"Hello, can I speak to Ruth please?"

The Following is a reflection written years ago by an unidentified author. The reflection is kept in the archives at the Sisters of Saint Joseph:

"Hello, can I speak to Ruth please?" Everyone who has ever lived or worked at the House of Ruth has received a similar phone call. People think Ruth is a person, but we know she is more than a person - she's the spirit that abides in the atmosphere of the House. Almost 10 years ago Linda Pearson, the first director of the House of Ruth, suggested that it be named after the woman, Ruth, in the Bible. Her reasons were clear and convincing. The young Moabite woman, after the death of her own husband, chose to stay with her mother-n-law. No one knows her real motives...was it for companionship, or fear, or love? The fact is the young woman could have chosen her own life among her own people, but she sacrificed her own future for the good of her mother-n-law, Naomi. In the first chapter of the Book of Ruth, the young woman says to Naomi...

Wherever you go, I will go.
Wherever you live, I will live.
Your people shall be my people,
and your God, my God.

That kind of faithful support of one another is what the House of Ruth has come to stand for. Among guests and staff the rapport is one of; "I'll accompany you through this ordeal at the welfare office." "I'll listen when you want to share." "We're in this together.

May the brave Ruth of long ago continue to inspire the efforts of women-helping-women at the House of Ruth. And don't be surprised if the next time someone asks to speak to Ruth, the reply may be: "Yes, which one do you want to speak to?"

A Little History of The House of Ruth

Religious orders have always played an important role in serving the needs of society, particularly that of the neglected and underserved population. At the time the House of Ruth was founded the underserved population seemed to be homeless women, especially victims of domestic violence.

The Second Vatican Council, which ended in 1965, encouraged religious women to “return to their ideas of why they were founded.” In 1976, sisters started leaving the classrooms. The Sisters of Saint Joseph were supposed to look for unmet needs and figure out the needs that were not being tended to.

In 1974 Sr. Teresa Scotino was working at St. Vincent’s Homeless Shelter in downtown LA. She did an informal survey counting the beds available for the homeless in LA County. The findings: 600 beds for men and only 12 beds for women.

At the same time, battered women syndrome was appearing in the field of social work and becoming a more talked about issue. Three Sisters of Saint Jospeh, Sr Judy Molosky, Sr. Jeanette Van Vleck, and Sr. Linda Pearson started attending conferences and workshops on battered women.

The three sisters decided they would leave their jobs as teachers and social workers to purchase a house and open up a transitional shelter for women and children. At first they considered making it a domestic violence home. However, because they were a local community of nuns, they were unable to maintain the anonymity necessary. The fourth foundress, Sr. Georgeann O'Brien, was asked by the Mother Superior to move into the House to be a mentor to the three younger sisters.

So in the beginning, a generous organization gave them the house rent free. They sat down and had to figure out ownership/maintenance issues. For example, who fixes a broken toilet? What happens if the roof falls in? They came up with informal contract and thus began the ministry.