mary's house of hope

Bringing Hope to Unwed Mothers

By Henrietta Gomes
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the Issue of 5/10/07) mary's house

What once stood as an old farmhouse in the 1880s will soon represent a ray of light for women in crisis pregnancies who find themselves alone with no place to call home. With an increasing number of the homeless being pregnant women, and most shelters allowing residents to stay no longer than 89 days, The Good Shepherd Alliance, Inc. (GSA) has founded Mary’s House of Hope on the outskirts of Loudoun County, which will provide a safe haven for these women.
“We must be responsive to women who have no place to go when they’re pregnant,” said Deeda Calderazzo, a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Great Falls, who is also on the board for the new home. The residence in Purcellville, which will be dedicated this Saturday, May 12, will allow women to stay for two years while they get back on their feet. They will be cared for physically and spiritually, she noted.
The old house went through a major transformation, said Joy Trickett, chair of the board of directors at GSA, a non-profit organization that provides emergency housing, food, clothing and transportation and counseling for the homeless. With the assistance of a Loudoun County grant of $140,000 and major donations from various organizations, including roofing, plumbing, flooring, painting, the project is near completion. “It’s incredible what God has done,” she said.
The transitional housing exclusively for pregnant women who may already have a child is also aimed to educate the women and hopefully “break the cycle of unwed mothers,” said Calderazzo. She is a member of the Great Falls Ecumenical Council, which has been assisting with the endeavor that promotes family and the dignity of all human life.
“One of the things that is important is that these babies could have been aborted, but are going to live,” said Calderazzo with tears in her eyes. The babies, she said, are the “greatest gift God has given to these mothers. Life is precious.”
The house will be open to women from all walks of life, said Janet Kelley, also a member of the Great Falls Ecumenical Council, who has been assisting with the project. Each of the rooms in the home will represent various denominations involved in bringing the project to fruition, she explained. One of the rooms will be called the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta room.
The house is an ecumenical affair because “all churches are pro-life or should be,” said Trickett, who belongs to Dranesville Church of the Brethren in Loudoun County.
The GSA first realized the need for housing for women in crisis pregnancy when many of their clients at their various transitional housing were pregnant, said Trickett. It became evident that the women needed special care that could not be met by their regular homeless shelters, she said.
The home will open to (up to) three women this summer, and one of the bedrooms in the four-bedroom house will be used by a monitor, provided by GSA, who will oversee the house.
Living in the home will provide women with spiritual guidance and education opportunities. “The mom gets a second chance and the baby gets a chance,” said Trickett.
Teachers from Siena Academy, the parish school of St. Catherine of Siena, have offered to provide training in Montessori education to the women who will reside in the house. Doctors and nurses in Loudoun County have also offered to volunteer their time and services for the women.
The name of the house itself explains exactly what it will be, said Calderazzo, adding that non-Catholics chose the name for the house honoring the Blessed Mother.
Calling it a “gift from God,” Calderazzo said the house is nothing short of a miracle. “It’s a joy doing His work,” she said. “You see miracles all the time.”
For more information about the house go to www.loudounhomeless.org.

Henrietta Gomes can be reached at hgomes@catholicherald.com