spirituality center

New Spirituality Center Gets a Helping Hand

By Henrietta Gomes
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the Issue of 2/22/07)

When Bob Mueller went on retreat at Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville, Md., he did not just return from his respite with peace in his soul, but with plans for partially furnishing the Arlington Diocese’s new spirituality center in White Post, for free.
Mueller, who serves as director of development for the diocese, noticed the Maryland retreat center was renovating. After inquiring about the furniture, he learned that the management had been donating all the furniture to not-for-profit organizations and retreat facilities. The result of his inquiry was a donation of two truck loads full of furniture, cluding bed frames, mattresses, desks, chairs, dressers, and rocking chairs to the diocese for the new spirituality center.
“We thought that it would be good stewardship to give the furniture away rather than keep it in storage,” said Thomas Little, executive director of Bon Secours, which is run by the Bon Secours Sisters. The center is currently renovating 70 rooms and rebuilding them to incorporate individual bathrooms; and will be purchasing new furniture. “We wanted to share what we had so others could enjoy it,” said Little. “One of our core values is integrity, and integrity says you do things right… so we decided to share our resources with people who needed them, and make their ministry easier and more effective.” The facility currently offers accommodations for retreats and conferences during the day, and will have overnight accommodations again when the reconstruction is completed next year.
It was not just the generosity of Bon Secours, however, that eased the burden of the diocesan spirituality center. The furniture needed to leave the retreat center within five days due to imminent reconstruction. After numerous calls to moving companies, asking for thousands of dollars for their services, Mueller struck gold again.
Two Guys and a Truck moving company offered to donate their services for the worthy cause. “I like to help out where I can, and it seemed like a good thing to do,” said David Underwood, the founder of Two Guys and a Truck moving company located in Sterling. “I was intrigued because it had to do with the Catholic diocese,” said the life-long Catholic and parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua in Falls Church.
Underwood, who founded the company in 1986 in Toledo, Ohio, and then moved to Northern Virginia, said he had been looking for an opportunity to “give back to the community.” Upon receiving a message on his voicemail regarding moving service assistance, he said it felt as if God had called him on the phone and “gave me the opportunity to do something.” Underwood heard about another company that offered to donate one truck and then charge for the second truck, but “if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it all,” he said about donating their services, which would have normally cost anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000.
Two Guys and Truck moving services operate within Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Aside from providing local, intrastate, and interstate moving services, the company also provides short and long-term storage.
“God was in the midst of all of this,” said Mueller, noting the eagerness of all parties involved to generously assist the diocese.
The diocese’s new spirituality center, which still needs to be painted and carpeted, will open after receiving approval from the county. The facility will accommodate participants for overnight stays and week-long and day events. It will be open to parish groups, organizations and individuals wishing to make a personal retreat.

Henrietta Gomes can be reached at hgomes@catholicherald.com.