In Memoriam of Sister Patricia Crowley
Sister Patricia Crowley
It is with heavy hearts that we relay that Sister Patricia Crowley, a guiding light of H.O.M.E. since its inception, passed away on October 14th. Patsy holds a sacred place in H.O.M.E.’s heart and history. This is only in part because her mother, Patty Crowley, was a founding Board member and that her father Pat Crowley’s upstanding “spirit” as “a wise, gentle and compassionate man,” in the words of Lilo and Michel Salmon, inspired our first intergenerational, communal building.
On the contrary, we love Patsy – Sister Patricia Crowley, O.S.B., of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago, St. Scholastica Monastery – because she was herself: a warm, remarkable woman with a passion for housing justice. Her successes, especially with and for women who fled or lost their homes, are reflected in these women’s stories and in the thriving agencies and coalitions she led in Chicago such as Deborah’s Place, Bethany House of Hospitality, and the Chicago Continuum of Care.
Add H.O.M.E. to the list. It was Patsy who identified the Edgewater building that became the Pat Crowley House. At the time, in 1982, she directed the Howard Area Community Center. As she recounted the story to me
“It is hard to believe that the Pat Crowley House has been open for 40 years. I remember offering to connect H.O.M.E. with the Sacred Heart Fathers who owned that building. In facing the reality of homelessness in the ‘80s, we had begun a shelter in their other building but were not able to take on a second building at the time. I was telling my mother about that, and she told me to offer to connect with H.O.M.E. about their possible need for a building. It worked!”
Patsy helped H.O.M.E. celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pat Crowley House in a congratulatory video, which we filmed in the Rosemont residence. What you don’t see in the video are her hugs.
Patsy walked the talk of her remarks on the occasion of H.O.M.E.'s anniversary last year, words that I meditate on each day, which is that "H.O.M.E. offers not just a place but a set of relationships at a time in life when a lot of seniors don’t have that opportunity. So H.O.M.E. is a real inspiration to me as I continue to advocate for more housing in Chicago, which is needed."
Patsy’s words reached beyond H.O.M.E. as an instruction for doing justice, showing mercy, and walking humbly. Patsy’s own life was an example of grounding one’s spirituality and good works in the power of relationships: human, natural, and divine.
H.O.M.E. is proud to follow Patsy’ example and offer relationships, service, and advocacy so every Chicagoan is safely and affordably housed in a welcoming community.
Gail Schechter
H.O.M.E. Executive Director
