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Mission & Ministry

Catholic Rural Ministry

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The Erie Diocese consists of many rural communities with high incidences of poverty, unemployment and under and uninsured people who lack access to social services and health care.

In 1999, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, the Sisters of Mercy and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Erie collaborated to serve 15 parishes in Potter and McKean counties. The goal was to provide a pastoral presence with two women religious; give spiritual support to the parish communities via education, retreats, enrichment programs and faith sharing; and respond to the most basic needs of the people in the area.

The success of the ministry led to the 2007 establishment of Catholic Rural Ministry II to serve 18 parishes in the Clarion, Venango, Crawford and Forest Counties within the Oil City Deanery. Statistically, these counties have shown higher rates of poverty than the state’s average (according to Center for Rural PA). Sisters Clare Marie Beichner, SSJ, and Marian Wehler, OSB, are working together to “bring hope and God’s compassionate presence” to the people through building relationships and working partnerships with pastors and faith communities. Six primary goals of this project have been established; one of them being to help minister to the basic human needs of community by educating people about food, clothing, financial and other resources available.

Saint Mary''s Home of Erie, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania, opened its doors on Sept. 21, 1884 as one of the first homes in the country dedicated to the aged. The Sisters wanted to provide a place to live for the elderly -- many of whom were recovering from illness and given shelter in the Sisters’ hospitals. Saint Mary''s Home evolved to continually meet the needs of the community. It became a geriatric hospital in the 1950s, and later, a nursing facility. In 1991, the Gallagher Center, a freestanding dementia-nursing unit, was added. In 2001, a second facility, Saint Mary''s at Asbury Ridge opened. In 2005, Saint Mary''s Home of Erie became a licensed Continuing Care Retirement Community, and is currently expanding its services with the construction of 26 independent-living carriage homes for seniors, The Carriage Homes at Asbury Ridge.

Contact

For more information, please contact us using the information below.

Clare Marie Beichner, SSJ,
7 Pulaski Street
PA, PA 16301

Phone: 814-459-0621

Email: s.cmbeichner@ssjerie.org