Who We Are
Guided by our Mission, Our Lady’s Inn provides pregnant women and their children shelter and hope for a new life through humble acts of love.
Our Lady’s Inn provides a loving home and an array of services supporting pregnant women and their children suffering with homelessness. Since 1982, Our Lady’s Inn has served as a life-affirming alternative to abortion for more than 6,000 women who have chosen life for their unborn babies. For more than 35 years these families have been sheltered and supported in their efforts to live healthy and productive lives, attain educational goals, gain employment, and secure stable housing.
Together with your help, each day at Our Lady’s Inn, we are rebuilding lives—one mother, one baby, one family at a time.
History
On January 22, 1982, staffed by volunteers, Our Lady’s Inn opened its doors on Julia Street in Soulard, a neighborhood in South St. Louis. The founders of Our Lady’s Inn were insightful pro-life men and women who saw the need to provide a safe and loving home for pregnant women who were being pressured into considering abortion. Our Lady’s Inn provided these women with a safe place to live where they could find support, encouragement, nurturing and the resources necessary to move toward self-sufficiency.
In 1987, a second location was opened in a former convent at St. Catherine Alexandra Parish on Diamond in North St. Louis County. Ten years later, in 1997, the Julia and Diamond locations merged and opened as one Our Lady’s Inn location, in the former St. Anthony of Padua Parish Convent on South Compton Avenue. This is referred to today as Our Lady’s Inn – St. Louis. Always filled to capacity, this home accommodates eighteen families.
In 2005, the Brother Loyola Transitional Housing unit was opened. This four-family flat near the St. Louis location allows families to live up to one year in a more independent setting with continuing support provided by Our Lady’s Inn. The women who live in these apartments must work, attend school, or progress in a job training program.
As the need for shelter continued to grow, so did our need for more space. In April 2006, Our Lady’s Inn opened a second location in St. Charles at 3607 Highway D. This is currently referred to as Our Lady’s Inn- St. Charles. This location accommodates 12 families.
Twice Blessed Resale Shop was opened in May 2009 as a social enterprise that provides job experience and training for our residents. It also serves as a funding source for the Inn. In April 2011, Twice Blessed expanded and opened a second storefront on the same block at 3312 Meramec, St. Louis, MO 63118.
Our Lady’s Inn stands as a testament to the vision and perseverance of our founders, volunteers, staff members, donors, and clients who believe every child has the right to life and every woman has the right to give birth with dignity.
