Father Raul’s New Calling: Francis House
I met a lot of inspiring people during my 14 months on the road. But Father Raul Marquez and the folks of St. Peter stood out in how they helped me turn that inspiration into action.
I attended the American Sign Language Mass at St. Peter to write about the experiences of Deaf Catholics and how the Church had evolved over time to better serve their needs. Father Marquez, then the pastor at St. Peter, was gracious in welcoming me and my special guest, son Ian, to the parish that Sunday morning.
But the effects of that Mass lasted well beyond that fourth Sunday of Lent. Spurred on by my experience, I enrolled in ASL classes at St. Rita School for the Deaf in Cincinnati. Better yet, I’m taking the class alongside my daughter, Kiera, a first for both of us. (For the record, she’s a much better student than I am. My tired old brain doesn’t absorb new information quite as readily as hers).
As I am diving into the world of Father Marquez (who learned to sign to better serve his parishioners), he has also moved on to a new challenge. Sparked by comments Pope Francis made while visiting the Middle East in 2018 for people of good will to open our churches, our buildings and our hearts to those who are in need, especially to poor children, Father Raul realized he was being called to serve in a new way.
The priest has temporarily stepped aside from his role shepherding a parish to lead another venture, Francis House. The home in Colombia was created for up to 12 girls living in extreme poverty around the world to find emotional, spiritual and economic support to help forge better lives. Father Raul founded the home based on his own experience growing up in Colombia.
If you would like to join me in contributing to Francis House, you can do so at their website at https://francishouse.us/.
