The Start of Mary’s Home

It all started With the maternal love of immaculate mary. Mother of God. Her grace and humility in saying, “Yes” to God’s Will remains a stronghold in everything Mary’s Home does and represents. Just as Mary faced her difficult decision, our journey to serve women and children in need has been laborious, but blessed.

When our founders, Michael and Mary Therese, started their building company, they faced many obstacles. Their very first investment was in a six-unit apartment building in 1982. However, they could not legally do anything with the property, unless they bought the adjacent land. For the time being, it seemed that their first opportunity had closed its doors.

The Pfaus have always been dedicated to protecting the sanctity of life and family, and for many years they worked closely with the Columbia Pregnancy center, welcoming young women in crisis situations into their family home. While they were trying to start their first business and support new mothers, they were also invested in raising their own children. When Michael and Mary were preparing to welcome their 4th child, the pregnancy center called and asked if they would take in another young woman. As they had done for many years, they said, “Yes,” despite a hectic home life, because they made it a priority to try and make a difference in other people’s lives. Over 10 years, they housed 10 women in need in their own family home.

Then in 2008, the opportunity presented itself to buy that old property next to the aforementioned apartment building. After much consideration, Mary Therese and Michael decided that the land would serve as the site for two maternity homes – Hope House and Abundant Life House. Over the many decades, they had held out hope for a chance to further their mission in taking care of young, expectant mothers and their children who were in need of love and guidance, and the door was finally open!

The obstacles kept coming, as Mary’s Home searched for highly dedicated, motivated, and compassionate individuals to assist with such a great undertaking. With the commitment of a passionate Executive Director, a devoted Board of Directors, encouraging benefactors, and overwhelming support from the Archbishop of Baltimore and the community, the vision of Mary’s Home as a safe haven for women and children in crisis situations finally came to fruition. Thanks to every “Yes” from employees and volunteers in affirmation of our core values and beliefs, our organization has found a way to continue to foster growth, promote prosperity, and protect the value of life and family for years to come.

Mary’s Home is not a building, a shelter, or transitional housing. Instead, it is a HOME. As the saying goes, “Home is where the heart is,” and here at Mary’s Home, we work diligently to carry on Michael and Mary Therese’s ministry of ensuring that our home is one full of heart.