Friday, Feb. e 1963 Second Catho;c lwesf Progress--3
From Small Beginnings...
The little blonde boy sat in the waiting
room of Catholic Children's Services and
impatiently dangled his legs.
In a matter of moments, a young woman
came through the office door with a smile
the little boy jumped up and said "Hi!"
For the boy, a good friend had arrived to
look out for him and for the young woman,
one of 20 caseworkers at Catholic Children's
Services, another busy day of counseling,
advising, listening, urging, driving, telephon-
ing and consoling had begun.
Father Muehe Director
Catholic Children's Services is entering
its 25th year of service in the Seattle Arch-
diocese. Seattle headquarters at 410 Marion
St. consists of a vast maze of conference
rooms and offices, the largest of which be-
longs to Rev. Dennis Muehe, Archdiocesan
• Director of Catholic Charities since 1960.
His desk, strewn with papers and memo-
randa, denotes the never-ending task that is
his. With over 1,000 children cared for by
Catholic Children's Services last year alone,
Father Muehe has little time off.
In another office is Miss Irene Weber,
casework director and "pioneer emeritus"
of Catholic Children's Services. A graduate
of the University of Washington, Miss Weber
did most of her undergraduate work at Clark
College i,n Dubuque, Iowa, •before moving to
Seattle with her family. After taking post-
graduate studies at the Catholic University
of America ("I've never had time to finish
my thesis!") the vivacious Miss Weber be-
came one of the three original caseworkers
to begin work at Catholic Children's Services
when it opened in 1937.
'Pro Ecclesia' Medal Winner
For her zealous work as a Catholic lay-
woman Miss Weber was just named a reci-
pient of the "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" medal
in recognition of her service both to CCS
and the Seattle Archdiocese.
The history of child care in the Seattle
Diocese started in 1860 when the Sisters of
Providence established St. Vincent's and St.
Genevieve's Homes for the care of orphans
at Vancouver.
Before the turn of the century the Sisters
of the Good Shepherd had opened an institu-
tion for orphan-care in Seattle and in 1903
the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
founded Sacred Heart Orphanage for the
care of orphan girls in Seattle.
At the close of World War I, a group of
Catholic women under the leadership of Mrs.
Charles Peabody answered the call of the
Most Reverend Edward J. O'Dea, Bishop of
Seattle, for a program of care for infants
and unmarried mothers including an adop-
tion service.
Known first as the Seattle Council of
Catholic Women, the group included Mes-
dames John B. Agen, Nrdoff Beck, Clarence
B. Blethen, Michael Donahoe, J. S. G.
Graham, John,N. Jackson, Mary Kutzschawn,
Frank McDermott and Miss Katherine Meloy.
In later years, the group called them-
selves the Catholic Women's Child Welfare
League and later incorporated under the
title Association for Catholic Childhood as
it is known today.
With any actual child-care taken out of
the hands of the first ambitious ladies, all
other casework services were carried on by
non-denominational agencies until 1937.
Catholic Charities Formed
In that year the Most Reverend Bishop
Gerald Shaughnessy, S.M. organized Catholic
Charities, the parent agency to CCS, which
was designed to coordinate the administra-
tion of the different diocesan charities.
The Bishop also asked that an official
Catholic Children's agency be formed and,
aided by the findings of the Child Welfare
League of America which had suggested just
such a move, Bishop Shaughnessy opened the
offices of Catholic Children's Services Octo-
ber 1, 1937, in the Railway Exchange Build-
ing with Miss Weber and Miss Betty Agnew
helping Miss Helen Farrell, then the case-
worker for the Catholic Welfare League.
The Rev. William J. Welsh, on leave from
the Diocese of Scranton, was named director
and Elizabeth Lloyd was hired as the case-
MISS IRENE WEBER
Casework Director, First Member of the
Staff of Catholic Children's Services
Providence Academy in Vancouver was originally
the first orphanage in the State of Washington
established by the S!sters of Charity of _,lovidence
in 1860. St. Vincent s and St. Genevieve s orphan-
ages cared for as many as 80 boys and girls be-
*forethe entire building was converted into a
boarding school. :
worker for the House of the Good Shepherd.
