Jubilee House
A Catholic Worker House
Jubilee House is a Catholic Worker House. It is a place where Jesus Christ is welcomed in the disguise of the hungry, the homeless, the lonely, and the stranger. All are welcomed here. Our mission is to provide a free meal and hospitality for anyone in need. While keeping our Catholic identity, other faith traditions participate in our ministry.
The Catholic worker movement was founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. Grounded in the firm belief of the God-given dignity of every human person, the Catholic Worker Movement was committed to non-violence, voluntary poverty, and the works of mercy as a way of life. Houses of Hospitality were opened with these principles as their basic mission.
In February 2000, under the direction of Fr. John Parr, a small group of people began meeting to pray and discuss the possibility of establishing a Catholic Worker House in the Wausau area. Through the grace of God and the generosity of Holy Name Parish, Jubilee House opened in the former convent at 1105 South 10th Avenue, Wausau, serving its first meal on July 13, 2000. Jubilee House was chosen as the name for our ministry because Pope John Paul II had proclaimed a Jubilee Year in 2000. Jubilee House was incorporated as a not for profit corporation in January 2001. In October 2008, when the size of our ministry outgrew our space, we moved to the Church of the Resurrection Parish Center in downtown Wausau. With plans for razing the Resurrection Parish Center underway, Jubilee House moved to its current home on the St. Matthew Catholic Church campus at 225 South 28th Avenue in Wausau in February 2013.
Jubilee House is managed by the Core Group, a dedicated group of volunteers. The Core Group meets monthly on the second Monday of the month for the purposes of prayer, discussion, and planning. The Core Group schedules the groups who volunteer to provide meals, and members are present whenever Jubilee House is open to provide supervision and direction. New Core Group members are always welcomed. Catholic Charities of La Crosse recognized our ministry by presenting the “In His Name” award to Jubilee House in 2015.
Jubilee House provides hospitality and a free meal every Thursday, with the exception of Holy Thursday and Thanksgiving. We open our doors to guests at 4:00 PM and serve a meal from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. Various service groups, such as confirmation classes, businesses, Secular Franciscans, church-related groups, and groups of friends and co-workers, provide and serve the meals. We serve 85 to 150 meals each evening. We depend on core group members and dedicated volunteers to provide supervision to our serving groups each Thursday. We do not function as a food pantry. We do not provide carry out meals, shelter, or clothing.