Anne Bates -Founder of Marycare

When she was young, her father’s home became a refuge for overseas workers whose rights had been violated. His charitable spirit inspired her to a life of faith and service. After graduating from Smith College, she earned an associate degree in nursing, which put a formal title on what was already a quite apparent gift for nurturing.

In 1982, she was first invited on a fact-finding mission to the Philippines by a Filipino sister. This spurred several more trips to the Phillipines. This landmark time in the Phillipines intensified her faith and created a thirst for more mission work. She became comfortable in the shoes of a justice and peace worker, and experienced for the first time the basic Christian Community approach to community building and development. Back in the U.S, she attended the Maryknoll School of Theology and began to apply the scriptures in new ways to her vision of service.

In 1996, Anne Bates came together with a group of like-minded individuals to form Marycare. The work of Marycare cannot be accurately described without describing more fully Anne herself. For the past 11 years, she has worked tirelessly for the poor and needy. Her selfless demeanor transcends that of a social worker or a missionary. As a result, chance encounters with Anne can often change someone's life course. The many dedicated people who are listed on the page below can be testament to that, as many of them were abruptly swept up to become companions in her contagious life of faithful service.

Father Emmanuel Ihemedu - Marycare Nigeria

Fr. Emmanuel is from Imo State Nigeria, the second son and the last born of the seven children born to his parents Mr. & Mrs. Innocent Ihemedu.

Because he thought he was being called to community life, he left the Seat of Wisdom Seminary in 1997 to join the Marians of the Immaculate Conception in Argentina.

The decision to relocate to the US did not come easy on him. He was challenged by the fact that Argentina offered no traces of African culture and no permanent African community; and this made enculturation much more difficult for him.

He felt that the culture and the multiple languages and races in the United States would enable him to use his gifts in language and to find others with whom he shared some cultural similarities. He then came to the U.S. in January of 2000.

In the fall of 2000, he became a full-time student at Mount St. Mary’s University & Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland His seminary program took him across the many cities and towns of the Archdiocese of Hartford. Prior to his ordination to the priesthood, he held a job in a local pharmacy (Walgreen’s) as a nightshift store manager and a second job as a Technical Assistant, CenterEdge Project for the Office of Urban Affairs of the Archdiocese of Hartford. He promoted greater understanding of the efforts of the Church to address socio-economic issues of social justice in the parishes and towns of the Archdiocese of Hartford. He organized and assisted committees in the cities and towns of Hartford, New Haven and Litchfield Counties to plan and hold public education forums about the Connecticut Metropatterns report. He also Recruited and staffed committees in New Haven area cities and towns. Traveling across these cities and towns helped him understand how these towns are governmentally structured, their politics and the issues that resonate with their residents.

On May 20, 2006, his Excellency, Archbishop Henry Mansell, ordained him to the Order of priests. He is currently serving as an assistant pastor of Saint Aedan and Saint Brendan Parishes in New Haven and coordinates Marycare’s projects in Nigeria.

(Click here to read Catholic Transcript's note on Father Emmanuel's ordination into the priesthood.)

Bishop Peter Rosazza

Born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1935, Bishop Rosaza is the eldest child of late Agatha Dinneen and Aldo Rosazza. He grew up in Torrington, and attended St. Francis Elementary School and Torrington High School graduating in 1952. After one year at Dartmouth College he entered St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Next he studied at St. Bernard Seminary in Rochester, New York and completed his four year concentration in theology at Séminare Saint-Sulpice in Paris, France. He was ordained a priest for the archdiocese of Hartford in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on June 29, 1961.

Gregory Dobbs of East Hartford, CT graduated Dartmouth college in 1969 with a degree in chemistry and completed his Ph.D. in Physical Chemestry at Princeton University. He has extensive experience in chemical engineering, having done work for Kiewit Computation Center, E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Inc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Hartford Graduate Center. He served as a developer and instructor for ASHRAE Professional Development Seminar on Facility/HVAC Terrorism Threat and Vulnerability Reduction and currently works at United Technologies Research Center. Mr. Dobbs utilizes his engineering experience to serve others through Marycare.

Jack Paulishen is a Social Studies teacher at James Hillhouse High School in New Haven. He lives in the Westville section of New Haven with his wife Michelle, who is also a teacher, his 6 year old son, Jackson and 10 year old English Bulldog, Mabel. Prior to becoming a teacher, Jack spent the first 15 years of his career in the real estate business. He has a special interest in the area of social justice and is proud to have served on the Board of Directors of Life Haven, a shelter for pregnant women and women with children. Jack is an active member of St. Aedan’s Church, where he sings in the choir, is a member of the Social Action Committee and recently completed a term as President of the St. Aedan/St. Brendan School Board. In 2008, the New Haven Public Schools honored Jack with a “T.A.P.S.” award for “going above and beyond, inside and outside of the classroom.”

Rosemary Kearney DeFilippo is a practicing attourney and has experience in teaching law and business law at Southern Connecticut State University, South Central Community College and  American Institute of Paralegal Studies located in Mahwah, NJ.  She has also been trained in arbitration and has worked with the League of Women Voters of Connecticut. She has also been involved in many community programs such as the Amity Teen Center, the Ladies Guild, the Woodbridge Fathers Baseball League and the  Exceptional Cancer Patients, Inc. Rosemary has been on the Marycare board of directors since 2007.

Tatiana Arias O’Connor is a native of Chile and a resident of New Haven. She and her husband Philip are involved parishioners at St. Aedan’s Church, and their children Rory Javier and Fiorella Lourdes currently attend the parish school. Her involvement in the school and parish community includes serving as co-director of Vacation Bible School Camp, member of the Home and School Association of St. Aedan/St. Brendan School, and co-teacher for the preparation of 1st Communion (CCD). Tatiana is a also community activist for rights for undocumented workers, and she currently works for the New Haven Free Public Library as an Educational Program Coordinator and as a Legal Aid for an Immigration Attorney in New Haven.

Kathleen Ryzewski is the Office Manager for the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Family Life Office. She is the
proud wife of Deacon Joe and together they have two adult daughters. A resident of the Westville
section of New Haven, she is a member of St. Aedan/St. Brendan Parishes. She served as their Social
Action chair for almost 20 years, co-founded their Vacation Bible School in 1984, began the after-school
program at her daughters’ St. Aedan School, and was involved with the Girl Scouts as both a brownie
and junior leader. A graduate of Sacred Heart Academy, Hamden, she served on the Alumnae
Association’s Executive Board for a number of years. After attending deaconate classes for 4½ years with
Joe, she returned to complete her own education graduating from Gateway Community College and
attending Southern Connecticut State University. At St. Aedan/St. Brendan she is involved in the Choir
and the Prayer Shawl/Sewing Guild. Together with other deacon wives/widows, she participates in
making quilts for those in need. Humbly, she was awarded the St. Elizabeth Seton Award for outstanding
service in Catholic Girl Scouting and the St. Joseph Award from the Archdiocese of Hartford.

Jennifer Guarina-Trier

Sandie Sammarco