As a St. Rita parishioner and member of the community in Alexandria, Maggie Holley has become a selfless presence, but her story began across the ocean in rural Ireland.
Coming from a family with nine siblings, four brothers and four sisters, Holley was raised by her mother after her father passed away when she was 12 and her youngest sibling was only 6 months old. “We were lucky in that our extended family and community helped us a lot,” she recalls. “My mom was an amazing Catholic, she raised nine children on her own … she had an amazing faith and passed that on to us.”
Growing up in Catholic Ireland, her faith became a part of daily life. “I remember during Lent we would get up and cycle five miles to the 8 a.m. Mass,” she said. Most of her schooling, too, was spent under the watchful eye of nuns from the local convent.
After finishing her schooling, Holley decided to go back to school to become a nurse, because she always felt a calling towards helping others. That calling led her to serve the people of Central and South America for four years.
She spent approximately 18 months in Colombia working with a Catholic organization out of England. She later returned home briefly before working with Save the Children in Honduras for two and a half years.
“It was very much an eye opener, but I would say that the people I worked with — the people we worked for — were amazing,” she said, describing the combined stints as “a wonderful four years of my life.”
It was also life changing in another way as she met her husband, William, in Honduras while he was serving with the Peace Corps. Their meeting eventually led her to the U.S. They married in Newport News in 1986 and settled in Northern Virginia when her husband began working in Washington. They then made the decision to adopt their son and later their daughter.
Becoming a mother strengthened Holley’s faith, she says. She wanted her children to be raised with the same values she was. “The adoption of my son, there’s no doubt in my mind it did completely help my faith. I always go back to my mom,” she said. “A lot has to come from her when it comes to religion, how she raised us.”
When her son needed volunteer hours for his confirmation, she was brought to Sister of Notre Dame de la Salette Aniliza Juan at diocesan Catholic Charities Christ House in Alexandria, where she then began volunteering at the food pantry and clothing closet.
She currently volunteers at Christ House three days a week. “I think in the back of my mind people were so good to us growing up that I want to give back,” she said. “I get a lot more out of it than I give. For me, it’s wonderful. I would hate to have to give up my three days that I volunteer.”
Her background serving in Latin America allowed her to better understand the people she helps, especially the Hispanic community. During her time in Honduras and Colombia she was able to learn Spanish, allowing her to communicate with the community, something she applies in her work today.
There have been many moments that stand out during her time volunteering. “It’s hard to pick one thing,” she said.
She recalls the time when a regular client needed help picking out an outfit for her grandson’s graduation, the first person in her family to go to college. At another moment, a formerly homeless man came in to show off his name tag after getting a job.
Holley, 75, is one of 40 volunteers nationwide featured in Catholic Charities USA’s storytelling exhibit, “People of Hope: Faith Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors,” set to launch in 2026.
“They had to persuade me. I don’t like talking in public but it’s for a good reason,” she said. “I think it’s good for people to volunteer … hopefully maybe just by seeing this they might think about it.”
While the church in her native Ireland does not have the same standing today that it did in her youth, Holley’s faith has stayed firm.
“As a Catholic, for me, I just have to believe my faith in God gets me through everything,” she said. “I believe in God and hopefully by being a Catholic and seeing that I do this work for Christ House that people will understand it’s part of my faith. It’s part of loving God and giving back to the community who originally helped me.”
