Sister Mary Miller's compassionate legacy was remembered in East Erie.
In a ceremony Monday afternoon, city officials unveiled a street sign honoring Miller at the southeast corner of East 11th Street and Holland Avenue.
About 100 people attended Monday's event, including Erie Mayor Joe Schember and local elected officials.
A portion of East 11th Street between Holland Avenue and German Avenue will be dedicated to the Sisters in honor of the Benedictine nun who served as director of Emmaus Soup Kitchen from 1981 until her death at age 81 in May 2023. It's called the Mary Miller Way. .
Lifelong service:Mary Miller, Ellie's sister and soup kitchen director, dies at 81
The soup kitchen is located at 218 E. 11th St. in that block. The Benedictine Sisters of Erie run the Emmaus service with the help of volunteers.
Celebrating service to the community
On January 17, the Erie City Council unanimously approved a resolution designating a portion of East 11th Street as Sister Mary Miller Way. The resolution states the designation recognizes Miller's many years of service as Emmaus director and “her service and contributions to the city of Emmaus.” Erie's community. ”
The nonprofit SONS O'Erie Lake Fishing Club asked the City Council to approve the designation.
Ed Kissel, vice president of SONS, said the organization has worked closely with Miller for years on its annual fish fry fundraiser. “We felt this would be a great tribute to honor all the work she did in this field and her service to help people in any way she could.”
Who does Emmaus Soup Kitchen serve?
The soup kitchen serves approximately 750 meals a week and distributes hundreds of bags of supplemental food to individuals and families in need in Erie.
Emmaus Soup Kitchen first opened in January 1974 in the former Church of the Immaculate Conception on East 16th Street. Earlier this year, we celebrated Erie's 50th anniversary of serving the poor and vulnerable.
Previous coverage:Soup has been around for 50 years. Emmaus Ministries will celebrate with a commemorative meal.
woman and her work
Born in Meadville, Miller graduated from St. Agatha High School there and attended St. Joseph's Sisters in Erie. She took her final vows in 1969.
Miller later taught in elementary schools throughout the Erie Catholic Diocese. He served as the principal. He was also the religious coordinator for St. John the Baptist Parish in Erie.
In 1979 she began working in the field of social work, first in a community house for women and then as director of the Emmaus Soup Kitchen, an outreach of the Benedictine Sisters, from 1981 until her death.
Under Miller's leadership, Emmaus Ministries has grown from a single soup kitchen to include a food pantry, after-school programs, a kids cafe, an urban farm, and a social work program focused on women's advocacy. grown.
“The loving care she showed to so many people on this very street will be remembered for generations to come,” said Sister Valerie Lackey, Emmaus' current director. “This dedication will comfort our hearts as we commemorate the anniversary of Sister Mary's passing exactly one year ago and remember all the lives she touched.”
Contact Kevin Flowers. kflowers@timenews.com. Follow him on X @ETNflowers.
