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Archives Potsdam woman follows her heart to help pregnant women in Phoenix
Finding a place at Maggie’s Place

Aug. 27, 2014

By Kristina Dean
Staff writer

Following her heart led former Potsdam resident MaryCatherine Jadlos across the country to Phoenix, Arizona, to a place where, like a puzzle, she fits into the lives of troubled pregnant women, helping them to live within God’s plan.

In accordance with her amazing “fiat” or obedience to God’s call, Miss Jadlos lives and works at Maggie’s Place, an organization that provides ongoing support to help pregnant women in need reach their goals.

The 23-year-old began in her position as a MissionCorps member with Maggie’s Place in August of 2013, after finding it during a search on the internet.

Miss Jadlos said she always knew she wanted to work with youth.

“I had a bucket list of things I wanted in my dream position,” she said. “But in the end, it’s not about me, it’s about how God wants me to serve.

Passionate pro-lifer
“I wanted a Catholic organization,” she said. “I’ve always been passionate about the pro-life movement; I was raised with those values. I started to look at programs for teen pregnancies and young women. That’s where I’ve been drawn. That and family life. The concept of a strong family foundation was important to me.”
According to Miss Jadlos, God was definitely leading her to Maggie’s Place.

During college at SUNY Plattsburgh, majoring as a communication disorders major for speech pathology and audiology, she struggled to discern whether that was what God was calling me to do with my life,” she said. During her senior year she began to search, looking into areas such as social justice.

Her a search included a night on the internet  on a Catholic volunteer network. One click led to another click on a link that took her to Maggie’s Place.

“I very randomly stumbled on the Maggie's Place website after aimlessly clicking through links on the internet, and immediately upon finding it, I could not contain my excitement,” she said.

“From that point on I knew,” she said. “This is the place. It has a dynamic community, solidarity, a Eucharistic chapel in every home. That’s exactly what I was looking for.”

Miss Jadlos lives in one of three hospitality homes in the Phoenix area where food, clothing, and shelter are provided to pregnant mothers.

Additionally, Maggie’s Place establishes a supportive community and safe environment while they develop the skills they need to live independently eventually.

The women are also connected to appropriate agencies and resources including prenatal care, health insurance, low-cost housing and educational programs.

Days rooted in prayer
Miss Jadlos’ day is rooted in prayer, through the Liturgy of the Hours said at morning and evening, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Rosary.

“If I need a break or a minute to myself, we have a chapel,” she said. “I love being able to have a moment with God, and to ask, ‘How best can I serve you today?’”

Miss Jadlos said God is working through everyone, both volunteers and the mothers who live there.

“I am continually amazed and humbled every day at how God is moving in the lives of everyone who lives in Maggie’s Place, everyone in the coordinating office, the donors, volunteers, corps members, everyone who said yes to this call to love even when it’s tough or uncomfortable or difficult,” she said.

“Working with the moms is also quite an experience,” she said. “There’s a lot of laughs, but tough times and sad times. There is a time every day when I say, ‘Wow. Thank you God for being a part of our everyday lives and for (being a part of) the moms’ lives.’”

“We love as much as we can, and do as much as we can for them. It’s humbling and inspiring, as well as exciting,” she said.

Welcoming community
Designed to be a welcoming community, the hospitality homes allow women who meet the criteria to live there at any stage of their pregnancy, until their child is six months old, although they can stay longer depending on individual circumstances.

Often these mothers come from complicated situations, and can have backgrounds that include previous drug use, rape, abusive relationships, and can have limited education, little understanding of self-worth, no employment history and mental illness.

Maggie’s Place creates a safe environment for the mother and baby to focus on healing, taking care of themselves and their babies, and matching the mothers up with skills they need to live independently eventually.

“Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen a lot of successes,” Miss Jadlos said. “We have a community celebration, and recognize every little gift we’ve been given. That’s kind of what makes us unique. One mom said we’re just like puzzle pieces, we all come together. We are pieces that don’t make sense, but Maggie’s Place makes the puzzle pieces fit together.”

Most of what Maggie’s Place provides for the mothers are met through donations, said Miss Jadlos. Citing Divine Providence, she attributes God for providing everything. Trusting God not only provides the houses with food and clothing, but with anything else needed such as the correct words to say and energy to do their jobs, she said.jadlos

“It’s about trust and saying, ‘I believe you will provide.’ It’s such a call, a vocation to love. This is a different and new way. It’s always exciting to see how God moves,” she said.

In the North Country
Miss Jadlos served as assistant director at Camp Guggenheim in Saranac Lake this summer but is now back in Phoenix to work another year at Maggie’s Place.

She eventually plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work and counseling. She’d like to focus on family life and possibly working more with women.

Miss Jadlos attended St. Mary’s School in Potsdam, and was a parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Newman Center in Potsdam, then St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Canton. During college, she was part of the Newman Center and St. John the Baptist parishes and worked at St. Alexander’s as youth minister. Miss Jadlos is a former camper at Guggenheim from the time she was 12, and has been a staff member since 2010.

 

Photo supplied
Potsdam native MaryCatherine Jadlos left her summer job as assistant camp director at Guggenheim to return for a second year on the staff of Maggie’s Place in Phoenix, Arizona which provides support for pregnant women in need. She is shown above with one of the Maggie’s Place babies at the center’s Christmas party.

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