Emmaus Ministries

A commitment to the forgotten and the faceless of society – a Christian presence and outreach in Erie, Pennsylvania since 1974.

Mission

EMMAUS MINISTRIES: A Commitment to the Forgotten and the Marginal
— to the faceless of society who get left out and left behind without support at times of crisis

— to the single mother whose life is a constant struggle to provide simple necessities for her children

— to the child lost in poverty whose present is barely human and whose future is already lost

— to the elderly whose basic needs are too great for a check that is too small

— to the working poor who work in the lowest of low paying jobs and never get ahead

Contact Information

Emmaus Ministries, Inc.
345 East 9th Street
Erie, PA 16503
Phone: 814-459-8349
Fax: 814-459-8066
Email:
Sister Mary Miller, OSB
Margaret Kloecker
Sister Rosanne Lindal-Hynes, OSB
Rita Scrimenti
Jane Wagner
Valerie Luckey
Catherine Simon
Emmaus Soup Kitchen
218 East 11th Street
Erie PA 16503

Sister Gus' Kids Cafe
310 East 10th Street
Erie PA 16503
814-878-2922

Sister Mary Miller, Director of Emmaus, Dies at 81

The Emmaus Ministries Board of Directors is heartbroken to share the news that Emmaus director Sister Mary Miller, OSB, died on May 14, 2023, after a brief illness. Click here to read the full obituary.

Sister Mary was deeply loved by everyone who experienced her compassion, her untiring attention to the needs of others, and her passion for beauty. She made sure a vase of fresh flowers was on every table in the Emmaus dining room, she knew dinner guests by name, and she expressed personal gratitude to volunteers and donors. Tough, warm, and openhearted, she fulfilled Saint Benedict’s teaching to welcome all people as Christ. Sister Mary leaves behind an enormous network of people whose lives were changed because of her goodness.

At its December 2022 meeting the Board of Directors had accepted Sister Mary's request to step down from the position of Director of Emmaus Ministries on June 1, 2023 after 42 years of service. She was then to become Chairperson of the Emmaus Board of Directors.

At the same meeting the Board named Sister Valerie Luckey, OSB, the next director of Emmaus Ministries effective June 1. Because of Sister Mary's unexpected death, Sister Val has already assumed the position and is focused on helping staff, volunteers, Emmaus guests, donors and friends walk through these sad and difficult days. She worked closely with Sister Mary at Emmaus for nearly four years, officially transitioning to leadership the last several months. Both the Board and Sister Mary expressed great confidence in Sister Val to continue leading Emmaus with vision, passion, and a great concern for the poor.

Sister Valerie shared: "I am honored and humbled to continue Sister Mary’s work at Emmaus. Her love was truly one-of-a-kind, and she laid a solid foundation for us to build on. Because of her, Emmaus will always be a place where we come to know God ‘in the breaking of the bread’ with one another."

If you would like to remember Sister Mary with a donation to Emmaus, you may do so on our website or through the mail to: Emmaus Ministries, 345 East 9th Street, Erie, PA 16503.

Breaking the Bread

 
There are people  
in the world so hungry,
that God cannot
appear to them
except in
the form
of bread.
 
Mahatma Gandhi 
 
 
 
 
 

From the Director

Sister Mary Miller

Sister Mary with Sister Mary Lou

The Emmaus Ministries Board of Directors is heartbroken to share the news that Emmaus director Sister Mary Miller, OSB, died on May 14, 2023, after a brief illness. Click here to read the full obituary.

 

 

 

For the Record

Volunteer Colleen Hammon Named JET 24 Remarkable Woman

Colleen and Ruth

Emmaus offers its "Congratulations!" to volunteer Colleen Hammon, who was named JET 24's Remarkable Woman of the Year for 2023.

To hear Colleen's reflections on this honor, see JET 24's coverage.

Photo: Colleen (left) welcomes in Ruth for dinner at the soup kitchen.

Emmaus Receives Donation from Goodblend

Donation from Goodblend

Alleviating people’s suffering is central to the mission of Emmaus. Last week, Sister Valerie Luckey, ministry assistant, received a generous donation to the ministry, offered by a local business which shares the same concern for relieving suffering: Goodblend, a medical marijuana dispensary.

Many different conditions–from chronic pain to Crohn’s disease, from clinical depression to the side effects of cancer treatments–can be treated with medical marijana. Justin Calabrese, the Assistant Operations Manager at Goodblend, explained that many of the...

Sister Valerie Participates in Social Justice Panel

Sister Val

Last evening Sister Valerie Luckey, Ministry Assistant, participated in a panel on Religion and Social Justice at Mercyhurst University. To read the story, visit the Benedictine Sisters of Erie website.

Walking Together on the Road to Emmaus

Volunteers and Donors

Emmaus depends on many volunteers and donors at the food pantry, soup kitchen and Kids Cafe.Call 814-459-8349 if you would like to volunteer. Click here to make a donation.

Meet Jasmine Flores, City Councilwoman and Kids Cafe Alum

Jasmine with Staff

Soup's On: An Emmaus Journal

By the Emmaus Ministries staff

December 17, 2021

From Sister Jacqueline Sanchez-Small, Emmaus Communications Assistant

+++

Remember Emmaus with a Memorial

We are grateful to family members who ask that memorials be made to Emmaus on the death of loved ones. Visit our secure site to offer a memorial.

+ Ann Marie Lynch Bach

+ Dorothy Zewe

+ James Kern

+ Marydee Weir (volunteer)

+ Raymond D. Bretz (volunteer)

+ Douglas H. Green (volunteer)

+ Robert H. Haibach (volunteer)

+ Joann Marie (Criscione) Zipperi

+ Richard Vargo

+ Allan Christian Ruedy

+ Priscilla L. (Paris) Peskorski

Fulfill the Emmaus Wish List

You can always help us stock our shelves at the soup kitchen with ground coffee, instant tea and instant lemonade, jelly/jam, peanut butter, maple syrup, mayonnaise/miracle whip, soup, and canned fruit. We ALWAYS appreciate diapers (all sizes) and baby formula.

The Kids Cafe Store is in need of the following items:
Snacks
Body Soap
Hair care products and accessories (especially for afro-hair or hair with tight curls)
Underwear (boys and girls; children's sizes 6-18)
New Sweatpants (unisex; children's sizes 6-18 and adult size small)
New Sweatshirts (unisex; children's sizes 6-18 and adult size small)
Girl's Jeans/long pants/leggings (children's sizes 6-18 and adult sizes small and medium)
Shoes (children’s sizes 1Y-6Y)
Pencil Sharpeners
Fidget toys (pop-its)

Attention Bakers!!! We welcome homemade treats for our guests. If you're a baker, know that our Emmaus guests appreciate cookies, cakes, pies…sweets of any kind.

Call 814-459-8349 for more information or to schedule your donation.

Pray with Emmaus

Please join with the Emmaus community in reciting this prayer daily.

Prayer of St. Vincent DePaul

You will find that charity
is a heavy burden to carry,
heavier than the kettle of soup
and the basket of bread.

But you must your gentleness
and your smile keep.

Giving soup and bread
isn’t all that you can do.

The poor are your masters-
terribly sensitive and exacting
as you will see.

But the more demanding they seem
the more unjust and bitter
the more you must give them your love.

Emmaus Ministries