Ascentria's bright future would not be possible without the strength and convictions of our past. We're here today because of the foresight and generosity of a pious brewer by the name of
Gottlieb F. Burkhardt, whose summer farm in West Roxbury would eventually become the Martin Luther Orphan's Home at Brook Farm in 1872. A volunteer organization with a commitment to helping children as well as "aged, weak, and helpless persons," Brook Farm would soon be followed by the establishment of a Lutheran agency to assist lonely seafarers on the busy docks of Boston. Our social ministry had begun!
Over the years, our pledge to provide help, healing and hope to those in need expanded throughout New England to include older adults, individuals with disabilities, teens and young families, and even those in search of a better life in a new land. By 1992, the agency had a new name, Lutheran Social Services of New England. Today, Ascentria Care Alliance continues its legacy. Ascentria is a member of
Lutheran Services in America (LSA), the national umbrella network of Lutheran social ministries that together comprise one of the nation's largest charities. Ascentria also is affiliated with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is a recognized human care agency of the
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).