CHARLOTTE — After a nationwide search, the board of directors of MiraVia has selected Debbie Capen, former assistant director of the organization, to lead MiraVia in wake of the retirement of longtime executive director Jeannie Wray.
MiraVia, which began as Room At The Inn in 1994, helps abortion-vulnerable women choose life and build independent, healthy lives for themselves and their children. MiraVia offers life skills classes, material assistance and moral support to the women who come to them for help – free of charge. Since its founding, MiraVia has helped nearly 7,000 women and their children at its outreach facility in Charlotte.
In 2012, it opened a 10,000-square-foot maternity home next to Belmont Abbey College which can house up to 15 young women with an unplanned pregnancy who want to complete their college education and care for their babies. To date, MiraVia has provided this free housing to 13 mothers and 10 children.
Jordan Raniszeski, president of the MiraVia board of directors, shared the news of Capen’s selection on MiraVia’s website.
“Debbie’s experiences as the former chairperson of Charlotte Right to Life, and time spent working with organizations like North Carolina Right to Life, Silent No More and 40 Days for Life, as well as her nine years of experience at MiraVia, make her uniquely suited to lead our organization,” he said.
Capen recalls how she first became involved in the work of MiraVia.
“In 2001 my husband Jon and I were invited to our first MiraVia banquet (then Room At The Inn), and I was profoundly touched by the beauty and passion of the mission,” she said. “That night, I felt a strong call to do more to help women choose life for their babies. It was then that Jon and I began seeking out more meaningful ways to volunteer and help advance the culture of life.”
When she joined MiraVia in 2008 as its assistant director, it was an opportunity to live out her Catholic faith through service, she said.
“Each day has been a blessing. Over the past nine years, I have seen first-hand what can be accomplished when people of faith work together to help the most vulnerable members of our society. Each mother and child we serve is a living testament to the love of God.
“It is an honor to be a part of MiraVia and I look forward to carrying on its life-saving mission,” she said.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
HUNTERSVILLE — While the Jubilee Year of Mercy is officially over, the need to perform corporal and spiritual works of mercy never ends. As Pope Francis has said, “Christ’s followers are called to continue His saving mission” – a mission of mercy. The Friendly Visitors Ministry at St. Mark Church in Huntersville combines both corporal and spiritual works.
While Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion visit various nursing homes and hospitals to bring the Blessed Sacrament to homebound Catholics, the Friendly Visitors are just that: friendly visitors. Or to put it another way, visiting friends. They provide a friendly face to those who may not otherwise have many visitors. The program reminds them they have a church family and are members of God’s family.
The Friendly Visitors program began at St. Mark when Monsignor Joseph A. Kerin, then pastor, challenged his staff to form a program to go out into the community and befriend people in need.
It is now chaired by Leanne Vaccaro, the Young at Heart Ministry coordinator. The Young at Heart Ministry encompasses 13 different ministries, and the Friendly Visitors Ministry is one of them. It is comprised of 28 people who visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Huntersville and Charlotte including Huntersville Oaks, Old Knox Commons, Ranson Ridge, Carillon Assisted Living, Special Touch Living, Senior Care Carolinas, as well as The Laurels and The Haven in Highland Creek.
“The Friendly Visitors Ministry is a beautiful and much-needed ministry because it provides outreach to those who are not able to get to church and practice their faith,” Vaccaro says. “It also cultivates friendships for both the homebound and Friendly Visitor.”
Susan Liuzzo has served with the Friendly Visitors program for a year and a half.
As her mother’s caregiver, she found herself constantly at the nursing home with her. “I saw things from the inside out,” she says. “There are some that are forgotten by family. So being a Friendly Visitor starts a conversation with them.”
“I started out thinking I was doing something nice for them, and yet I am the one who receives an unexpected treasure each time I visit with them as they have so many stories to tell and history to share,” she said.
One of the parishioners who enjoys regular visits is Thomasina Carr, who is a resident at Huntersville Oaks.
“The Friendly Visitors program helps me stay connected to St. Mark’s,” Carr says. “It allows me to visit with lots of people. It keeps me busy as it includes different services.”
Visits are flexible and based on both the Friendly Visitor’s schedule and the schedule of the person they visit. Often the volunteers provide rides to church or take a resident to lunch. Individuals, couples and families can expand their faith practices and provide a large variety of services to those who need it most, and training for new volun-teers is available.
— Diana Patulak Ross, Correspondent