More than 400 volunteers met at St. Joseph Home in North Little Rock to transform the building and grounds for those who attend retreats and classes there.
Sharefest, a central Arkansas community service project, will be held Nov. 22, but Catholics from 17 parishes and organizations in Pulaski County, Benton and Conway decided to meet Nov. 1 to spruce up the 98-year-old building and grounds.
“I saw a real spirit of cooperation,” said organizer Sandy DeCoursey, who works as the outreach coordinator for Christ the King Church in Little Rock. “It was amazing how industrious people were.”
In all, about 50 rooms on three floors, including bedrooms, classrooms, kitchen and dining room, were cleaned, painted, and had new window blinds installed. The chapel was cleaned and had new carpeting installed. It will be professionally painted at another time, DeCoursey said.
Outside, parishes adopted five areas of the grounds, removing weeds and planting pansies and bulbs and painting picnic tables and playground equipment. Parishioners cleared the overgrown rock walkway to Mary’s Grotto, where others uncovered several smaller broken statues.
“We covered a lot more ground than I ever dreamed,” DeCoursey said. “People worked really fast.”
A 30-member crew from Liberty Bible Fellowship Church of North Little Rock even did masonry work outside and laid carpeting in the chapel.
“The concept of Sharefest is working together,” said pastor Bill Singleton. “We can do this all year around. (St. Joseph Home) is in our backyard.”
The flurry of activity also drew the interest of Mayor Patrick Henry Hays, who visited the property Saturday morning.
Working at St. Joseph Home, a former orphanage and day care, was a pleasure for many of the parishioners. Some attended school there or had parents who lived in the orphanage. Many others attended Cursillo or retreats there over the past 11 years.
“Even when I did Cursillo here, I said I would love to come out here and clean it up,” said Theresa Truscello, a member of Holy Family Parish at the Little Rock Air Force Base, as she paused from raking. “I was shedding tears when I got out of my car (and saw all of the people working).”
Some participants expressed hope that the renewed interest in St. Joseph Home would mean that the diocesan-owned building would not be sold. In January Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert, former diocesan administrator, decided to sell the property because of its expensive upkeep.
“I love St. Joseph,” said Martha Rogers, a preschool supervisor at St. Joseph Day Care from 1978 to 1984. “I always hoped nothing would happen to it.”
Rogers painted a third-floor bedroom where she sometimes stayed overnight when she worked there if the roads were icy.
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor has decided to put the sale on hold.
“The future of St. Joseph Home in North Little Rock is under study,” he said. “No decision has been made about its future use or selling it. It will take some time to determine whether there is a viable use or even multiple uses for the building and grounds that can justify the expense of any improvements. For the time being St. Joseph Home will continue to host parish and diocesan groups it can accommodate.”
Sharefest began with an 8 a.m. Mass celebrated by Msgr. Francis I. Malone, pastor of Christ the King Church, and ended at 3 p.m.
During lunch, Sharefest workers presented a plaque to Julius Greb, St. Joseph Home caretaker, who has worked on the property since 1956.