Marycare Founder Passes; Mission Moves Forward

When Anne Bates, founder and president of the New Haven based nonprofit Marycare, passed away in December, her shared vision to develop a health center for the underserved people of Ejemekwuru, Nigeria, an unofficial sister ​“village” embraced by many Westville Village residents, had been realized.

But the hard work of staffing and maintaining the clinic had just begun.

In recent years, an annual fundraiser to help with the building and support of the fledgling Marycare Healthcare Center in Ejemekwuru has been held at St. Thomas More Golden Center on Park Street in New Haven. Initially, funds raised went to the clinic’s brick and mortar structure that rose with the hope and promise of a healthier future for the Ejemekwuru community.

Today, with walls in place, the clinic is trying to respond to the growing pains of an over burdened and understaffed facility. Equipment and supplies remain an ongoing challenge, but successful fundraisers held at the Golden Center and supported by many New Haven residents, have helped with the clinic’s mission of saving and improving lives.

This year’s fundraiser, billed as an evening of ​“wine, food, entertainment and silent auction,” will offer traditional African textiles, arts and crafts among the many auction items. Anne Peper Perkins, co-author of Living True — Lesbian Women Share Stories of Faith, is the featured guest speaker at the event which takes place at the St. Thomas More Golden Center, 288 Park Street in New Haven, on April 28, from 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

Remaining with Anne Bates during her final hours at Branford Hospice last December was Emmanual, now the parish priest of St. Justin-St. Michael Church in North Hartford. The former assistant pastor at Westville’s St. Aedan and St. Brendan parishes on Whalley Avenue, developed strong ties with New Haven parishioners who wanted to do something special for him when he transitioned to Hartford.

Seeing a desperate need in his hometown of Ejemekwuru, Nigergia, for health care where infant mortality rates soared, waterborne diseases claimed thousands, and preventive health care screening was virtually nonexistent, Emmanual asked for help in building the health clinic through the auspices of Marycare, an organization to which he belonged and which had already brought life affirming, clean water stations, business and educational opportunities to his impoverished hometown and other needy communities.

In his announcement of Anne Bate’s death last December to the Marycare community, Fr. Emmanuel wrote, ​“I am saddened tonight that I have lost a friend, a sister, a mother and an icon of Christian love and charity, Anne Bates, the founder of our organization, Marycare.” Later, in his tribute and eulogy, Fr. Emmanuel acknowledged Bates’s influence on his life’s trajectory: ​“I was nobody, lost in Buenos Aires and God positioned you along the path of my prosperity. That forgettable individual you met in a city of over ten million people is today a priest, pastor of two churches, a Ph.D Candidate at Uconn in counseling psychology, and above all a true committed believer in touching hearts and changing lives.” With those words, Fr. Emmanuel also made a pledge: ​“As you helped God answer my prayers 18 years ago, so will I pay it forward by helping God answer the prayers of the often forgotten of our world through Marycare.”

According to the Marycare website, there are no paid administrative staff at Marycare and 95 percent of donations go to programs (5 percent to overhead costs), as the organization works around the sometimes corrupt governmental agencies that can undermine the work of the best intentioned, non-profit organizations. 

This year’s fundraising effort is dedicated to the memory of Anne Bates. To help support the ongoing work of the organization, donations may be sent to Marycare, 230 Blue Hills Ave., Hartford, CT 06112 or by visiting the Marycare website. For more information or tickets for the fundraising event, email joy.chance6@icloud.com, or call 860 – 680-1555.