A Message from Hannah Schmitz 2/21/2026

Lenten greetings to all! 

Growing up in a small farming community in the Midwest, food and drink were never scarce. In good years, the fields yielded abundantly—enough for both people and livestock. Full barns and overflowing silos felt normal to me. I did not yet understand that what seemed ordinary was, in fact, a gift from God.

It wasn’t until college that I realized food could be scarce. Sometimes blessings are hardest to recognize when they have always surrounded us.

In 1984, the University of Notre Dame established the Andre House of Hospitality in Phoenix, Arizona, a Catholic Worker House named after St. André Bessette, C.S.C. Today, Andre House serves more than 600 meals a day and offers guests the opportunity to shower, receive clean clothes, and attend Mass. It is a beautiful ministry to witness.

As a student at Notre Dame, I had the privilege of traveling to Phoenix to volunteer there during a dinner service. My job was to carry trays of food and refill drinks for guests who were unable to serve themselves. Though I was there only a few hours, the experience left a lasting impact on my faith.

One guest in particular continues to stick with me. He was an elderly man who had relied on Andre House for his meals for over a decade. Confined to a wheelchair and rarely venturing more than ten minutes away, he depended on the ministry daily. When I placed his tray before him, he gently put his hand on my arm, smiled, and said, “The Lord sure does provide, doesn’t He?”

Startled, I nodded. “He sure does.”

But his words stayed with me. How could he speak so confidently of God’s provision? By worldly standards, he had so little. Yet his heart overflowed with gratitude and trust. His quiet faith helped me understand what I had overlooked in a life of abundance: God’s provision is not defined by surplus, but by His steadfast presence.

And so, as we sit with the call to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty this week, may we recognize God’s faithful provision in our own lives and respond by extending that same care to others. 

In Christ, 

Hannah 

Hannah Schmitz, Notre Dame ECHO Apprentice