As Pope Francis recovered, EWTN staff built Habitat house named for him in Bessemer

Pope Francis gestures as he appears at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Sunday, March 23, 2025, where he has been treated for bronchitis and bilateral pneumonia since Feb. 14. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)AP

As Pope Francis recovered last week from serious health setbacks, Alabama-based EWTN Global Catholic Network staff was building a house in his name for Habitat for Humanity.

Pope Francis, 88, was discharged from the hospital Sunday after making a brief public appearance for the first time in more than five weeks, waving to a crowd from his window at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where he was treated for pneumonia in both lungs.

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The previous week, EWTN’s employees worked together on the Pope Francis house at a Habitat community in Bessemer.

“Over the course of the day, individuals who do not know how to work together learn to work together and we accomplish more than we ever could on our own,” said Deacon Chuck Kelly, EWTN viewer services manager.

“I like to help somebody trying to get a new start,” said EWTN IT Project Manager Chad Key, who celebrated his 10th build. “As a young man, I remember how hard it was to get a start. God gives us the opportunity, through EWTN, to help people get that fresh start.”

For the past 10 years, EWTN staff has worked on a Pope Francis house for Habitat for Humanity during Lent, the period of preparation for Easter, which this year falls on April 20.

Habitat for Humanity provides recipients with interest-free mortgages, so they must have jobs to pay for those mortgages, and they must put in many hours of sweat equity to earn their right to homeownership

“It’s a good mission and it aligns with our values at EWTN,” said EWTN HR Manager Cristina Sigafus.

Habitat home named for Pope Francis — The Pope Francis home in Bessemer will be the home of Lakirya Windham, a paralegal who graduated from Clay-Chalkville High School in 2017, and her daughter, Naomi, 4.Habitat for Humanity

The Pope Francis home in Bessemer will be the home of Lakirya Windham, a paralegal who graduated from Clay-Chalkville High School in 2017, and her daughter, Naomi, 4.

“I am deeply grateful to those who have made homeownership possible for my family,” Windham said. “I appreciate the opportunity to build a future and create lasting memories in a place we can call home.”