Ways to Give
State aid for our foundation is non-existent or sporadic at best. As such we mainly depend on the kind donations from the Irish and British people. Without your support, our homes simply could not survive. The centre costs an estimated €250, 000 per year to run. Ways to help:
- Donate money (click here)
- Remember us in your living will
- Run a marathon/do a challenge to raise funds
- Volunteer in our homes (click here)
- Do you have any skills/resources you could donate?
- Do you work in the media? We need any help with getting more publicity
- Please Twitter about this website or put it on your Facebook status
- Email this page to anyone you think could help or volunteer
Miguel’s story
Miguel had a terrible past. He was discovered by Fr Hayes in 1994, in a snake ridden field.
“He was living in sub-human conditions when we found him. He had long straggly hair and was preyed on by flies, mosquitoes and other insects.
Since all births are registered in Argentina it was possible to discover more about Miguel. He had been born with perfect physical and mental health into a fairly happy situation. But when he was two years old, his mother died. Miguel suffered various illnesses but, being very poor, did not receive adequate medical help.“His father told me he had walked long distances on mud roads with Miguel on his shoulders only to arrive at the public hospital and receive no medical attention,” reports Fr Hayes.
In time, Miguel’s father was unable to cope and disappeared to another part of Argentina.
Miguel’s life changed for the better after he came to St Teresa’s Home. In October 1999, about a week after St Teresa’s Home had been visited by the relics of its patron, St Thérèse of Lisieux, a remarkable event occurred. A man arrived at the home asking to see Miguel. It was his father who came to see his son after 26 years. The father sobbed and asked his son to forgive him for being so cruel to him and for running away from his responsibilities. “I asked him what prompted him to now seek out and visit Miguel,” Fr Hayes recalls. “He told me it was fear of his own death and judgment by the Lord.”
“For me personally, this reconciliation of father and son in the year dedicated to God the Father was the highlight of the year 1999.”
Miguel departed this life for a better place in 2005.
