What is Mother Teresa Maternity Home?

The Mother Teresa Maternity Home is a safe residence for pregnant women in need, a place where they can live during the time of their pregnancy and for three month after the birth of their child.

Why was the Home established?

Members of the community recognized that there was no other similar home in all of El Dorado County as well as in the entire area east and north of Sacramento.  At the same time they saw the need for such a safe place for homeless or abused women.

Who were the founding community members?

Lucille Mosbacher, a long time participant in the Right to Life Movement and a member of St. Patrick’s parish, saw that the former convent across from St. Patrick’s was vacant and for sale.  She suggested to Father John Sullivan that the convent would make a perfect home for needy, pregnant women.  He recognized that this would be a worthy endeavor and took the convent off the market.  Lucille presented her idea to Jane Meuser who enthusiastically began working on making the idea a reality.

How did the Home become a reality?

A Board of Directors was formed, legal matters were settled, and a program was developed. A team of volunteers, under the direction of Jane Meuser, began the work of preparing for the first residents, turning the former convent into a home for six women with a private bedroom for each. A Home Director was hired as well as relief staff, since it was decided that twenty-four hour supervision would be provided. Financing would be from donations, fund-raisers, and grants, with no State of Federal monies. (If a resident has a source of income, she is asked to pay a program fee of $200 per month.) A committee of volunteers was formed to raise money for the Home and to help in various ways. It took nearly a year to make the Home a reality, and in December of 1998 the first woman moved in.

Fast Facts, about MTMH

Mother Teresa Maternity Home is non-denominational. Many local civic organizations and places of worship help with donations and other contributions.

• The Home is drug and alcohol free. Residents with a history of substance abuse are connected with appropriate sobriety assistance, and all residents are randomly drug and alcohol tested.
• Residents are cared for by Marshall Medical Center’s stellar OB/GYN department, and babies are delivered at their Birth Center.
• Residents are encouraged to pursue continued education, employment, and volunteerism. Staff can connect them with a variety of community opportunities for these endeavors.
• The Home Director aids each resident in developing a solid plan for self-sufficiency
• MTMH encourages all residents to maintain contact and boundary balances with their loved ones, with the goal of healthy relationships for all involved.
• The main goals of Mother Teresa Maternity Home are healthy mothers, healthy babies, and better futures.