Passing Away of Cubby LaHood

It is with great sadness, that I share with you the passing away of Cubby LaHood. 




Cubby was the co-founder and Executive Director of the St. Joseph House.  She, Dan (her husband) and their children have served those with disabilities unselfishly for over 30 years.   She will be missed by many.  




Vigil:
Thursday, September 24, 2015 5-7pm
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
10103 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902


Mass of Christian Burial:
Friday, September 25, 2015 11am
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
10103 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902


Internment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.


Reception to follow, Knights of Columbus
9707 Rosensteel Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910




In lieu of flowers, the LaHood family kindly requests that memorial contributions in Cubby's name be made to the St. Joseph House:  http://www.saintjosephshouse.net/donate.html

Four Fathers by Dan LaHood

As my readers know, I am a supporter of the St. Joseph House in Silver Spring, MD.   The St. Joseph House is a day care and respite care facility run by Cubby and Dan LaHood.  It has operated for over 30 years and I have known both of them for about 12 years.

Dan has written an article in Humanum magazine entitled: Four Fathers.  It shares the stories of four fathers and the children they have loved.

It is a moving article and I hope that Dan continues to write and share these stories of the love of a father.

At the beginning of our ministry we had no idea where any of this would lead. It was and is chaotic, joyful, inspirational, wearying, sad, edifying, instructive. It is a life we could not have imagined but one we now cannot imagine having not lived. Mother Teresa was reported to have described a child with a disability the “treasure of mankind.” That may be apocryphal, but we have found it to be absolutely true. Many of the kids who came to our home over the years have died, but every year at Christmas their parents return. And they tell us how they miss their son, their daughter. They tell us, not in so many words, that the love they had for their child was the life they could not have imagined before their child arrived; but one they could not have imagined not living once the child was here. This is true for the Isaiah's Promise parents as well as the Saint Joseph's House parents. Not one carries any regret, whether their child lived for minutes or decades, that that person was part of their lives. Their life to them was a Gift, a Pearl of Great Price, if you will.

To read the entire article, go here: http://humanumreview.com/articles/dan-lahoods-witness 

And, if you are moved by Dan's words, then make a donation to: http://saintjosephshouse.net/Contact_Us.html

St. Joseph House Benefit

As many of my reader's know, I have been a supporter of the St. Joseph House for a number of years.   Cubby, Dan and their children have done excellent work over the years and are strong pro-life advocates.  Doing what they do, is the essence of being pro-life.  

Each year, an annual benefit dinner is conducted to help support their efforts.  Although I cannot do what they do, I do support them both financially and spiritually.

If you can attend, I know that they would love to see you there. If you cannot, then a small donation to help defray some of the costs would be wonderful.  If you cannot donate, then your prayers would be most appreciated.

See the flier/image for more information.

  

Every Child Is God’s Gift: Maryland Family Witnesses to Life at St. Joseph’s House

St. Joseph’s House started as the Special Needs Children’s Center, a highfalutin name for what we were. But it really grew out of the need we saw in families who cared for a child with a handicap 24-7, 52 weeks a year,” said Dan LaHood. Cubby became licensed to run a home daycare after the couple’s oldest son was born.

“As Cubby worked at a special-ed school, she witnessed the toll this was taking on the families she encountered on a daily basis. One child staying with us for an afternoon led to a weekend, led to asking for daily after-school care and summer care. Before we knew it, we had eight very small, very disabled kids in our house,” he continued.


Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/every-child-is-gods-gift/#ixzz3HxZ0qJmU

A Mother's Day Story -- Coming to Terms & Choosing Not to Abort.

Although I normally do not post on Sunday, I found a fantastic story of a "network of mothers and medical professionals who are providing support groups, medical advice, and Websites for pregnant mothers of children with disabilities."

Nancy Mayer-Whittington, whom I had the pleasure to recently meet, has written a book entitled, For The Love of Angels, about her experiences and co-founded a support group entitled Isaiah's Promise.

Anna Lise "Cubby" LaHood (co-founder of Isaiah's Promise with Nancy) and her husban Dan, are lay Missionaries of Charity. They operate the St. Joseph House, which provides respite and day care for children with sever disabilities.

"People think that your life is over when you have a handicapped child," Mr. Lahood says. "It's a cultural view to eliminate them as undesirable. They don't know what the demands are and what the rewards are."

The St. Joseph House is on my contribution list of good Catholic charities (not to say that there are not hundreds of others). You can make a contribution to them at: 1505 Cody Drive. Silver Spring, MD 20902.

