30 Years Strong!

A Little Agency with a Big Heart!

Montague Catholic Social Ministries, now Heartwing Center, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. This important ministry was founded by the sister parishes St. Mary and St. Anne, Turners Falls, and Sacred Heart, Greenfield. First staffed by Sisters of St. Joseph, MCSM Responded to the needs of those experiencing trauma, domestic violence and poverty. MCSM provides wrap-around support, helping individuals and families to develop skills and become more self-sufficient.

The Heart of the Community !

The Heartwing Center works in the community to bring people together, improve lives, and serve without exceptions.

The Heartwing Center is an independent non-profit working throughout Franklin County and beyond to provide personalized support for individuals and families in need. They are community-based and dedicated to connecting all people to the resources and services they deserve.

The Heartwing Center is devoted to creating a safe, diverse, and just future for all. They work toward this goal by offering free access to programs, services, resources, and referrals that help people experiencing challenges to their stability and security.

Montague Catholic Social Ministries Becomes Heartwing Center!

On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at a gathering at the Terrazza Restaurant in Greenfield, Montague Catholic Social Ministries celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of its founding. Also, after a process of discernment by Staff and Board of Directors, a new name for the agency was announced: Heartwing Center.

The following is a presentation given by Fr. Stan Aksamit, Founder, offering a historical perspective and explaining the reasons for the new name.

Thirty years! Who could believe it? It seems like only yesterday that Fr. Roland Renaud and I sent an invitation out, asking for women religious to come to this area, live among the people, and help provide for the needs of our community. The Sisters of St. Joseph responded, and Sr. Kit Hinga, SSJ, became the first Executive Director of Montague Catholic Social Ministries.

We had found that the same people seemed to keep coming back to the parish door, again and again, for assistance. We realized that something more substantial needed to be done. And so the Sisters took up residence in the former St. Anne Rectory, and the first programs took shape in St. Anne’s Church Hall. That was in 1994.

Our approach was firmly rooted in the social teaching of the Catholic Church. We believe that justice is not accidental; rather, it is a constitutive part of the gospel. We believe that those who are in need should have a role in change. We believe that all people are created in the image of God, and are to be treated with dignity and respect. We believe that, beyond giving people fish to meet their immediate needs, it is critical that we teach them how to fish. We believe it takes a village to raise a child, and to raise up individuals and families as they dream of a better life. We believe in hospitality without distinction and solidarity among neighbors.

MCSM expanded in 1997 when we began leasing space at the corner of Avenue A and Third Street, in the heart of our community. Many volunteers from the parishes of St. Mary, St. Anne and Sacred Heart helped to clean out A-1 pizza boxes, wash windows, paint the walls, and bring in new furniture—all, to create and maintain a meaningful presence in the heart of our community.

From the start, we sought to listen and to respond to needs that were not sufficiently being met, helping people to develop stability and security, working with victims of domestic violence, and supporting the newly unemployed with the closings of Strathmore Paper and Railroad Salvage. We focused on conflict resolution, building skills for work and education, nurturing better relationships for parenting, healing from trauma, and seeking empowerment, advocacy and civic engagement.

In ways large and small, we accompanied the members of our community, strengthening human dignity; promoting the common good; protecting basic human rights to food, shelter, clothing, employment, healthcare and education; enabling participation in economic, political and cultural life; and assisting our most recent immigrants to become full, respected members of our community. And because we are a relatively small agency, we have been blessed with flexibility, being able to fill in the cracks that others may have missed.

For thirty years, we have been known as Montague Catholic Social Ministries. But there has been a growing feeling that we have grown beyond that name. We speak of Montague, but we go well beyond the borders of one town to meet the needs of the region. We speak of Catholic, but that often made non-Catholics feel that services were not available to them, even though we welcome anyone who walks through our doors. We speak of social, but we are far more than social workers. And we speak of ministries, but we are also dreamers and visionaries, fulfilling a calling, responding with a compassion, and creating lasting bonds. The critical point is that, for the team that makes it all work so well, our devoted Staff, it is a thousand times more than just a job.

And so, feeling the need to express more closely the evolution of the work being done, while remaining true to our roots and our core values, we turned to some very talented collaborators. We went through a thorough, professional and inclusive branding process, including both Staff and Board, to update, give us a fresh start and a new look, and prepare us for the next thirty years.

Tonight, I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who came before, giving us a firm foundation. I want to thank Heather, our Executive Director, and our exceptional Staff who have become a family who truly love the people they serve. I want to thank those who have served on the Board of Directors, and in a special way those now serving for shepherding out current growth and evolution. I thank the many volunteers, supporters, business partners, those with whom we network, the wonderful parishioners of Our Lady of Peace Church, and the community at large. We have a stronger, healthier and more empowered community because we have dreamed, shared and worked together.

And so, tonight we celebrate thirty years of dedication, vision, collaboration and hard work. We still have the same roots that gave us a start. We have new shoots and branches as we’ve responded to changing needs. But we are still the vibrant agency with a big heart, and our efforts have truly taken wing, enabling countless neighbors, not just to survive, but to soar. And so, tonight we are proud to reintroduce ourselves as the Heartwing Center, and to thank all of you, who have made this journey with us. May God bless you, and may God bless Heartwing Center for many years to come!