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BRIEF: St. Joseph Family Center to close doors

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By Lindsey Treffry 

The St. Joseph Family Center in Spokane will close due to ongoing financial and operating challenges, a statement from SJFC executive director Sister Pat Millen said Wednesday.

“The decision was made by the board of directors of SJFC with the affirmation of the Sisters of St. Francis congregational leadership team,” it read. “The decision to close SJFC was not arrived at lightly. For many years, the directors of the center have been challenged with how best to raise sufficient operational funds for the ministry to continue to help the population they serve. After lengthy discussion, prayer, discernment, and a lot of grieving, this decision was made.”

The closing will occur in increments, with a goal to close by the end of SJFC’s fiscal year on Sept. 30.

SJFC is a nonprofit agency, sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, that has provided counseling, spirituality and retreats for nearly 30 years. The Spokane facility began as an orphanage in 1890, and then grew into a group home for children in 1973. It was in 1987 that it evolved into a counseling and retreat center.

“We realize that this kind of change can be difficult and unsettling,” the statement continued. “We ask for your prayer and support for our sisters in Spokane and for the staff at St. Joseph Family Center. The Sisters of St. Francis offer our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to our sisters, associates, volunteers, and benefactors who have continued to offer high quality professional mental health services to couples, families, teens, and seniors in the Spokane area.”

Follow SpokaneFAVS for more on the shuttering of SJFC in the coming week.

SpokaneFAVS news writer Lindsey Treffry can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @LindseyTreffry.

 

Lindsey Treffry
Lindsey Treffry
Spokane born-and-raised, Lindsey Treffry works as a copy editor and page designer for The Spokesman-Review. She graduated from the University of Idaho in 2013 with a journalism degree, and now spends her weekends cooking vegan meals and walking her dog, Griffey. She returns to Spokane Faith and Values as a freelance writer, years after interning for the publication during its inception.

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