Who was Sr. Marion Agnes…

Sr. Marion Agnes grew up on Cape Cod and was a true New Englander. She professed her first vows as a Missionary Servant in 1944. Her most notable ministries were: the North Alabama Missions, General Councilor in Philadelphia, Lower East Side Manhattan, and Trinita in Connecticut. As the founder of Nazareth Homes in 1985 she oversaw an urban homesteading project that turned abandoned apartment buildings into housing for the poor. She received a PhD from Fordham in 1969.

Public Recognition

In 2006, Nazareth Homes renamed a newly re-habbed building “Marion Agnes House” located at 206 East 4th Street. In 2008, Nazareth Homes honored her the Legacy Award for her many years of service to provide housing for low-income families in Lower East Side Manhattan.

This is what Missionary Servants do…

… because she helped those in need recognize their own power to direct their lives. She was a power for good. This means that she didn’t simply help homeless families, she enabled them to organize, plan, and achieve their goals through “sweat equity.” She worked to help families find stability and strength as family through her many years of service at all of her missions. Read more about Sr. Marion Agnes on the Nazareth Housing website and “Home at Last,” in Catholic New York (02/02/06) by John Woods.