Catherine's House: 20 years later,
still following in the footsteps of Mercy Sister foundress Catherine McAuley
"Some joyful circumstance will soon prove that God is watching over your concerns, which are all His own, but without the Cross the real Crown cannot come. Some great things which He designs to accomplish would have been too much without a little bitter in the cup. Bless and love the fatherly hand which has hurt you. He will soon come with both hands filled with favors and blessings."
Catherine McAuley (the foundress of the Sister of Mercy) was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1778. She was soon orphaned and invited to live in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Callaghan as a companion to Mrs. Callaghan. Before their deaths, Catherine was asked what she wanted to do with her life. Her reply: "Get a house for women and children who need a home." In their will, the Callaghans left their money and entire estate to the young woman. She began fulfilling her dream by building a house for religious, educational, and social services for women and children in need. Thanks to the help of interested volunteers, the house was opened on Sept. 24, 1827, the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy. Catherine named the house after this feast.
It was the first step of her lifelong vocation to help others in need. In
1831, Catherine and two other lay volunteers founded a religious congregation –
the Sisters of Mercy – to more formally organize their efforts. (Learn more about the Sisters of Mercy here. Read about their
history in Belmont and the Diocese of Charlotte here.)
In 1991, another orphaned young woman followed her desire to help others. As a graduate of the former Sacred Heart College in Belmont and a social worker, Hester Tribble approached the Sisters of Mercy (who ran the school) and requested the use of an empty building on the grounds of the campus. Her wish was granted and with the help of the Mercy Sisters, began her work with homeless women and children – providing transitional housing and individualized assistance to help them rebuild their lives. The Sisters of Mercy soon adopted the program and renamed the building Catherine's House, in honor of their foundress.
On Nov. 2, 1992, Catherine's House was officially established as a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy. Since then, Catherine's House has helped more than two thousand women and children.
(Learn more about Catherine's House here.)
Now, 20 years later, I will be crossing the threshold of this special house. As an intern for the Catholic News Herald, I will be volunteering, observing and meeting with some of these lovely women and children to obtain a deeper understanding of the good works done at Catherine's House, which follow the example of Sister Catherine McAuley.
I am inspired by the history and mission of Catherine's House. To be honest,
I really didn't know much about this ministry before recently. But after some
online research and meeting with Sister Carmelita Hagan (head of the volunteer
program), I knew I wanted to have a personal experience with all the beautiful
work that goes on there. Through this blog and in the pages of the Catholic News Herald, I will be
sharing the story of Catherine's House with you.Every week this fall, I will be welcomed into different aspects of some of the services Catherine's House provide – such as babysitting, nutrition classes, budgeting lessons, cleaning and group therapy. Several times a week, I will post here about my personal experiences with these wonderful people as well as some of their stories. (Of course, to maintain the integrity of Catherine's House and privacy of its residents, names and personal information will be withheld.)
Sister Catherine McAuley's quote at the beginning of this post really strikes me as the heart of the mission of Catherine's House. The Lord pours many blessings on His children, but without the occasional "bitterness," we wouldn't appreciate and recognize His love in the same way.
Sister Catherine McAuley's dream was to help women through their difficulties and put them on the path to self-sufficiency, dignity and success. She gave them the tools needed to make the best out of their particular situations and to see the silver lining in even the darkest cloud. Catherine's House continues this mission and I could not be more thrilled to be able to share it with you.
Stay tuned for the first post of my time spent in Catherine's House and the journeys of the women I meet along the way.
God bless,
Megan Barnes
I should have started at the beginning, then it would have been self-explanatory and all made sense! Looking forward to keeping up -- you should go ahead and add the "following" widget/gadget to your blogs! :)
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