MOUNT PLEASANT — Home is where the heart is. For Colene Solomon’s family, it’s where more than 50 people gathered to dig the foundation of her future home.
The newly constructed home is possible due to a $50,000 donation from St. Benedict Church to East Cooper Habitat for Humanity.
When Solomon and her eight-year-old daughter, Taylor, found out that the habitat program selected them to receive a new house, they were overwhelmed.
“I’ll never forget the day. I cried and cried,” Solomon said. “While I was always faithful to the Lord, this was the first time in my life that he became so real to me. I couldn’t get the words out.”
For over two years, Solomon had written “three-bedroom, two-bath house” on the back of her church’s collection envelope as her prayer to God. When she applied to be considered for a new home, she remembers going “above and beyond” the application process by submitting police reports about incidents and arrests in her North Charleston neighborhood. Solomon knew she needed a fresh start for her family.
As the “Whole House” sponsor, St. Benedict donated $50,000 to fund the home, which is habitat’s 50th house. Greg Thomas, habitat’s construction supervisor, sponsored the house’s foundation in memory of his father, Frank Thomas. The groundbreaking ceremony was held Jan. 26 on Joseph Glover Road.
“We’re committed to stewardship, outreach and ecumenism,” said Msgr. Chet Moczydlowski, administrator of St. Benedict Church. “By partnering with ECHFH, we can practice and celebrate the fundamental teachings of our Catholic faith.”
“Habitat and St. Benedict Church made my prayer come true. They’re not just giving us a house — it’s a dream home,” Solomon said. “We hope that St. Benedict’s will be blessed with its own home — its own place of worship — very soon.”
St. Benedict parish recently received approval from the Diocese of Charleston to move forward with its master building plan for a 54-acre property located off Highway 17 North at Darryl Creek Trail. Three years ago, the parish decided to allocate a tithe out of the money to be spent on its new church building to provide proper housing for a needy family.
“While we’re building our first parish home, we’ll also be building a home for a family in need,” said Maureen Richardson, habitat ministry leader for St. Benedict. “This is our way of being good stewards to our community and being thankful for the many blessings we’ve received.”
In addition to the donation, volunteers from the parish will help construct the Solomon family’s home.
For more information, call (843) 881-2600 or visit www.eastcooperhabitat.org.
Submitted by Nicole Zokan Cendrowski.