This fall, Habitat Wake will build the “Pope Francis house,” which honors the inspirational leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope Francis house is sponsored by an anonymous donor who pledged $60,000 and challenged members of The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh to raise an additional $40,000 to completely underwrite the cost of land and construction. Numerous churches in the local diocese comprise the Habitat Wake Catholic Coalition, which will provide the majority of the volunteer support during construction. This the the fifth house that the Catholic Coalition has sponsored for Habitat Wake.
The ground blessing service for the Pope Francis house will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8 a.m. at 1856 Mayridge Lane, Raleigh, the site of the future home in the Maybrook Crossings neighborhood. Local Catholic leaders will participate in the service, and construction will begin immediately after the ground blessing.
Maybrook Crossings is located near Poole Road in east Raleigh. Habitat Wake recently completed nine homes in the neighborhood.
Raleigh’s Pope Francis house is one of several Habitat for Humanity houses honoring the beloved leader. Homes have been completed in Milwaukee, Asheville, NC, and Haiti.
The purpose of the Pope Francis houses is threefold:
- To honor Pope Francis for his commitment to social justice and reinvigorating the Catholic Church;
- To provide a unifying, celebratory opportunity for both Catholic and non-Catholic volunteers to work together toward a common goal (as Pope Francis says, “Work confers dignity.”); and
- To further Habitat’s mission of building and preserving homes.
"Pope Francis leads by example the quest towards God's vision of a more just and merciful world. He is an inspiration, and moved this generous donor to sponsor homes in his name. The Catholic Coalition is honored to answer this call and partner with the Kpa family to build their home." says Kevin Campbell, President/CEO of Habitat Wake. "Life will be transformed for the Kpa family, and the impact could be much great as others are inspired by Pope Francis to join together and build homes and hope through Habitat for Humanity."