Ministry Expansion Brings Changes to The Ursuline Center If you haven’t been upstairs in The Ursuline Center for a while, you won’t recognize it anymore. The second floor housed Prato Hall — a site for numerous presentations and meetings, dorms where groups would stay for retreats, and kitchen and laundry facilities. But thanks to hard work over the last few months by five members of our Motherhouse maintenance and facilities crew – Mat, Tom, Pat, Darrell and Dennis — the 8,100-square-foot space has been gutted. At the end of this month construction starts on the expansion phase of Ursuline Sisters Senior Living. Our ministry for independent adults ages 55+ of moderate Social-Security income has been in great demand since we began it in 2012. In fact, we have consistently had a long waiting list for the 12 apartments at the east end of the Center. [su_quote]“We sought the advice of our Sisters, Associates, and those with whom we work in ministry about the best use of this space at our Motherhouse,” states Sister Mary McCormick, General Superior. “Because of the success of the current apartments, we decided to expand that ministry with this space.”[/su_quote] In the new phase, six apartments are being added and should be completed in 6-8 months. Getting ready for this expansion has been a big job. Our crew first deconstructed the space, salvaging what they could of the sinks, vanities, cabinets, toilets and light fixtures. These were donated to Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley’s ReStore Shop in Struthers. Then the men worked diligently to clear the ceilings, floors, walls and everything in between. Our crew worked very hard, not just on this project for several others going on simultaneously, and we are very grateful to them. BSHM Architects are overseeing the work, as they did for other reconfigurations at the Motherhouse over the last six years. From 2011 to the current project, we’ve invested $5.3 million in reconfiguring and renovating our Motherhouse and Center. The construction has included the creation of new living and office spaces for the Sisters, a ministry conference room, a renovation of our Sisters’ healthcare wing, and the first phase of the senior living apartments. We received several grants and generous donations from our families and friends toward the cost of construction for the projects. The Ursuline Center is our educational facility and home to many of our ministries. These offer outreach to many populations, especially the poor and disadvantaged. Learn more