Steeler Nation of nuns reaches out to needy family in Belize

Steeler Nation recently put down roots more than 3,000 miles south of Pittsburgh.

A home built last month in Belize City, Belize, for a needy family through the efforts of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in McCandless is painted a bold yellow with black shutters. It's home to a Terrible Towel.

"We built the Steelers house, baby!" said Sister Luke Boiarski, director of the volunteer program. "This puts a whole different slant on the words 'Super Bowl' or 'Steeler Town.' "

To sponsor the house, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth reached out to family and friends and raised almost $9,000 for the house, the 150th to be built in the Hand in Hand Building for Change program.

Boiarski, an Ohio native and "big Steelers fan," was thrilled when the owner, Nicole Lovell, a mother of two, picked black and gold colors for the home. At one point, when Lovell teared up with gratitude for the group, they handed her a Terrible Towel.

The Sisters of Charity work in collaboration with Hand in Hand Ministries, an international social service organization, to build homes for women and children in need. Lovell's middle child, Glenford, died in November at age 12 from encephalitis.

"(Nicole) said he would have been so happy to see the house," Boiarski said. "He loved sports, he loved the arts."

When she applied for the home, Lovell and her children lived with her mother and other relatives -- as many as 20 at a time -- in one house.

Sisters at the St. Louise Convent on McKnight Road got involved in October when Boiarski, who lives at the sisters' convent in Nazareth, Ky., shared some of her experiences building homes in countries around the world.

Sister Rose Riley suggested the sisters could help raise money.

"They have such a love for the poor," said Riley, who came to McCandless from Kentucky to facilitate the merger of the former Vincentian Sisters of Charity in McCandless with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in 2008. "Most are retired, and they spent their whole lives working with the poor. They said, 'We can't go build this house, but we can do everything to make sure the money is there.' "

The sisters sent a letter asking family and friends to donate money to the project and placed posters around the convent to track donations.

"It's about sisters later in life still continuing to give," Boiarski said.

To build a basic house and add electricity and plumbing in Belize, the average cost is $6,800.

Dan Horan, maintenance supervisor, was chosen from a drawing to travel with 11 other volunteers to help build the house.

"It was a great experience. I would recommend it to anyone," said Horan, a father of three from McCandless.

Horan said after seeing the poverty in Belize, "I don't think I'll ever complain about anything again."

"I always thought I'd seen it, but when you really experience it, you just feel so bad for the people," he said. "They are so proud. They live a Christian life. They do everything they can for their families."

Boiarski said the trips are about making a connection with others.

"It's a spiritual adventure," she said. "It's about building a relationship with the people you serve."