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Sister Mary Paul Janchill, nationally respected visionary in the field of neighborhood based human services, died on Thursday, May 7th in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Sister Mary Paul spent the past fifty-four years working for children and families. In the process, her work reshaped the way services are delivered both in New York and nationally.
The Center for Family Life, a program of SCO Family of Services, which she co-founded in 1978, enjoys a national reputation and was highlighted in two PBS documentaries, one of them nominated for an Academy Award. A book about the Center for Family Life, Nurturing the One, Supporting the Many, based on a collaborative research effort with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, was also published in 2003.
“She has been the most articulate advocate for children, families and community that I have ever known,” said Bob McMahon, CEO of SCO Family of Services. “She not only benefited the children and families of Sunset Park, but her articulation of good practice and good policy helped to improve services and outcomes for all children and all families in city, state and country.”
As a testament to the importance of her work, the National Association of Social Workers honored Sr. Mary Paul as Social Work Pioneer in January 2004 for exceptional contributions to the social work profession. The Eleanor Roosevelt Award presented in October 2003 by the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York. She was also recognized as a “Woman of Distinction” by Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez in January 2004. Her national recognition also includes a “Private Sector Initiative Commendation” for exemplary community service from President Ronal Reagan in 1984 and, in 1989, The Children’s Defense Fund Award for outstanding service to the nation’s children. In 1999 the Annie E. Casey Foundation created a Family Honors Award to recognize family work that was embedded in community work. Sr. Mary Paul and the Center were one of three nation-wide that first received that award.
Sister Mary Paul sits on the Board of Directors of Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York and Lawyers for Children and participates in an advisory capacity to the Commissioner of the Administration for Children’s Services.
Sister Mary Paul’s deep respect for the strengths and resilience of individuals is reflected in her development of programs that address human service needs through an inclusive, normalizing, developmental focus rather than through problem categories like “delinquency prevention”, “drug abuse prevention” or “dropout prevention”. Throughout her 30 years in Sunset Park, Sister Mary Paul has been a staunch advocate for equitable social provision. She has promoted an effective approach to community building that fosters a sense of shared purpose and maximizes family strengths and local resources.
“She was always 10-20 years ahead of the rest of the world,” says McMahon. “For 30 years, she has seen the family as the focus of attention. While the safety of the child is paramount, she understood very early on the importance of the family in nurturing and raising the child. And, she understood the need for communities to be stronger so they could nurture and support families.
“Her view of what the service delivery should look like was so clear because she got it from the children and families she touched each day, “McMahon concluded.” “That is what drove her advocacy. She knew what was good for children and families.”
In 1978, Sr. Mary Paul wrote in a monograph describing her vision for the Center:
“From the deep springs of life there stirs the meaning of every human
being; the irreducible dignity of every person as individual. In truth
it has been said that one person is of more value than a world.
Paradoxically, personhood is nurtured and enhanced in a family,
in a people, in a community. Individuality springs not in a fishbowl,
but within the vitality and connectedness of community.
“The Center for Family Life in Sunset Park is devoted to the growth
and development of the one – the individual child, adult, parent – and
the development of the many that in diversity and richness of background
come together for the fulfillment of human needs and aspirations, as a neighborhood.”
Born in New York City in 1920, Sister Mary Paul has been a Sister of the Good Shepherd for over 65 years. She earned a master’s degree in social work at the national Catholic School of Social Work in Washington, D.C., and a doctorate in social work at the Columbia University School of Social Work. During her career, Sister Mary Paul co-founded a number of child welfare programs under the auspice of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Further, she served as an instructor in casework practice at Columbia University and several other institutions. In recognition of her contribution as an innovative program planner and educator, she was given the distinction of “Career Teacher in Social Work” at Columbia University. In addition, in 1998 Sister Mary Paul was enrolled in Hall of Fame of the Columbia University School of Social Work Alumni Association.
For more than 30 years, Sister Mary Paul lived at the Center for Family Life, where she remained active in the daily life and work of the agency until a few days before her passing.
Click here for information on funeral and visitation arrangements.
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Comments
She is so deeply missed, her impact was universal, and she will forever be a legend. There is no question that Sister Mary Paul has a seat in heaven directly next to God himself. I miss you Sister.