New Hampshire Catholic Charities was founded by Bishop Matthew F. Brady in 1945 and incorporated March 7, 1946. Monsignor James R. McGreal was appointed the agency's first Diocesan Director by Bishop Brady. From an initial staff of three, Catholic Charities has grown to become the largest private, non-profit, social service agency in New Hampshire, employing nearly 850 employees.
Shortly after being appointed the Bishop of Manchester, Bishop Brady invited Monsignor John O' Grady, the secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Charities, to do a survey of existing social services in New Hampshire and to recommend those that were needed. The report, compiled after an extensive study from several months, shaped the sphere of activities for the newly-founded New Hampshire Catholic Charities. Clearly the focus was to be on the young and the aged.
At that time, orphanages were common. One of the first tasks for Catholic Charities was to coordinate and assume financial management of the six orphanages that were managed by religious communities in New Hampshire. In assessing the needs of the orphans, it became apparent that additional services were needed. This led to the development of programs designed for working with families to prevent unnecessary placement of children in the orphanages, including the Adoption Services program. Social workers were hired to act as caseworkers for the children. Foster homes and adoptive homes were a relatively new idea at the time, and Catholic Charities was instrumental in placing truly orphaned children in these settings. This came about from an emerging belief that it was in the best interest of children to be raised in a family, not in an institutional setting.
O' Grady's study also focused on the needs of the elderly. In 1946, there were four small homes for the elderly under Catholic custodianship in Manchester, serving a total of 89 persons. Responding to the study's recommendations, Catholic Charities began plans to construct its first two nursing homes. In 1948, Catholic Charities opened St. Teresa's Manor (Manchester) and St. Francis Home (Laconia). Two more homes were opened during Monsignor McGreal's administration; St. Ann (Dover) in 1958 and St. Vincent de Paul (Berlin) in 1963.
In 1963, Monsignor McGreal was succeeded by Monsignor John E. Molan, whose tenure as the director marked the beginning of the expansion of social service programs and continued growth in services for the elderly.
Counseling services continued to expand. In the early 1960's, Catholic Charities' social service department grew not only through meeting the needs of orphaned children through the adoption services program, but by offering individual, marital, and family counseling. Currently, Catholic Charities provides statewide counseling services to anyone, regardless of age, sex, race, religion, or ability to pay.
In 1968, the last orphanage closed. The remaining ten children who had not been placed in adoptive or foster families were transferred to St. Charles Children's Home in Rochester, NH. Founded in 1913 as an orphanage, today St. Charles is operated by Catholic Charities as a residential home for 25 children.
Catholic Charities' fifth and largest nursing home, Mt. Carmel, was opened in Manchester in 1969.
In an effort to provide counseling on a more consistent basis, the first regional office opened in Littleton in 1971, followed by a second in Keene in 1972.
Social services continued to expand and, in 1973, Consultation Services for Clergy and Religious was established. This specialized office provides psychological and counseling services to clergy and religious, as well as educational programs for religious leaders.
In 1977, Monsignor John P. Quinn followed Monsignor Molan as the third Director of Catholic Charities. Under Monsignor Quinn's leadership, Parish Social Ministry, the third major phase of Catholic Charities, was developed. It began in 1977 in Lebanon and was designed to decentralize some of Catholic Charities' services by providing direct assistance at the local level through the training of volunteers. Since then, eight more district offices opened, covering the remainder of the state and, today, services continue to expand.
As the needs and numbers of healthy, older adults increased, a new range of services developed, Catholic Charities began its Elderly Service program in 1978. The staff provided case management, information and referral, counseling, and support groups for older adults and their families.
Begun in the mid 1970's with the end of the Vietnam War, Catholic Charities formally began helping refugees requesting resettlement in New Hampshire in 1979. The agency assisted with sponsorship and initial resettlement of refugees, by providing them with orientation and case management services. An extensive program was developed for resettling unaccompanied refugee minors. When the number of refugees declined, Catholic Charities expanded its services to include immigration counseling, help with family reunification, citizenship classes and test center services.
At the same time, special services for the deaf were beginning to take shape. These services have been expanded to all persons with disabilities. The Disabilities Office has received national awards and recognition for its leadership in helping the disabled.
