Rain and Shine? The Show Must Go On!
By Madeleine Wilmsen
Visitors to St. Mary’s Home on the third weekend of July experienced both extremes of Chicago weather: over 100 degrees on Saturday and chilly rain on Sunday. But this didn’t stop our fun as a part of the Sheffield Street Festival.
St. Mary’s Garden has been featured in the Annual Sheffield Garden Walk for over a decade. This year was no different. With some help from our friends at Deloitte, our garden was a sight to behold with such popular plants as canna lilies, caladium, colocasia, dracaena, salvia, wave petunias, and begonias.
While visitors enjoyed popcorn and homemade lemonade, St. Mary’s Garden was enveloped with the sweet sounds of the Bob Ojeda Jazz Orchestra and Barry Winograd and the Alternatives Little Big Band. It has been a longstanding tradition to include both bands in our garden celebration, and their participation this year was much appreciated. No matter the state of the weather, the musicians performed their jazz charts and swing scores to the smiles and toe-taps of our Residents and visitors.
All communities of religious sisters take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The Little Sisters of the Poor take on a fourth vow: hospitality. This additional vow can be seen through the actions of the Sisters, embracing all with open arms, hearts and minds. As the Sheffield Street Festival expands to reach more of our Lincoln Park neighborhood community, the Little Sisters of the Poor continue to provide a loving space for their Residents and a beautiful garden for all to enjoy. Thank you all and see you again next year!
St. Mary’s Garden