Casa de Esperanza
   P. O. Box 66581
   Houston, TX  77266-6581
   (713) 529-0639

Spring/Summer 2005 Newsletter

The Paul Daugherty Award:  Mary Patricia Hennessy, SSM
In 1982, Paul Daugherty, a Houston attorney, demonstrated his faith in Kathy Foster and Bill Jones by donating the initial $500 that allowed Kathy and Bill to open the first Casa shelter.
The Paul Daugherty award is an annual recognition to people who have enabled Casa to grow.

Sister Mary Patricia Hennessey

Of all the people who have been honored with the Paul Daugherty Award,
no recipient has been as universally loved and respected as
Mary Patricia Hennessy, a Sister of  St. Mary of Namur. 

By the time she was in fourth grade Mary Patricia Hennessey’s family had settled permanently in Fort Worth and she was attending a Catholic school under the direction of the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur. She was very good in school—better than she was at home, she admits. Sister Mary Patricia went on to junior college, also directed by the Sisters, where she had a classical education, with a major in Latin and a minor in Greek—an education which she feels gave her breadth of vision.

 A Religious Life Eventually Leads to Casa
After her first year of college, Mary Patricia entered the religious order where she had been a student. Before she came to Casa her work as a Sister was in education and administration. The Sisters of St. Mary of Namur were founded in Belgium and Sister Mary Patricia spent six years there. One of those years she took on the role of Superior in a small town—one of the best times of her life.

Working with small children was not Sister Mary Patricia’s specialty. In her years of teaching she always did much better with the older children. When she tried to teach religion to second graders and tell them Bible stories, one of the other second graders would always have to follow up and retell the story in a way that was more satisfying to the class.

In 1982, Sister Mary Patricia, along with Kathy Foster, Bill Jones and others of the original group who formed the core of Casa, was working at Magnificat House, a residential facility for the chronically mentally ill. When Kathy and Bill received the original grant to begin Casa, Sister Mary Patricia, who was already approaching the age when many would have thought of retiring, joined with them and for the next 17 years was a mainstay of Casa. She worked in the homes and directed the home that cared for children with HIV/AIDS.

Never Say Never
Shortly after Casa was established, Sister Mary Patricia returned to Fort Worth for a meeting of her order. She told the Sisters all about Casa and what she was doing there. She also made the pronouncement that there were two things she would never do: 1. eat with children and 2. live with children. Returning to Casa she discovered that Kathy Foster had made new arrangements and that she, Sister Mary Patricia Hennessey, had been moved and would live in the house with the children.

Living and dining with the children was more than a small adjustment. Sister Mary Patricia recalls having to leave the dinner table one night, take refuge in her room and read a detective novel to regain her composure. It took a while, but Sister Mary Patricia Hennessey did learn to accept and thrive in her new role. She looks back on it now as the best thing that ever happened to her.  

“ …The children…they capture the heart and then proceed in their own marvelous and terrible way to give others more than they receive.” 

Sister Mary Patricia remembers a little boy who was part of the household—and part of her heart. When the child left to be adopted by a fine family who would give him a wonderful life Sister Mary Patricia knew this was the most wonderful thing that could happen to him, but felt it was the worst thing that ever happened to her.

Eventually, Sister Mary Patricia left her full-time house duty and went to the office where she served as receptionist and was the  first voice everyone heard when they called Casa. Her wisdom and gentle wit were always a stabilizing force in the often stressful office environment.

In 1999, Sister Mary Patricia returned to her mother house in Fort Worth. Although forced to slow down physically, Sister Mary Patricia continues to tutor, visit the sick and also work with the computer. 

Looking back on all her life’s work, Sister Mary Patricia explains that although she has no creativity, she has always had what she describes as “stickability.” She will persevere and succeed at what she has to do. Succeed she did, and still does.

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