In 1979, district offices opened in Nashua and Concord, followed by offices in Portsmouth (now Rochester) and Berlin in 1980 and then in Salem and Laconia in 1981. As with other such district offices, counseling, information and referral, and community outreach services are offered to the local population.
In 1982, the OUR PLACE program was created in Manchester. OUR PLACE assists pregnant and parenting teens and young adults from the stages of pregnancy through early childhood years.
On World Food Day in 1984, the New Hampshire Food Bank proudly opened its doors. Serving as the only food warehouse distribution center in the state, the Food Bank's current approach to ending hunger includes developing programs to help educate its member agencies, starting a Mobile Food Pantry, and expanding Operation Frontline, a program of Share Our Strength. Each year, the Food Bank distributes nearly 5 million pounds of donated and surplus food to close to 350 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, day care centers, senior citizen homes, and substance abuse treatment centers. These member agencies in turn provide food to the nearly 100,000 hungry men, women, and children throughout New Hampshire.
In 1986, Project Rachel was initiated to provide specialized counseling for those who have experienced emotional pain as a result of abortion. Social service staff has assisted other agencies in forming their own Project Rachel programs.
Because of the expansion of Catholic Charities' programs, a shortage of space developed at the administration office in Manchester. In 1987, all counseling and outreach staff who serve the greater Manchester area moved to the Carpenter Center to form the Manchester District Office - the last of ten regional offices to be established.
In 1988, Catholic Charities built new nursing homes at the St. Teresa and St. Francis locations to replace the existing original homes. The old homes were then renovated into 25 unit apartment buildings, which now provide economical, service-enhanced independent living to New Hampshire senior residents.
In 1990, Catholic Charities assumed ownership of an existing nursing home in Jaffrey renaming it Good Shepherd. This nursing home was renovated and expanded in 1994 and is known as Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
In 1992 New Hampshire Catholic Charities opened the office of Immigration & Refugee Services.
Their work today includes:
- Adjustment of Status
- Consular Assistance
- Religious Visas
- Political Asylum
- Assisting with Petitions for Relative Visas
- Temporary Protected Status
- Application for Naturalization
- Violence Against Women Consultations and Assistance (VAWA)
In 1996, St. Charles Children's Home began its running program to help the children cope with the stress and anger which often accompanies placement and separation issues. Since then, every year, on Labor Day, the St. Charles Children's Home 5K Road Race is held at Pease International Tradeport.
In 1998, Catholic Charities built a new nursing home at St. Ann in Dover to replace the existing original home. The old nursing home was then renovated to create the Bishop Gendron Apartments. Now known as the Bishop Gendron Senior Living Community, these apartments provide service-enhanced independent living for seniors.
In 2003, St. Vincent de Paul Healthcare Center undertook a project to make outdoor garden areas more accessible to residents. The local Kiwanis Club adopted the garden project as their community project. With their support, there are now paved walkways, raised gardens, as shaded patio area, a gazebo, and a wheelchair accessible glider swing.
As of 2005, more than 2000 children had been placed in loving homes thanks to the adoption services program. Today, the agency continues to place infants, facilitate private and International adoptions, and provide post-adoptive services to birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted persons.
In 2006, Mt. Carmel Rehabilitation and Nursing Center began a renovation program to update the facility. Changes included adding central air conditioning, a fully automatic sprinkler system, and upgrading furnishings and décor.
In 2007, with a greater focus on rehabilitation and short-term patient care, the healthcare centers owned by New Hampshire Catholic Charities officially changed their names to reflect their current services. Each center was renamed Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. The three apartment buildings were also renamed to Senior Living Communities.
Historically, Catholic Charities has continued to expand and change its services to meet the needs of an ever-changing society. Orphanages - a primary focus at the beginning agency - no longer exist and services are now geared toward helping meet the needs of young mothers who keep their babies. The initial emphasis on the chronically ill elderly has broadened to include services that allow people to "age in place" in their own environment. Some of the original services have been replaced with programs that better serve the current needs of New Hampshire residents.
There is no reason to doubt that as New Hampshire Catholic Charities celebrates its 63rd anniversary, the agency will continue in the tradition of responding to and meeting the needs of the people of New Hampshire.