In 1938 Bishop Thomas E. Gill, V.G., then
Father Gill, entered Catholic Charities as as-
sistant director under Father Walsh
In a matter of months. Father Welsh re-
turned to his home diocese leaving Father
Gill as director of Catholic Charities, a posi-
tion he would hold 22 years. In announcing
the appointment of Bishop Gill as vicar gen-
eral in 1960, the Most Reverend Archbishop
Thomas A. Connolly paid tribute to the many
years of devoted, dedicated service Bishop
Gill had rendered. In the words of Arch-
bishop Connolly Bishop GiJl was the "heart
and soul of Catholic Charities.
Bishop Gill 'The Sporkplug'
"He was the sparkplug," Miss VJeber said.
"I used to tease him and say I raised him in
this business, but he was the driving force
for all of us.
"I couldn't count the number of thnes
he'd drive over to Yakima in his beat-up
Studebaker, coming back to Seattle at all
hours of the night after an evening of meet-
ings there. Summer or winter, he'd drive
through those mountains. There was no stop-
ping him."
With Catholic ChUdren's Services already
organized in Tacoma at the time of his ap-
pointment, Father Gill established offices in
Bellingham, Everett, Mount Vernon and Van-
couver.
"As if his own duties weren't enough,"
Miss Weber added, "Father Gill often spent
hours explaining why the Church needed an
agency for dependent children. Many people
couldn't see why state agencies wouldn't suf-
fice for the Catholic children.
"Father would explain that the Church
is parental in her concern for her family.
That the Catholic Church wants to keep even
her smallest members within the family, in
the care of adoptive parents or guardians ro
that, in a life which is already difficult
enough for the child, there would be a feel-
ing of love and warmth and unity."
From Bishop Gill, who now serves as an
ex officio member of all the bOards of Catho-
lic Charities agencies, comes only a grateful
word refusing the accolades.
"It was a rewarding position, but it
wasn't crushing," he emphasized. "We had
a lot of good people and a lot of good help.
There were times when you felt the best
thi.ng t do was to turn the key in the door
and run, but there were a million times when
help came from nowhere just when it was
most needed."
Two of the many notable workers who
have served CCS throughout the years are
Sister M. Bernard, C.S.C., who worked at
the agency as a caseworker before entering
the Sisterhood. The sister of Tom Kobayashi,
president of the Particular Council of Seattle,
St. Vincent de Paul Society. Sister Bernard
is now head of the department of sociology
and political science at St. Mary's College,
Notre Dame, Ind.
Another caseworker who left to go into
Caritas, an order of religious social workers
in New Oreans, was Mary Hronek.
Mrs. Taylor "lndispensible' ScJal Worker
Although not a social worker, Mrs. Fanny
Taylor (mother of Rev. John H. Taylor, S.J.)
was an unforgettable figure in the history of
CCS.
"She was our secretary, bookkeeper, re-
ceptionist, telephone operator, package-wrap-
per, maU distributor and often time baby-
sitter," Bishop Gill recalled.
Originally employed by the Catholic Wel-
fare League, Mrs. Taylor continued with CCS
as the latter evolved from the many separate
childcare efforts in the diocese.
By the end of 1939 the books showed that
262 children had been cared for through CCS.
At that time the agency gave casework serv-
ic to Sacred Heart Orphange and St. Paul's
Infants Home, both located in what is now
Sacred Heart Villa.
In 1940 CCS offices were moved to the
new Chancery building at 907 Terry Ave.,
• and in 1952 with more space necessary, Cath-
olic Charities moved into its present offices.
Through the ensuing years, CCS tried to
place as many children as possible in adop-
tive or foster homes. In 1951, as a result of
a community study to assess the exact needs
of the children residing in them the orphan-
age and infant's home were closed and most
of the children returned to their own or
foster family homes.
Children's Homes Established
Those youngsters unable to adapt to
family life were placed in the two group
homes now known as St. Paul's Children's
Homes.
Owned and operated by the agency the
two homes are run by Mr. and Mrs. Fred
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