Sister who helped spread generosity in face of tragedy
By Erick Rommel
Head Staff Writer
When the diocesan World Trade Center Relief program shut down operations June 30, it had reached out to more than 350 families whose lives were forever altered by the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the nation.
Almost all of the money distributed, $3.39 million, from 16 different charity funds, went through the hands of one person, Mercy Sister Elizabeth Mary O’Hara, who coordinated the program. Half of that money came from the diocese and Catholic Charities USA. The diocese donated almost $700,000, money which came directly from the generous donations of parishioners. CCUSA provided more than $1 million.
While the contribution by CCUSA was by far the largest to the diocesan program, it was only a small part of the $31 million it distributed, regardless of faith, through 25 local Catholic Charities with communities affected by the events of Sept. 11.
Even though Catholic Charities of Metuchen is no longer directly distributing funds, it along with Catholic Charities of Paterson and Newark are still targeting whole families in the healing process, by running a family bereavement support group called GOALS, which stands for ‘Going on after Loss.’ “Projects like GOALS that combine mental health with social support are the most useful and most needed,” said Kevin Duffy, a family advocate for Catholic Charities of Paterson.
The support provided by Catholic Charity organizations made a huge difference in the days, months and years after the initial tragedy. “One of the greatest benefits of having‘Catholic money’ available was that I didn’t have the restrictions of eligibility that other funds had,” Sister Elizabeth explained.
Two of the largest charity providers, the September 11 Fund and the Red Cross only gave money to families of those who died. Other funds were even more limited. One, for instance, was only for children who had a parent die.
In comparison, very little was available for those who suffered financial hardship.
“One time a man called me from Ocean County and he needed money,” Sister Elizabeth recalled. She woke up during the night thinking about him. She called him the next day, met with him and requisitioned a check.“My supervisor called me and asked why... I said I had to do it because I couldn’t think at night.
“I gave to people outside my area because if I had the money and they had the need, it seemed like it had to be done, “Sister Elizabeth explained. “It’s one of those things where you did it and then asked forgiveness.”
Catholic Charities of Metuchen also helped victims’ families cut through red tape. “There was a young widow from India whose husband was killed. They lived in Sayreville,” Sister Elizabeth remembered.“She had no access to the outside world without a car. It was in their parking space. She was pregnant and had a baby, but couldn’t get a license.”
The widow was put in touch with Sen. Jon S. Corzine’s office and the Red Cross.“They were wonderful working the system,” Sister Elizabeth said. “They helped her get a license.”
I made a personal commitment to the families of the unemployed,” said Sister Elizabeth. “The families of the deceased had additional money from other organizations that the families of the unemployed did not.”
“When everybody turned us away, you were there,” several people wrote on their anonymous evaluation questionnaires after receiving assistance.
Sister Elizabeth feels that the families directly touched by Sept. 11 will never get over it. “The public nature of the tragedy was unprecedented. These are families that are marked. Their lives were changed so dramatically, so traumatically, that they will live the rest of their lives forever changed by this experience.”
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law