February 02, 2009
Anyone not in the know could be forgiven for believing Pat Shea
is the momma referred to in Mommas House.
Perhaps it’s her eyes, warm with the compassion she so clearly
feels for pregnant young women, or the steely authority lurking
just beneath the surface when she discusses the rules the residents
must follow. Or maybe it’s the passion for her work and the love
you sense she has for those she has helped. “It obviously was in
God’s plan that this is what I should be doing with my life,” Shea
says. “It’s about opening yourself up to being led to where you are
supposed to be.”
For the record, there is no momma in MOMMAS House, as it stands
for “Mary Our Model Mothering Adolescent Services.” Shea is the
executive director and founder of the Long Island, NY- based
organization that aids young, single, homeless mothers ages 17 to
21 years and their babies. The young women and their children live
in a residential home for a maximum of two years where the mothers
are able to continue their education or vocational experience while
also receiving support for life skills such as parenting and
personal finance. Each home provides daycare for the children as
well as a social worker and the goal is to enable the young women
to become self sufficient and responsible parents. They have
chores, rules to follow and their own room. For some, it’s the
first time they have had such stability and structure. “It’s a
family atmosphere,” Shea says simply.
At the head of that family is Shea — herself the mother of five
— who spends as much time with the children and their mothers as
she does attending to her administrative duties. She fights for the
residents, pulling together funding from grants and donations. She
understands the young women she serves and they instinctively feel
her sincerity. “We love their babies and we think [the mothers] are
wonderful and courageous,” Shea says. “Our expectations are
realistic because we know where many of the girls are coming
from.”
MOMMAS House began in 1986 as an outgrowth of Birthright of
Nassau/Suffolk County, which provides pregnancy services for young
women. Shea says it soon became apparent that these young
mothers-to-be also needed housing so volunteers started taking them
into their homes. “Very quickly we realized that they needed a lot
more than a bed to sleep in, they needed a whole program,” Shea now
recalls. “They needed schooling, training and parenting classes so
we had to develop something more viable.” Moved by the need for
such a program, a prayer group committed themselves to praying for
MOMMAS House and one of the group’s members, Joe Haley, so believed
in the concept that he purchased a home and the first MOMMAS House
opened in Wantagh, NY.
That original house closed and other homes sprouted throughout
Long Island in Malverne, Brookville and Glen Cove thanks in part to
the generosity of parishes which offered the use of buildings, rent
free. In 2002, the program moved out of the Malverne location and a
year later the organization purchased a home in East Massapequa,
NY, to serve as transitional housing for MOMMAS House residents to
move to when they complete living in the group home. The Brookville
location closed after 14 years, and the organization relocated to a
home in Jericho, NY. A third home recently opened in Hempstead,
NY.
Running a not-for-profit organization was not at all the career
path Shea planned. She was a math major in The School of Education
while at St. John’s with plans to teach, but that never happened.
At the University, she was recruited to participate in mission work
for the summer in Mexico which she did right after graduation. “I
had never seen real poverty and the effects it had on people,
especially the children,” she says. “I came back and decided I
wasn’t going to teach.” Instead, she opted to go into social work.
Her father, John Connell '35C, was more than a bit surprised at her
change of plans. “He could barely speak for about a week,” Shea
says, smiling.
Many of the participants today are thankful for Shea’s change of
heart. Joan Phillips was one of the first residents of the Wantagh
location more than 20 years ago and now is a married mother of
three. But back then, Phillips was a young, unmarried mother whose
family told her she couldn’t come home with her baby. “Raising a
child alone is scary and society puts a lot of pressure on these
girls,” Phillips says. “Pat sees the success these girls can become
and she doesn’t even look for a thank you.” Shea’s help had such a
profound influence on Phillips life that she now works for MOMMAS
House as a supervisor and serves on the Board of Directors. She
can’t say enough wonderful things about the woman who was there for
her in her time of need. “Pat has a huge heart and she is just so
kind,” says Phillips, who recently completed a master’s degree in
social work. “She just gives and gives and gives.”
Shea is also generous to alma mater. Students have
ventured to the homes to participate in service-learning projects
and Service Day activities and Shea has returned to campus to speak
about her experiences. Belenna Lauto, an associate professor of
fine arts at St. John’s, first started volunteering at MOMMAS House
in 1997 and has also served on the board. Over the years, she has
photographed the residents and borne witness to the bond between
Shea and the young mothers. “I remember once Pat threw a birthday
party for one of the girls and the girl burst into tears because
she had never had a birthday cake before,” Lauto recalls. “She
really gives them hope.” Shea also takes a personal interest in
their lives, Lauto says. “Pat is really like a Mom to them and
she’s very strict,” Lauto says. “If they don’t follow the rules
they can’t stay there and I think that’s very important because she
teaches them accountability.” Each home has only a few residents
and Shea dreams of the day she can open a building with apartments
for residents as well as space for a job training program, a
healthcare site and a daycare facility that would be open to the
community. And, of course, she desires to see more group homes. “We
could fill 10 houses,” she says. “The need is great. Nobody else
was addressing the need at the time we started and it still is
woefully inadequate to the amount of young women and their babies
that need to be someplace safe.”
Shea’s daughter, Deirdre Shea '04C, serves as assistant director
and the elder Shea says she feels a deep sense of relief that when
she is ready to retire, her daughter will be able to continue her
vision of helping mothers and their children. For Pat Shea, there
can be no greater calling. “I truly feel blessed that I found work
to do that impacts people’s lives,” Shea says. “I really feel that
I have been able to reach some people and help them. What more can
you ask for in life than to know that you have made things a little
bit better for someone else while you are here?”