Benincasa Family in New Location August 12, 2021

Dreams come in all shapes and sizes. The dreamer sees the bigger picture and the possibilities that are there!

There is much to do at the new Benincasa home in Guilford, Connecticut which Associate Kathleen Friend, Sister Gina Fleming, and Sister Pat Koehler recently visited.

The Benincasa Family is a lay community named for Catherine Benincasa of Siena, the Dominican peacemaker, mystic, theologian, and reformer. The group consists of core members who have made long-term, full-time commitments to the community and guests seeking a nourishing, safe place to live.

The dreamers – Karen Gargamelli-McCreight, Sean McCreight, their two young children, and friends – are working together to renovate this new site for this lay community. The Benincasa family has been in existence for five years. This new space will allow more of its dreams to come to fruition. The grounds will include:

• The main house, Benincasa House, a center for Art and Activism called the Daniel Berrigan, SJ Center.

• A community farm called the Peter Maurin farm. Peter was a French Catholic Social activist who founded the Catholic Worker movement with Dorothy Day. The spirit and vision of Dorothy is integral to the vision of Benincasa Community as are the four pillars of Dominican life.

• A playground named in honor of Martin de Porres, the 16th century Dominican who became the first black Saint of the Americas.