Welcoming three new residents
The Fireplace is thrilled to announce the arrival of three new residents! During our Migration Celebration on April 5th, we welcomed Chelsea, Ariel, and Karen to the Fireplace.
Each of them is already part of the story of the Fireplace and its growth over the past year. Ariel has been our neighbor down the block and a dedicated extended-community member since the fall. Karen and Abby know each other through the Catholic Worker movement. And Chelsea found us on the internet! Along with new-ish residents Katerina and Melanie, they are joining in building a vibrant, intergenerational, and ecumenical/interfaith community.
As we welcome these new residents, we also say goodbye to Leslie Carranza as she moves out. Leslie has lived at the Fireplace since the summer of 2021, and it's no exaggeration to say that this community would not exist without her. She was one of the first people to move in, and her dedication to the Fireplace helped it survive through 2024. We will miss her very much... but not too much, since she's staying on the south side and will continue on as a member of our extended community.
New resident introductions
Ariel Davey (L) and Chelsea James (R)
Ariel Davey is a native Rhode Islander and recently relocated to Chicago to complete a Master’s in Education, Culture, and Society at DePaul University. She works in the non-profit field as a Coordinator at LINK Unlimited Scholars. She was baptized into the Catholic faith at 18 years old through OCIA her freshman year at Providence College, and has been dedicated to her faith ever since. When she’s not working or completing schoolwork, she loves to read, bake, listen to Beyoncé, and enjoy the outdoors, particularly being by a body of water.
Chelsea James is originally from Memphis, TN. She works in Marketing at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she gets to blend storytelling with science. Chelsea recently completed her MBA at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management and is now leaning into her artistic side — exploring music, fiber arts, and drawing. Crochet is a current favorite, but she's on a journey to see what sticks.
Karen Pallist is a Chicago native, with spiritual roots in Christianity, Zen Buddhism and shamanism. She writes for pleasure and growth, for worthy causes and occasionally for money. She is joining the Fireplace Community to engage and nurture her creative side while earning a paycheck in guest relations at Lurie Children's Hospital.