At a March 21 Mass and reception, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory welcomed a new neighbor – Sister Nancy Downing, a religious sister in the Congregation of Notre Dame, who in January began serving as the new CEO of St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families in Hyattsville, Maryland, located on property next to the Pastoral Center of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, which hosted the welcoming events.
“Sister Nancy, you come to us with a very rich heritage of service to the Church’s poor, to children and social justice work,” Cardinal Gregory said in his homily at the Mass, which was attended by St. Ann’s board members, staff, supporters and archdiocesan officials.
The cardinal added, “There are so many people in this local church who have a great love for St. Ann’s. They have a heritage of supporting this ministry that cares for mothers and children and takes them under their wing.”
Sister Nancy recently served as the executive director of Covenant House New York, which provides outreach to youth experiencing homelessness and trafficking. She worked 15 years in various roles for Covenant House. As the new CEO of St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families, Sister Nancy succeeds Sister Mary Bader, who served in that role for 18 years before taking a new leadership position in late 2023 as a member of the Daughter of Charity’s Provincial Council in St. Louis.
As he welcomed Sister Nancy at the Mass, Cardinal Gregory noted, “We’re neighbors, this Pastoral Center and St. Ann’s. We share borders, but more than that, we share a great affection for the work that has gone on at St. Ann’s and will continue to go on under your leadership.”
Concluding his homily, the cardinal told Sister Nancy, “Welcome to this community of faith. I know you’ve already begun to immerse yourself in the ministry of caring for mothers and children at St. Ann’s, and these wonderful people are here to say ‘welcome and we’re with you.’ Welcome, Sister Nancy!”
The intentions at the Mass included a prayer “for Sister Nancy, that God may give her wisdom to lead and strength to serve the St. Ann’s community with ardent faith, sure hope and perfect charity.”
Another prayer sought God’s blessings for the women and children served at St. Ann’s, and for all those who have passed through the doors there, especially the Daughters of Charity who founded that outreach in 1860, originally to serve women who were widowed and children who were orphaned during the Civil War.
To meet changing needs in the past century, St. Ann’s modified its outreach to emphasize foster care for children, and then in recent decades, the center evolved to offer supportive housing programs for mothers and their children, including Grace House that offers residential care for pregnant adolescents and young mothers and their babies, and Hope House and Faith House that offer transitional and supporting housing programs for pregnant and parenting women experiencing homelessness and instability.
St. Ann’s wraparound support services for mothers and children include an education and employment program, clinical and social work services, and a licensed child care center.
In 2023, 77 women and children were served in St. Ann’s three on-site housing programs; five families successfully transitioned from St. Ann’s programs to stable, independent housing; and 83 children were served in St. Ann’s Child Care Center, including its Early Head Start classrooms.
Addressing the St. Ann’s staff and supporters at the reception following the Mass, Sister Nancy said, “You are what makes St. Ann’s possible. Thank you for all you do to lift up young women and children who come to us every day looking for our help and support.”
She offered special thanks to the Daughters of Charity, praising their wisdom in adapting St. Ann’s outreach to meet the changing needs of women and children in the Washington area.
“I’m really thrilled to be part of this mission and ministry,” she said, adding, “The reason we do this work is to brighten the lives of these women and children and lift them up. Thank you for all of your love and support.”
As the executive director of Covenant House New York, Sister Nancy expanded its programs to provide housing and support to more than 350 vulnerable youth each day, and oversaw the completion of an $82 million renovation of Covenant House’s headquarters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sister Nancy, who earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from the University of Southern Maine and her law degree from Western New England College, served as the general counsel to both Covenant House New York and Covenant House International, and as the agency’s director of legal services and advocacy before serving as its executive director from 2016 to 2022. Under her leadership, Covenant House New York opened four new locations serving youth, and its new headquarters also provided shelter for 120 youth and included a health center and education, employment and legal services for youth.
Before joining Covenant House, Sister Nancy served as the executive director of the Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center for immigrant women in Brooklyn and the Connecticut Fair Housing Center in Harford.
After earning her undergraduate degree, she worked for the The Hartford insurance company, later attending law school at night and earning her law degree in four years.
In January, Sister Nancy marked the 25th anniversary of her first vows as a religious sister in the Congregation of Notre Dame.
Among those attending the welcoming Mass and reception was Sister Mary Anne Foley, the province leader of the Congregation of Notre Dame who traveled by train from Connecticut to attend the events honoring her friend and fellow woman religious.
“It (leading St. Ann’s) really fits her passion and her desire and her experiences,” said Sister Mary Anne. “…It’s a great fit for her and apparently for St. Ann’s as well.”
She said the ministry at St. Ann’s reflects a key aspect of the work of their religious community. “St. Ann’s is all about liberating women and children there, enabling them to stand on their own feet,” she said.
Also attending the gathering was Mary Lou Goehrung, the chair of the Board of Directors for St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families who herself was adopted from St. Ann’s. She praised Sister Nancy, saying, “She’s very nurturing and very savvy… She’s very dedicated and passionate about the cause of helping young women and children.”
Goehrung – who has a family business, Signs By Tomorrow in Rockville, Maryland –also praised the legacy of the Daughter of Charity at St. Ann’s, saying, “Without the Daughters of Charity, there wouldn’t be a St. Ann’s.”
Sister Molly Smith, a Daughter of Charity from Indiana who will begin serving soon at St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families as a social worker, said, “Being able to step into the history of 150-plus years of service of the Daughters of Charity and to be a part of that is a special blessing.”
She added, “Motherhood is a really hard job. If I can be a support to them and help them and their children thrive, I feel that is like meeting Jesus through Mary.”
Another Daughter of Charity attending the Mass and reception, Sister Mary Jean Doyle, works with Catholic Charities in Washington, helping women who have survived human trafficking to find safety and a new life in the United States. Some of those women and their children have found a home, and hope, at St. Ann’s.
Sister Mary Jean, who served at St. Ann’s years ago, noted, “I have seen St. Ann’s grow and adapt to the times… It’s adapted, and it’s a tremendous service to today’s poor. They (the women served there) learn values and leave with a life ahead of them.”
