Mary planned to retire at age 55 to help care for her mother. But her mother died several months prior to Mary's retirement. She retired anyway, realizing that she now had an opportunity to pursue her lifelong desire of becoming a full-time lay missionary.
"I was fortunate to find Cabrini Mission Corps. Being a lay missioner isn't something people can do by themselves. I was attracted to Cabrini because they emphasized a sense of humor! It's been a wonderful, uplifting experience for me."
For two years, beginning in 1992, Mary worked out of Cabrini Medical Center's Social Work Department visiting elderly shut-ins in New York City. "Mostly what they wanted was company," she reflected. "They were surrounded by millions of people, but few touched their lives. I just talked with them, took them for walks, did shopping...ordinary tasks that let them know they're not alone."
In 1994, she worked with Save Our Street Children Foundation in the Philippines, and then in 1996 she was missioned to Australia to work with drug-addicted young people. "I do very ordinary kinds of services which seem to mean so much to people."
Her last ministry with Cabrini Mission Corps was in 1997 in New Orleans where she served as a teacher's aide at St. Louis Cathedral School. Mary is now a Cabrini Lay Missionary, one of those who serve in the Cabrinian Mission for an extended period of time.
Read about CMC Missioners
Back to top of page
last modified on
