A traveling museum that tells stories of mercy and hope will be coming to Louisville May 14-16.
“People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors” began a three-year journey across the United States in New York on March 26.
The mobile exhibit, sponsored by Catholic Charities USA in partnership with Catholic Charities of Louisville, will be parked at Waterfront Park under the Big Four Bridge. Visiting it is free, and it will be open to the public May 14 and 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on May 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We invite the entire community to visit the People of Hope Museum to witness first-hand the good that can be accomplished when a community puts mercy into action and hope into practice”
— Lisa DeJaco Crutcher, CEO of Catholic Charities of Louisville
Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre will open the Louisville exhibit with a special blessing and tour with volunteers on May 14 at 10 a.m.
“We invite the entire community to visit the People of Hope Museum to witness first-hand the good that can be accomplished when a community puts mercy into action and hope into practice,” said Lisa DeJaco Crutcher, CEO of Catholic Charities of Louisville.
People of Hope will visit more than 150 communities to promote empathy and inspire visitors to find ways to serve those in need in their local areas, according to organizers. The initiative is made possible by a 2024 grant of nearly $5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. The grant is funded by its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life.
Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, said at the opening of the mobile museum in New York that the venture “is a testament to mercy, service, hope, compassion and faith.”
The exhibit, built into a retrofitted tractor-trailer, features 42 video stories told by Catholic Charities staff and volunteers from around the country. The storytellers share first-person accounts of what it means to serve someone in their darkest moment.
The museum includes a recording studio, where visitors can share their own stories; an interactive poverty simulator; and audio recordings about poverty, social isolation, bridgebuilding and community action.
The mobile museum will visit 21 states, mostly in the eastern half of the United States, through December. It will tour the western states in 2027. In the first half of 2028, the museum will visit communities that were missed or would like a repeat visit, according to a news release from Catholic Charities USA.
In addition to visitors, Catholic Charities of Louisville is seeking volunteer “tour hosts” to help welcome people to the exhibit. For more information or to volunteer, email Debbie Belt at dbelt@archlou.org or call 637-9786, ext. 115.
