The 2008 Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice was presented on Saturday, January 24th, 2010 at 6pm to:

Mary McHale

Mary started her life of service by volunteering right here at the Paulist Center in 1958!  At that time, Mary accepted a friend’s invitation to become a founding member of the Boston chapter of the Legion of Mary.  Several years later, one of the volunteer projects that this group took on was trying to deter women from working in and frequenting the Boston’s Combat Zone.  Legionaires, like Mary, provided a safe presence to women who walked the streets and visited the bars in the South End and Kenmore Square encouraging them to lead a different life. The legionaires talked about opening a Sancta Maria House like the one that had been opened in their headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, as well as other countries and US cities.  This residence would provide a safe haven for these women who did not have a place to go.  So, in 1972, the local chapter of the Legion of Mary formed a non-profit organization and purchased a four-story building in the South End and Sancta Maria House of Boston was born.  This 10-bed shelter, staffed entirely by volunteers – no one has ever been paid a salary – has been serving homeless women for nearly 38 years.  More than 3,000 homeless guests are cared for every year.  While Mary was a founding member of the Sancta Maria House, and volunteered there on a daily basis, she did not become House Mother until 1989.    During many of those years, Mary worked full-time at an insurance company going to work during the day and serving at Sancta Maria House at night.  She recently stepped down at as House Mother, but continues to volunteer there.

Information and Nomination Guidelines

Since 1974, the Paulist Center Community has presented the Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice to an outstanding North American Catholic. Recipients of the award have included locally and nationally recognized women and men -- lay people, sisters, priests, and bishops. Some have been involved in direct service to those in need, others in advocacy work and the transformation of structures and institutions. Many of the recipients have been committed to both these dimensions of social action. Most of them overtly and directly connected their faith and action. All have been committed to building a more just and peaceful world. Please view our list of past recipients.

Isaac Hecker, founder of the Paulist Fathers, was particularly concerned with the growth and development of American Catholicism. Isaac Hecker and the early Paulists devoted themselves to mission preaching, communication of the Word of God. Hecker's spirituality involved looking to the heart, listening to the Spirit, and living in America. The Award was named to honor Isaac Hecker.

Typical nominations, from Paulist Center Community Members, are 5-10 pages in length, with a cover letter expressing the specific reasons for which you nominate the person(s). Nominations include:

• Biographical information with details pertinent to your nomination.
• Detailed description of nominee's social justice activities or project; include how the nominee calls the Paulist Center to further its social mission.
• Supportive information abut other social justice activities in which the nominee has been involved, e.g., articles about or by nominee.
• Names and contact information of two references.

The Committee has only your written nomination upon with to consider your nominee. Please contact the Center for this year's nomination deadline.