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All Things Are Possible With God
By Silence of Mary Home, Harrisburg PA

Indeed, all things are possible with God, and the Silence of Mary Home, is proof of the pudding. Never did Mrs. Sue Rudy and her husband Vern, ever dream that they would own and run a home that provided sanctuary, food, and a family structure with stability, morals, and Christian values to homeless and at-risk teens.

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Sue Rudy was no stranger to this way of life, for as a child her parents fed the hungry and gave shelter to the homeless. The seeds were well planted, and when she married, it too was a natural way of life for both her and her husband Vern, to help others. They are a deep faith filled family, with three children of there own. Both Sue and her husband Vern worked in their parish's Caring Community Outreach Program. It was at this time they began to take homeless people, young and old, into their Lewisberry farm home.

More and more teens found there way from Allison Hill section, (known as one of the poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhood of Harrisburg), to the Rudy's farm. Due to the fact that these kids come from a different county, and they could not get the assistance needed from social service agencies, so they prayed and consider looking for a home to buy in the Allison Hill area of Harrisburg to house these children. In 1999 on pure faith and trust in God they bought a house using their own money. The Rudy's were not a wealthy family (monetarily) and took a leap in faith, knowing that our Lord never abandons us and He would find the way. The kids far out weight any Risk. The Holy Spirit would lead the way. And so in April of 1999, The Silence of Mary Home was born.

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Word got around and before you knew it people began to come, young, old, mom's with their babies. Castaway, runaway, youth from broken or troubled families. Young immigrants and refugees newly arrived in the United States. Many of those who come to the Silence of Mary Home are victims of physical or emotional abuse. They come because they have only known the foster system and don't have family members in a position to help them, and some have been in the juvenile detention system.

There are those too, who suffer from serious illnesses and come to the home to die in dignity. Others are mentally challenged or have behavioral problems that make it impossible for them to stay in the city shelters.

We become a family for those who have no one. We are not a shelter, but a home, full of love who reaches out to all peoples in all walks of life. The doors as are hearts are always opened, to any one in need. The home is a non profit 501C3 interdenominational organization. It is run and operated by all volunteer staff and funded through donations. Our home lives by the Ten Commandments. We have a curfew time; children must go to school or work. They are assigned household responsibilities. There is no smoking, no alcohol, no drugs and no swearing. This is there home; no time limit is set for length of stay. Mrs. Rudy becomes a temporary guardian. This guardianship can be terminated at any time by either party, returning parental rights to the original parent or guardian. The Silence of Mary title signifies the quiet trust that Mary, displayed throughout her life and her obedience to the Will of God. It received its name from a priest at St. Francis of Assisi, Roman Catholic Church next door.

Our mission is to provide a Christian family home for God's abandoned or neglected children. We love them, we teach them, faith and morals. We provide catechesis to those who live in our home and within the local community. We work with the local parish to have them fully initiated. We provide transportation to and from church, and assist in their enrollment into the parish community and registration into the catechesis classes. We become active sponsor for those in our home and within the local community and continue to follow up and assist our brothers and sisters with their every need. We work to instilling a sense of achievement and self-reliance. We promote reconciliation with family members where feasible. We encourage the attainment of academic levels, according to abilities, expecting to achieve economic independence through meaningful employment. Our home is a family; it is a clean and safe home that provides nutritious, well-balance family style meals. We coordinate educational placement for students, monitor students to ensure assignments get completed. We enlist social service agencies to provide basic and special health care, counseling or rehabilitation.

Is God calling you to open your hearts and your home to needy? All one has to do is trust and believe that God will lead the way for you. There are many just waiting for you to take that first step. Once you say Yes, God does the rest. As our late Holy Father, John Paul II, quoted so often "Be Not Afraid", and rightly so, because, we do the Means and God, does the endings.

We at the Silence of Mary are grateful and thankful to God for allowing us the privilege to be family to all who he sends. We are family, we suffer together, we cry together, we laugh together we have fun together, we PRAY, together. We grow in love, joy and peace and truly become one with God. We are Family….. We get more from our extended family then we could ever possibly give. We are sorely blessed and you can be too.

If you have any questions you may write the Silence of Mary Home, at 20 Erford Rd, Lemoyne, PA 17043, or call 717-737-4107 . You may also e-mail: sr.rose1@pa.net

Open your eyes and see
There is not just hunger
for a piece of bread,
there is hunger for
understand love,
for the world of God
Nakedness is not only
for a piece of cloth,
nakedness is the loss
of human dignity,
the loss of that beautiful
Virtue of purity
Which is misused nowadays"

Mother Teresa

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