She is: Poor Handmaid of Jesus Christ Sister Joellen Tumas. Pastoral associate who has operated “Casa Catalina Basic Needs Center” for 25 years in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Youth: “I grew up in Holy Cross Parish, Back of the Yards, in the ’40s and ‘50s. I have an older sister and two younger brothers. Our grandparents had come from Lithuania in 1910. We were one big Lithuanian community with 11 Catholic churches in the area. Before I went to school we spoke mostly Lithuanian at home. The Sisters of St. Casimir even taught Lithuanian in school [to retain the culture].” Vocation: “My grandmother died when I was in sixth grade. She was a Third Order Franciscan, so she was waked in a habit. One of our St. Casimir Sisters at the wake asked me, ‘Do you want to be a sister when you grow up?’ I had never thought of it before in my life. I looked at grandma and said, ‘Oh I’m going to be a sister!’ “In eighth grade I told my mom, ‘I really want to be a sister.’ My parents had planned that I’d go to Maria High School. Mom panicked and asked a friend for advice. The friend said, “Send her to St. Augustine High School and the mean German nuns will change her mind!’ The Poor Handmaids taught there and they weren’t mean German nuns. “In 1961, I entered their novitiate, Ancilla Domini in Donaldson, Indiana, and took final vows in 1969, in the midst of the turmoil of Vatican II.” Afterwards she earned a teaching degree and served at Angel Guardian Orphanage until it closed in 1974. Later she got her master’s in religious studies and became school pastoral associate for St. Joseph Grade School. Casa Catalina: Other assignments in the area followed, until 1990 when she came to Holy Cross-Immaculate Heart of Mary. “That’s when the parish food pantry began serving anyone who lived in the pantry’s service area. The job grew, and in 2005 the pantry became “Casa Catalina Basic Needs Center” and part of Catholic Charities. Most of our clients, whatever race or religion, are from Back of the Yards. We also try to find out their needs beyond the bag of food. It might be an immigrant woman victim of domestic violence needing legal services at Catholic Charities. We have diapers and formula for mothers. Maybe they need help paying the electric bill, or because of timing, someone’s food stamps are cut off. It might be school supplies for kids. Our Lady of the Woods Parish recently donated a generous supply to us. “We’re open five days a week. The main food pantry day is Wednesday, for canned goods, produce, bakery goods, and meat. We’re helping about 250 households weekly. At the height of the recession it was 400. “We have two bilingual part time service aides who do a lot of the paperwork, and about 35 volunteers. There are students for Confirmation hours, or retirees who don’t want to sit at home. Some have disabilities. And some of the best are mothers from the community. Anyone interested can call us at 773-376-9425. “One of our volunteers started in eighth grade, did his high school service here, and continued thru DePaul University. Now he’s graduated and working at K-Mart. He takes every Wednesday off and spends it here from 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. The pantry helped his family at one time so he wants to give back.” Spirit: “It’s a family spirit. As Casa Catalina, we’re named after my foundress, Blessed Mary Catherine Kasper. She founded our order in her village in Germany to serve the poor, the sick, and children. Her charism is simple, joyful service. We follow in her footsteps. I try to think Jesus might be coming through this line today.” Motto: “We have to look for the joy center in ourselves and each one we serve, because it’s there.”