​As a Catholic ministry serving people regardless of their faith, we are blessed to have the spiritual leadership of Fr. Louis Fowoyo on our board. Fr. Louis of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church was born in Kogi, Nigeria, one of 10 children.

He answered the call to serve on the board of St. Joseph Missions because he sees it as fulfilling the mandate of Jesus Christ: "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19).

“Being a disciple is to share in the hope of the resurrection. There is no one who needs to hear the Good News more than those who have lost hope in life,” says Fr. Louis.

“I feel called to serve in this way because the most vulnerable among us are the poor who have nobody to help them. Poverty does not exclude any gender or race or color. However, women with no home seem to be more in number and they need to be given hope in a world that seems to surround them with hopelessness. Single homeless women, if not cared for, can be abused, assaulted, and even killed. Single homeless women are everywhere in the world. With St. Joseph Missions Women’s Shelter, we can impact those women in our small part of the world, providing them not only housing but real hope.”

Denise Hunter, internationally published bestselling author, will be signing her newest book, Lake Season, Saturday, Nov. 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. as part of a Barnes & Noble book fair fundraiser for St. Joseph Missions.

Qualifying purchases made with the voucher at any Barnes & Noble store from Nov. 16-22 will benefit St. Joseph Missions Women’s Shelter, the first emergency shelter for single homeless women in Allen County.