Aid for Women, St. Pascal team up to help moms - Long vacant convent will house program that supports women before and after pregnancy

The long-vacant convent at St. Pascal, 3935 N. Melvina Ave., will soon be teeming with life.

This fall, the Northwest Side parish in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood, perhaps best known as the boyhood parish of Cardinal George, will house as many as seven mothers and their babies through a program with Aid for Women, a 37-year-old Catholic social services organization founded upon the Catholic Church’s pro-life teaching.

Father Paul Seaman, currently in his 10th year as pastor at St. Pascal, had been pursuing alternative uses for the convent property over the last eight years, particularly interested in pro-life efforts. Though Seaman had discussions with a number of organizations over the years, he had not connected with Aid for Women.

In a fortuitous turn of fate for both, however, Aid For Women, which had been investigating vacant convent spaces at parishes across the archdiocese, approached Seaman and inquired about the St. Pascal property. The two parties quickly saw the potential synergy.

“I felt we could use our building and our resources in a pro-life mission to help mothers find their way to a happy and productive life,” Seaman said.

Named St. Monica’s House, an honorary nod to the mother of St. Augustine, the former St. Pascal convent will serve as an extension of Aid for Women’s existing Heather’s House. Located on the Maryville Academy campus in suburban Des Plaines since 2011. Heather’s House supports women, both before and after the arrival of their children, by offering a safe and secure home alongside life skills and education.

St. Monica’s House will be a transitional spot, Aid for Women executive director Susan Barrett said, providing mothers more independence and better access to transit following their stay at Heather’s House. Mothers will be allowed to stay at St. Monica’s House for up to two years, though they must arrange for childcare and adhere to house rules around visitors, alcohol and curfew.

“We see St. Monica’s house as a good option for our mothers ready for the their next step of independence, but still in need of some financial assistance,” Barrett said.

This spring, St. Pascal’s staff and parishioners will begin clearing out the convent, which has not been lived in since the Franciscan Sisters of Joliet left more than three decades ago. Come summer, Aid for Women will move into the space and begin making improvements to the former convent’s kitchen, bathrooms and other spaces.

“We’re excited to be bringing life back into this space and look forward to making it a lovely, comfortable home for our moms and their babies,” said Barrett, who hopes to welcome St. Monica’s first residents in the fall.

The parish, Seaman explained, will be responsible for general building upkeep in line with its current use. Aid For Women, meanwhile, incurs the costs of any additional upgrades or improvements, such as adding new appliances or painting.

“This really isn’t costing the parish anything beyond what we currently do,” Seaman said.

Seaman said he is proud St. Pascal’s will be hosting St. Monica’s House and is pleased to be partnering with an organization that holds such a long, spirited history of providing counseling, education, mentoring and referral services to local women and promoting the value of choosing life.

“I’m proud of this because I feel the pro-life cause is an important and significant part of our mission in the church,” Seaman said.

Though the plan encountered some criticism from local residents, including a contingent that appeared before the City of Chicago’s Zoning Board of Appeals and appealed for alternative uses, Seaman called the creation of St. Monica’s House the right move.

“For us not to do this when we have the resources, I think would be sinful,” Seaman said.

Barrett and her Aid for Women colleagues, of course, are grateful for St. Pascal’s cooperation as well as Seaman’s leadership.

“This allows us to bring our love for Christ to others and build up the kingdom here on earth,” Barrett said. “We want to walk the walk with women and [St. Monica’s House] helps us do just that.”