The Stories

My brother Adam has been living at Mary Centre for three (3) years now. He has a developmental disability and some health issues. including early onset forgetfulness. Adam lived with our father since birth, and they were both incredibly involved in the Parish back in our native country. Our family is very faithful to the Catholic teachings. Adam went to mass every Friday and Sunday. As a young child Adam took part in the three (3) sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation and Eucharist) in the Catholic Church and he also became an alter boy. At the age of fourteen (14) Adam moved to Canada with our family. We moved to the west end of Toronto and both Adam and our father became involved in the local community Parish. Adam became very well know in the parish and many of the parishioners took Adam under their wings and looked out for him. Adam always had a strong faith, and as a young child he aspired to become a priest.

Adam lived with our father until our Dad became terribly ill and could no longer care for himself. Adam took on the role of caregiver for our Dad. Adam shopped for groceries, he cooked and cleaned the apartment. He took great care of our father; however, we noticed that Adam was forgetting to take his medication and forgetting other important aspects of personal care. All Adam’s siblings knew it was time for us to secure a safe future for Adam. We immediately requested that he be placed on the waiting list with Developmental Services Ontario for supportive housing. We knew how important Adam’s faith was to him so we though it was only right to ask if he could be placed on a wait list for a faith-based organization. Then one day in early 2019 I got a call from Developmental Services Ontario telling me that there was a vacancy at Mary Centre in one of their Group Homes. I immediately called my siblings and told them of this wonderful opportunity for Adam. Very quickly everything seems to fall into place. Over the summer of 2019, Adam slowly transitioned into the group home. We were so pleased that it was a faith-based organization. We were told about the Faith Outreach Program that would help Adam connect to a new Catholic Parish in his new neighborhood. The employees held true to this commitment and on the first Sunday he moved into the home, an employee took him to the Catholic Church close to his new home, and immediately Adam was welcomed into the parish. Every Saturday and Sunday, Adam goes to mass with the support of the employees. Also, in November of 2019 Adam was given the wonder opportunity to attend the Cardinal Dinner at the Metro Convention Centre. He had an amazing meal and was blessed to hear Cardinal Collins speak.

Adam’s life has changed dramatically since he moved into his new home. He lives in a clean, safe, & comfortable home. He loves his bedroom and has a great big window. The home is spacious which includes an entertainment room, front porch, and a large backyard. Adam loves music, watching the blue jays and going to mass. When the pandemic hit, even though Adam was not able to attend mass in person, the employees helped him set up on his iPad virtual masses for him to watch so that he stayed connected to his faith. God is number one in Adam’s life. His catholic faith is particularly important to him, and the employees help him keep that connection going. He is always very appreciative of everything that someone does for him. Now that I am able to visit Adam again in person, I see how happy he is, and I see the contentment on his face along with the great big smiles. We as a family are extremely happy with the support Mary Centre provides to our brother. Their vision is to help build a good life and that is exactly what Adam is doing. Adam is lucky to be living in a wonderful place and this allows my family to be at peace.