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November 1, 2024By Maria Young | The Catholic Free Press
Mercy Centre, an entity of Catholic Charities Worcester County, currently located at 25 West Chester St. in Worcester, is slated to relocate to 216 West Boylston St. in West Boylston in March.
Catholic Charities Worcester County announced at the same time the beginning of their first ever capital campaign which seeks to raise $2.5 million of the $5.8 million cost to move to West Boylston. The remaining $3.3 million will come from the sale of Mercy Centre on West Chester Street.
There is a rising need for programs like Mercy Centre, especially since the closure of other similar programs in the area in recent years, said Lauren Morocco, development and communications administrator for Catholic Charities Worcester County.
The new Mercy Centre building is being “created from the bottom up,” said Ms. Morocco. The clients’ “needs come first.”
She said that everything will be on one floor which “is great for clients with mobility issues,” there will be bigger bathrooms and doorways, a horticulture room and an outdoor area.
Mercy Centre was established in 1961 by the Sisters of Mercy as Our Lady of Mercy School to teach children with special needs. Over sixty years later, Mercy Centre now functions as a “comprehensive support center” for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“The new Mercy Centre has been designed to best serve the needs of all our clients to empower them through the various programs,” said Timothy J. McMahon, executive director of Catholic Charities Worcester County.
“For too many years we have been trying to adapt a building which was designed as a school for children to serve the varied vocational and day-hab needs of adults. We are thrilled to be able to soon offer a facility that reflects the high-quality of care and programming we provide to our clients.”
The new facility on West Boylston St. will also house administrative and program management offices that are currently located at the West Chester St. location after having moved there from Crozier House on Hammond St., after their expansion last year.
Mercy Centre offers four programs to its adult clients – Employment Support, Group Supported Employment, Community-Based Day Supports and the Day Habilitation Program – all of which “aim to provide quality enhancement of life through meaningful work and/or volunteerism,” a statement from Catholic Charities said.
In 1969 Mercy Centre “instituted a vocational training program ... to offer a continuum of care for their clients,” said a statement from Catholic Charities Worcester County.
In June 2014, the school closed due to decreasing enrollment and as “the need for a school waned with the adoption of inclusion programs in many public-school systems,” the release said.
But the adult program, for people aged 22 and older, continued. Today there are between 50 and 60 clients at Mercy Centre, said Ms. Morocco.
“I know first-hand that these programs make a huge difference in the lives of people facing these challenges,” said Daniel Ricciardi, president of the board of directors. “This new facility will just elevate the level of high-quality care and service we offer today and make it possible to accept over 100 clients in the near future.”
The release listed other improvements that Catholic Charities has made to facilities in recent years to better serve their clients.
“The Family Shelter moved to Caroline St., Worcester following the major renovation of the former convent building of St. Stephen School. The Women’s Recovery Program in Leominster was opened in the renovated convent building of St. Cecilia Parish; the Crozier House Men’s Recovery program recently completed an expansion in the Hammond Street location, along with a re-design and renovation of the Worcester food pantry and Emergency Stabilization program. All four regional offices have undergone improvements; new offices have opened in Milford and Gardner and another satellite office is planned to open at St. Peter Parish in Northbridge.”
“Up until now, we have been fortunate to raise the funding necessary for the millions of dollars that have been spent on various building improvements,” said Mr. Ricciardi. “This latest effort requires help ...”
– More information about Mercy Centre and Catholic Charities Worcester County can be found at www. ccworc.org.
