One of the core strengths of St. Mary’s has been the leadership and wisdom of our elders. For over sixty years, those who are our seniors today were the men and women who helped shape Alaska and the city of Anchorage. They helped create and establish many of the organizations that Alaskans rely on each day for a strong and vibrant quality of life. F.IS.H. (one of the city’s first food pantry and social service agencies), Alaska Refugee Outreach, Stellar Alternative School, St. Mary’s Creative Playschool, and Cook Inlet Soccer Club, to name but a few, are all organizations in which St. Mary’s members played a leading role. As their years have increased, their roles have changed but not diminished. Today our elders are often mentors and advisors to younger generations of leaders, while others choose to maintain active roles in various boards and commissions. To continue that level of active engagement as they age, sometimes people need to make use of additional supports that can come as a benefit of living in community.
The originating idea for St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Housing Company grew out of conversation among church friends who looked ahead and wondered about their future. For many church elders, each day living at home is an increasing challenge. Natural aging brings with it limitations on movement, driving, and meal preparation. For those living alone, concerns about personal safety in the event of falls or medical emergencies, and the social isolation can be progressively disabling.
These factors were increasingly of concern to one St. Mary’s parishioner, the late Tay Thomas, as she personally experienced both the blessings and the challenges of aging. Beginning in 2000, Tay began asking questions about how St. Mary’s could shape an intentional community that maximized the gifts of increasing age while building in supports that minimized negative age-related limitations.
Over the next fourteen years, Tay and others in the church worked to acquire land while reflecting on their own experiences of living at home and providing support for one another. Over a long discernment process, others in the St. Mary’s church community also came to feel the need and affirm God’s call for the church to provide leadership in this area of senior housing.
