Teen moms find haven in Merrick

Merokeans opened their hearts and one special home to families in need on Oct. 6.

Mary's Residence, a new home for unwed teenage mothers, is complete after volunteers spent months renovating the two-story house next to Curé of Ars Roman Catholic Church on Merrick Avenue.

Owned and run by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Rockville Centre, Mary’s Residence is an extension of Regina Residence, a 40-year-old program offering housing and social services to young single mothers.

Felicia Adeen, 19, a Regina "graduate," and her son Ameer, 2, will be the first family to call Mary's Residence home. "Regina residence has come a long way with me. If it wasn't for them, I don't know where my son and I would be," said Adeen, adding that her father, a single parent, asked her to leave home when she became pregnant. The baby's father also wanted nothing to do with her, she said.

While living at Regina, Adeen graduated from high school, started college, has been steadily employed and is saving to buy a car that she will drive if she passes her road test next month.

According to Laura Cassell, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities, Mary's Residence was designed with girls like Adeen in mind. It will be a home for young mothers who are in what Cassel called a "transitional" period and have already learned many of the lessons that Regina has to offer. Unlike Regina, which is staffed full time and has a long waiting list of expectant mothers hoping for beds, Mary's Residence, next door, has no staff and can house up to three mothers and three children.

Cassell said that acquiring the house that is now Mary's Residence has long been a dream of Catholic Charities, but for many reasons that dream seemed unattainable. "This is sort of a fairy-tale story," she said, explaining that an elderly man who lived in the house was a longtime worshiper at Curé of Ars. When he died, Cassel said, Catholic Charities considered purchasing his home, but housing prices were too high. As the real-estate market started to decline, the late owner's family approached Catholic Charities, saying they would sell it for whatever the organization could afford.

More than 100 students and their families from Chaminade High School in Mineola, Kellenberg High School in Uniondale and St. Martin de Porres Elementary School in Uniondale volunteered time on weekends and over the summer. Together, they turned the house, which needed major repair work, into a warm and inviting haven for new families.

"I used to sit and look out my window at the progress being made, and I must admit, I had concerns if things would ever come together," Adeen said.

Tom Engelhart of North Merrick, a senior at Chaminade, spent 10 weekends over the summer gutting, painting, dry-walling and landscaping at Mary's Residence. “I feel really proud of everything,” he said. “Regina's such a great part of our community.”

Maria Korzekwinski, a teacher who lives in North Merrick, brought students to volunteer over the summer. The experience gave them "a sense of accomplishment," she said.