not only homeless, but also a drug addict. Reaching gently for her hand, she reassured the 19 year old woman that Jesus did indeed, love her. Janice Luongo, that once frightened and destitute teenager, is now 55 years old. Her father was a merchant marine who travelled extensively during his daughter's formative years, and her mother was a waitress at the Biltmore Hotel for over 20 years. As a child, she often felt as though she did not fit in and consequently, was enticed by the street life. Dropping out of Central High School in Providence after only 6 months, she went astray and soon found herself strung out on heroin and LSD. Homeless for six months on the streets of Providence, her days were spent panhandling for food, while her nights were spent sleeping in the backseats of abandoned automobiles and hallways. Sister Fran met and talked with Janice week after week and invited her on numerous occasions to return to her apartment on Knight Street for something to eat and drink. Disappointment set in as Janice always refused the offer. Ever persistent, Sister Fran finally convinced her to attend a prayer meeting that was held at the religious sisters' apartment. Before the start of the prayer meeting, Janice sat around the kitchen table in the second floor apartment and was served her first nutritious meal in months by the Sisters of Mercy. Sitting in the chair, Janice could not help but notice a large bowl of money in the center of the table. She occasionally glanced at the bowl, ever so tempted to pocketthe cash to support her drug habit. She thought to herself "Take it, Janice, take it." Sipping her hot soup, she slowly lifted her head, and there, on the wall, was a picture of Jesus Christ. The image of the Lord appeared to be staring at her with piercing eyes. She did not take the money and knows now that it was the hand of God that made her make the right decision. In the following weeks, Janice began to attend prayer meetings with the Sisters of Mercy at the Holy Ghost Church in Providence. "I didn't want to participate but they were so nice to me," she said. "They prayed with me, fed me, cared for me, and stood by me when I needed help the most." During her frequent attempts to rid her body of drugs, Janice received unconditional love and support from Sister Fran and other Sisters of Mercy who prayed with her asking God for the strength to cope with the withdrawal symptoms. From 1969 to 1974, Janice struggled with her drug dependency.She experiences a series of unfortunate relapses resulting from the detoxification of the drugs from her body. Concerned that her friend was close to death, Sister Fran immediately drove her to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment. Referring to the hospitalization as a turning point in her life, Janice will never forget the haunting sounds of beeping monitors in her room. For the first time she began to realize the gravity of her medical condition. Thankfully, she looked upon her discharge as a second chance from God. Looking back at that terrifying period, she cncludes that there are two main reasons why she is alive today. "God decided that I still had some other things to do with my life," she said. The second reason, according to Janice, is the loving, prayerful and compassionate care she received from the Sisters of Mercy who were so instrumental in her life and still are today. She also contemplates the scriptural passage from Romans, Chapter 8, which states "Now we know that for those who love God all things work together unto good." Kicking the habit at age 24, Janice was now on the road to recovery and spent the next three decades employed in a variety of jobs. In the mid 1970's, she was hired as a secretary at Saint Patrick School in Providence. Within a few years, she became involved within the parish's music ministry and shared her time and talent by playing the guitar for the children at the school. After working for two years as a Manager of Our Daily Bread Food Cooperative in Providence, she moved on to accept a position as the Director of Youth Services where she was responsible for developing programs for neighborhood children in the Smith Hill section of Providence. For 13 years, she wrote grants, helped to re-establish a youth center, and coordinated programs and activities for a summer camp. | | 
Attaining her certification from the Massachusetts Department of Health, Janice then began to visit high schools in the Bay State where she taught young males about abusive attitudes towards women. On a part-time basis, she worked with and counseled men who had uncontrollable tendencies to batter a spouse or girlfriend. In February of 2003, Janice mourned the death of her long-time friend and inspiration, Sister Frances Conway. With an unwavering vision of helping those in need, Sister Fran founded and later assumed the role as Director of Mary House, a social service ministry of Saint Patrick Church in Providence. In June of 2003, in what can only be classified as 'Divine Intervention', Janice applied for the vacant position and was hired by the former pastor, Rev. Raymond M. Kelly, to replace Sister Fran who ironically was the guiding force who reached out to her on the park bench that fateful day 32 years ago. In 1974, Mary House opened its doors as a small food pantry for the poor and less fortunate. The house's name is in honor of a longtime parishoner, Mary McLaughlin, who died in 1975. Because of her devotion to the Blessed Mother and her wholehearted support of the work of the religious Sisters of Mercy, Mary donated the house she owned at 17 Washburn Street in Providence to Saint Patrick Parish. Now in its fourth decade, Mary House continues to serve thousands of hungry residents within the Smith Hill neighborhood and throughout the State of Rhode Island. In 1986, a soup kitchen was opened in order to feed the many individuals who could not afford an evening meal. With the assistance of many volunteers, the kitchen serves a hot meal to approximately 300 to 400 people every Monday evening in the Saint Patrick School gymnasium. The meal kitchen also provides a wonderful opportunity for people to gather together prayerfully and socially. As Director of Mary House, Janice is responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the food pantry, meal kitchen, as well as the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners during the holiday seasons. You can also find her planning festivities for the annual Mary House Holiday Bazaar held in December. Janice reports that in 2005, over 100,000 meals were prepared at the emal kitchen and remarkably, over 18,000 bags of nutritious food and household products were distributed to needy families at the food pantry. "We're just ordinary people doing extraordinary work," Janice states. Likening her ministry to that of a "messenger", she adds, "We believe that the people who visit Mary House are truly sent here by God. They just don't know it." She remembers vividly the day a man walked into Mary House and complainrd about a nagging backache resulting from sleeping on the floor. Providing the man with a donated bed and mattress, she recalls "It was like we gave him a million dollars." Janice sees her role not as much as a job but as a calling. She cannot help but see herself in so many of the people that she encounters. Sadness overcomes her when hearing about hardship stories from the many visitors to Mary House. The people they help are not seen as problems, but as souls. She explains that it is not just about providing them with pasta, tuna fish, or cereal. The goal, she says, is to show God's love and give them some glimmer of hope for a brighter future. "God doesn't care what shoes a person has or what type of house they own." she said. "Rather, God loves everybody, regardless of their possessions." In his song, Whatsoever You Do, composer William F. Jabusch writes in the first verse, "Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me." For Janice Luongo, her rollercoaster life has come full circle. Once the person being served, she now relishes this wonderful opportunity to help her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are less fortunate. Counting her blessings each day, Janice takes solace in the words of the song's refrain "Now enter into the home of my Father." | |
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