Bread For the City

Founded in 1982 as a joint project of the Sisters of Mercy and the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Marian House was initially established in response to the circumstances of women at the Baltimore City Women's Detention Center. Two sisters and a laywoman who served as volunteers at the Detention Center saw women who had been released from jail returning again and again. They found that even when inmates desperately wanted to rebuild their lives, they usually left the jail without housing, employment or support. About the Sponsoring Communities The School Sisters of Notre Dame was founded in 1833 in Germany by Caroline Gerhardinger, who believed that the renewal of society depended on the family and that mothers were the first educators. To that end, the School Sisters of Notre Dame chose as their mission the education of girls. Their ministry is directed toward education, which means enabling persons to reach the fullness of their potential as individuals. Their teaching extends beyond the classroom and into the lives of the people they serve-especially women, children, and persons who are poor. The Sisters of Mercy was founded in 1831 by laywoman Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland who established the first House of Mercy to care for "distressed women of good character." The Sisters of Mercy are women who commit their lives to serving God's people, especially those who are sick, poor and uneducated. In the spirit of the Gospel, their mission is to help people to overcome the obstacles that keep them from living full and dignified lives. Both the Sisters of Mercy and the School Sisters of Notre Dame elect two members each to serve as a Corporate Board. The Corporate Members meet annually to provide oversight relevant to the mission direction of the organization. In addition to this governing role, the religious communities provide annual financial support to Marian House. In addition to the Corporate Board, Marian House is governed by an independent, all-volunteer Board of Directors, which sets policy, supervises operations, and oversees all business affairs. For more information, see our Board of Directors roster. Marian House is proud to be a recipient of the Seal of Excellence award by the Maryland Association of non-profit Organizations. Certification in the Standards for Excellence Program is bestowed only to the most well-managed and responsibly governed non-profit organizations that have demonstrated compliance with 55 specific standards for excellence based on honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility, and accountability. Marian House has met, complied with, and integrated the standards for excellence into all its activities to successfully complete this voluntary certification program.