Emmaus House/Harlem

Located in a brownstone at 160 West 120^th Street in New York City, Emmaus House, founded by Fr David Kirk (1935-2007) (www.fatherdavidkirk.org) over forty years ago, offers a ministry to the poor and homeless. It is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, managed by a board of directors and staffed entirely by volunteers. The first room one encounters on entering the house is the Chapel, where the community gathers for daily prayer. They distribute food, clothing and back-to-school supplies for children.  They also offer a variety of special programs, designed to encourage the living out of Christ’s calling to true community by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and clothing those in need (Mt. 25:34-39).

In another part of Harlem, not far away, is a program called “Souls in Motion.” It was founded in the late 1980s at the psychiatric rehabilitation center Community Support System by Julia Demaree, the present Director of Emmaus House, and her colleague, Louise Rosenberg.  A primary concern of this program is to provide clients with a supportive community setting in which they can develop their own creative talents, eventually being able to provide for themselves. When funds and space permit, Emmaus House hopes to develop an artistic workshop similar to “Souls in Motion.” (see Road to Emmaus Vol. X, No. 4, #39: “Souls in Motion: Creativity and Community in a Harlem Workshop”).