To read more about this, go to the Washington Times. It's the cover story of their Sunday section.

Pro-Life in Action: Saving the Life of the Frail Unborn

What happens when a pregnant woman is told her unborn child has some ghastly defect?

A small army of doctors and genetics counselors arrive on the scene with one message: End the pregnancy and get one of those horrendous second or third-trimester abortions, where the child perches on the edge of viability.

Recently, I've become aware of a network of Catholics who are fighting such dire diagnoses with Web sites and support groups. Anna Lise "Cubby" LaHood was 13 weeks pregnant in the spring of 1988 when she was informed that her unborn son, Francis, had polycystic kidney disease. He would only live briefly outside the womb.

To read more about Cubby and Dan LaHood and their work, go to The Washington Times.

Helping Parents Who Lose a Child

Cubby LaHood will never forget the news her doctor told her 20 years ago.

LaHood, then 13-weeks pregnant with her second child, was told her unborn baby had several fatal abnormalities and would likely die within one week after birth. She was advised -- in the best interest of the baby, herself and her family -- to terminate the pregnancy.

LaHood and her husband, Dan, devastated by the news, sought more advice.

A priest simply told Dan LaHood "You know what to do," while handing him an image of St. Joseph. That small picture is now on the LaHoods' mantle along with dozens of family pictures in the couple's Silver Spring home. He said the priest's words "set us on the path we've been on ever since."

"Once you've made a pivotal choice, God sends his minions to help you. It's scary, but someone else helps you keep going," he said Jan. 30 during an interview with Catholic News Service at their home.

Francis was alive for just a few minutes before he died of kidney complications. He died in his parents' arms as they held him, sang to him, spoke to him and cried. His 3-year-old brother, Joe, was also in the room.

As hard as that experience was, Dan LaHood said without hesitation that it "changed our lives completely."

This is from a man who had already been no stranger to living out his faith. Since 1983, he and his wife opened their home to care for disabled children on weekends, before and after school and during school vacations through a nonprofit program called St. Joseph's House.

I have written about the LaHood's before but not on this aspect of their lives.

Since that time, I have had the opportunity to meet and talk to Cubby and Dan LaHood on a couple of occasions.

They are wonderful people.

They are on my annual giving list. You might think about adding them to your list.

To read the entire story, click here.

The St. Joseph House - Pro-Life in Action

This week's paper copy of the Catholic Standard (Nov. 20, 2008 page 17) has a nice story about the walkathon at St. John the Evangelist School (Silver Spring) for the St. Joseph House. (Kudos to the Catholic Standard on this one.)

The St. Joseph House is run by Cubby and Dan LaHood, since 1983. Both are lay Missionaries of Charity and have run the St. Joseph House as a non-profit daycare respite home for youth with multiple disabilities. They not only care for this youth but it also provides their parents with a chance to be able work a full day and also gives them some time to run errands or some respite time.

The principal, St. Kathleen Lannark, stated that this sort of fundraiser teaches the students to "respect all life" and to become sensitive to the fact that children with disabilities are "God's children too."

The students raised over $7,000.

Talk about the pro-life movement in action. (This is the type of story that should be put in the faces of the Planned Parenthoods and NARALs of this world.)

So, if you did not give the CCHD and are looking for a good Catholic charity, this is one. Note that they They do not receive any funding from the Archdiocese of Washington DC or any government funding.

St. Joseph House
1505 Cody Drive
Silver Spring, Maryland 20902

PS: They are on my annual list of Catholic Charities.

Thanks to the Maryknights of the Fr. Rosensteel Council (K of C #2169)

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend a fundraiser for the St. Joseph House sponsored by the Maryknights of the Fr. Rosensteel Council (Knights of Columbus). Not only was a good time had by all but it raised some much needed funds for their work.

The St. Joseph House is a non-profit daycare and respite home serving children with multiple disabilities. It is run by Cubby and Dan LaHood and their family (and they have really wonderful kids). In addition, Cubby and Dan are Lay Missionaries of Charity. They receive no financial assistance from any government entity or from the Catholic Church. So, the funds to run the House come from fundraisers such as the one at the Knights and donations from average people like you and me.

As we give thanks for the many blessings God has given us (and He has given us oh so many), I would like to give thanks to the Maryknights and all of the Knights of the Fr. Rosensteel Council (Knights of Columbus #2169) for hosting this wonderful event and giving the St. Joseph House not only a much needed financial boost but a chance to make their mission a bit better known.


NB: I will be taking some time off to spend with the family at Thanksgiving and will post again in a few days.