Homeless Persons’ Interfaith Memorial Service to honor the unstably housed for 16th year

GREEN BAY – The Greater Green Bay Homeless Persons’ Interfaith Memorial Service will be hosted by St. John’s Ministries and St. John the Evangelist Church on Thursday, Dec. 18, to honor members of the community who have died while unstably housed in 2025.

This free service is open to the public and is set around the longest night of the year — the winter solstice — as a reminder of the hardships unhoused people face, especially in the winter season.

“It is just a time where we come together and we speak the names of the people who have died either on the streets or [have been] experiencing housing instability in the last year, and just honor their lives and their dignity,” said St. John’s Ministries Mission Integration Coordinator Lydia Davison, who is planning the service for a second time since joining the St. John’s team.

This year will mark the 16th service, a significant landmark that represents years of those lost to unstable housing.

Davison spoke to the importance of holding the memorial service for 16 years, saying, “I think it’s important because a lot of our current guests walk over from shelter to attend, and then when they see that church — hopefully full of community members that care — it speaks volumes to them.”

The Open Heart Mindfulness Community will lead a peace walk at 6:30 p.m. prior to the service. Participants will walk in silence with a candle, going around St. John’s park before returning to the church, located at 427 St. John St.

The walk takes place outside, typically no matter the weather, as a way to help people understand the conditions that houseless people face.

The service itself will follow at 7 p.m. inside the church.

There will be readings such as poetry and prayers as well as representation for multiple religions including a Bahai prayer, Christian singers and a Jewish rabbi.

“It is interfaith, so we do try to represent as many groups as we can with willing participants,” Davison said.

A pair of boots and a candle for each person being honored, as well as the unknown, will be walked up the center aisle of the church and placed at the front while their names and ages are read aloud.

This year’s list consists of ten known names lost while unstably housed.

The service aims to bring attention to those who often go unrecognized, and to bring the community together to help people who are experiencing unstable housing.

“What we really hope is that the community members can feel it as a call to action,” Davison said.

For any community members looking to provide help, St. John’s Ministries offers numerous volunteer opportunities, including playing board games with guests, serving meals at shelter and general maintenance assistance.

For more information on how to volunteer, visit stjohnsgreenbay.org.

Donations can also be made at the Men’s shelter, located at 411 St. John St.
Davison shared that as of Dec. 1, after St. John’s Ministries opened their Men’s and Women’s shelters on Nov. 1, the shelters have already served 245 different individuals.

“That’s 162 men and 83 women, and they range in age here at St. John’s from 18 to over 65…” Davison said. “So, at St. John’s specifically, you know, we serve people that have nowhere else to go, so they don’t qualify for other shelter or they’re on a waitlist...That doesn’t stop us from serving folks.”

The memorial service will honor all those that have died, not just those that were guests at St. John’s.

Davison spoke about the importance of showing unstably housed people that their community does see and care for their lives.

Even just by showing up to the service as a way of honoring those who have been lost can have a lasting impact.

“Homelessness is solvable,” she said,” You know, with affordable housing and different supports and just people rallying together, we could really see change in our community.”