How do you have faith in St. Louis?

I have three different time periods in my life as a Daughter of Charity (62 years) in which I have been privileged as a Daughter of Charity to work as a social worker in two St. Louis, Missouri agencies (Guardian Angel Settlement and Catholic Charities of St. Louis) that are committed to serve those who are the “poor” of St. Louis.

I have seen much growth, change and transformation over these same years in the systems functions to better assist the workers to help clients utilize opportunities that help them help themselves and strengthen their belief in themselves, and their success in managing their own lives successfully with some direction in this process to help them find their way.

I have witnessed educating our clients on how to use the city’s resources and systems that have generated new ways for parents to translate to their children and other family members what they had learned.

I have seen our families being directly empowered by the help they received from one worker who spoke reassuringly to the client that she had done the correct thing very well, that he himself believed in her and that she should be believing in herself—so much so, that she should share with her daughter how she set up a process of connecting with the resource worker who had helped her make this connection, for she now has a good budget plan.

I have been told by many folks coming to our agency that our agency gives them hope.
You bet, I believe and I have faith in St. Louis, in my community, and in Guardian Angel Settlement because of all the reasons above. We are learning to be a hand up rather than a hand out.

Sister Annalee Faherty, D.C.
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul

Story originally published on The Saint Louis Catholic Sisters website. Happy National Catholic Sisters Week to Sister Annalee Faherty!