Coming back home to Washington for the Hope Blossoms fundraiser for St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families, Sister Mary Bader – a Daughter of Charity who served as the CEO of St. Ann’s from 2005 to 2023 before taking a leadership position in her religious community – thanked the agency’s supporters, staff and volunteers for bringing hope to the women and children served there.
“We’re all in this together… Brick by brick by brick, we’re building the kingdom of God,” Sister Mary said at the event held May 8 at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where she received St. Ann’s Mary McGrory Advocacy Award, named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington columnist who supported St. Ann’s Center for more than five decades as a volunteer and advocate.
The Hope Blossoms’ gathering was attended by 360 people and raised $510,000 for St. Ann’s outreach.
Joking about the fundraising drive at the dinner that was nicknamed “Sister Mary’s Caring Hearts Club Band,” a nod to the Beatles’ song, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” Sister Mary said, “I’ll be singing the tune forever and ever for St. Ann’s and the many folks who have been good to us and our families.”
“I will always have a very passionate heart for St. Ann’s,” Sister Mary said.
Sister Nancy Downing of the Congregation of Notre Dame, who began serving as the new CEO of St. Ann’s Center in January, also thanked St. Ann’s supporters at the event, saying, “Your generosity makes it possible for hope to blossom for so many young mothers and their children.”
Sister Nancy emphasized that “our work is not yet done. Tonight as we celebrate, we hold in our hearts the 20 moms and 25 children who have a safe and nurturing place to call home at St. Ann’s,” and the 60 families whose infants and young children are served by its child care center. She noted, “Just last week, we had three mothers and their children move into St. Ann’s. That same week, we had one young mother and her child move out of St. Ann’s into their own apartment.” That woman, she said, left “with a beautiful smile on her face, filled with joy, hope and excitement. That’s the work of St. Ann’s.”
Before taking the helm at St. Ann’s, 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. At the Hope Blossoms event, Sister Nancy was joined by Mary Lou Goehrung, the president of St. Ann’s Board of Directors, in presenting the award to Sister Mary.
In opening remarks at the gathering, Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory thanked Sister Mary for her “loving heart and exemplary gift of self” and said she has been “a treasure among us.” He also thanked Sister Nancy for taking on that leadership role and praised “her extensive legacy of service and care that she brings to St. Ann’s.”
After offering an opening prayer, the cardinal said, “Sister Mary and Sister Nancy, thank you for all you have done and will do. I feel blessed among women!”
Cardinal Gregory also thanked people for their generous support of St. Ann’s as it brings “hope, healing and empowerment to women in need as well as to their children and to their families.”
“As the Church now observes a Year of Prayer, we affirm this evening that St. Ann’s has been the answer to the prayers of many who had no place else to turn or had no one to assist them,” the cardinal said, adding, “Ever since the arrival of those three Daughters of Charity who established a home for orphaned and abandoned children in 1860, St. Ann’s has been an answer to prayer for single mothers in need of a loving response.”
From St. Ann’s Civil War-era beginnings when it served widows and orphans and was chartered by President Lincoln, its outreach was modified in the past century to emphasize foster care for children. 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.
During Sister Mary’s leadership at St. Ann’s, the agency transitioned a long-time residential program for young foster children into supportive, transitional housing for mothers and their children experiencing homelessness. St. Ann’s kept its doors open for families during the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing to operate its residential programs and support services for women and children.
Also during her leadership there, the early Head Start program at St. Ann’s Child Care Center began helping low-income residents and local families to access comprehensive child development and family support services. The St. Ann’s Community Outreach Program was established to improve access to baby formula, baby food, clothing and other critical staples for resident mothers and families. Another program established during that time, the St. Ann’s Education & Employment Program, helps resident mothers set and reach their academic and professional goals.
In an interview this past fall before she became a member of the Provincial Council of the Daughters of Charity in St. Louis, Sister Mary said serving at St. Ann’s was “a great joy and privilege.” Sister Mary – a native of the Washington area who is a graduate of Little Flower School in Bethesda and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington – added that, “I always wanted to serve children and people in need for as long as I can remember.”
At the Hope Blossoms event, Sister Mary said she misses participating in the direct service that St. Ann’s provides, but in her leadership role, she has witnessed how her religious community’s varied ministries involve advocating for those in need, which she said is vital work that St. Ann’s and its supporters continue to do.
Michael Steele, an MSNBC commentator and former Maryland lieutenant governor who served as the master of ceremonies, praised St. Ann’s, saying the “impact it has is very profound.”
He shared the personal story of how his mother, Maebell Turner, came to St. Ann’s seeking a baby to adopt, and as she walked through the nursery, he stood up in his crib, and she told the sisters, “This is my son.” When he was eight, his parents also adopted his sister, Monica, from St. Ann’s. Dr. Monica Turner is now a neonatal pediatrician.
“Our family was first formed there. My mom and dad, my sister and I were formed and brought together” at St. Ann’s, Steele said.
Also speaking about the impact of St. Ann’s was Dr. Amber Andrews, who entered the Infant and Maternity Unit there when she was 18 and pregnant, after her future son’s father tragically died. She and the other moms there received transportation from staff members or the Daughters of Charity to doctor’s appointments and to stores, and they were provided with meals, daycare services for children, and baby formula, diapers and clothes.
“Not only did I have to support myself, but I also had to support the new life that was growing inside of me,” Andrews said. “Because of God, my resilience and the support of St. Ann’s, I was able to go back to college.”
Later at St. Ann’s Faith House, Andrews had her first experience of independent living with her young son.
“Faith House taught me the responsibility of maintaining my own apartment. I loved having my son’s daycare right across the street. Because St. Ann’s provided childcare, I was able to start my career,” she said.
After transitioning from Faith House, Andrews continued to advance in her career and got married and has a daughter who is now 17 and is on the honor roll at her high school. Andrew’s son who was born while she was living at St. Ann’s “is now 24 and doing amazing,” she said.
Andrews, who received licenses in real estate and in financial education and now works in both those fields, also received an honorary doctoral degree in business development.
“I have goals and plans that I am allowing God to lead my footsteps,” said Andrews.
She concluded her remarks saying, “I want to thank everyone for volunteering, supporting and donating to St. Ann’s. Your seeds that you have planted and continue to plant help young moms blossom into extraordinary women that have a community to support them.”
The Hope Blossoms event for St. Ann’s was chaired by Pam and Dennis Lucey.
As the evening concluded, Steele thanked people for their generosity and said, “It really does take a village to raise a child, and it really does matter when the village comes together for those in need.”
For information on St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families, go to www.stanns.org .
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