LEWISTON – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has given the former St. Mary’s Church rectory to a charity that helps young women become better mothers.

In return, the charity gave the church group a leather box with 100 polished pennies, a copy of its logo and a doll baby, signifying the children that will likely be helped by the diocese’ gift.

Some women need help understanding motherhood: how to care for a child, keep a house or buy food, said Dr. Greg Foltz, executive director of the St. Andre Home.

They can find the help in the four-story Oxford Street building, he said.

The Biddeford-based charity has been renting the Little Canada building as a women’s home for the past five years. Suites, formerly occupied by priests, were converted into mini-apartments for up to five women and their children.

But, the building aged and became expensive to maintain. Last year, the St. Andre Home spent about $250,000 in renovations, Foltz said.

Then, the city demanded a sprinkler system. The charity’s board of directors was reluctant to spend more money on a building it didn’t own.

“They said, ‘We’re putting an awful lot of money into a building we don’t own,'” Foltz said.

So, he went to Bishop Joseph Gerry.

“He thought it over and prayed about it,” Foltz said. Two years ago, the church was given to the Franco-American Heritage Center at St. Mary’s.

As part of this deal, the center will be given a chance to buy the former rectory if the charity ever decides to sell.

On April 4, the deed was handed over to the St. Andre Home and its founders, the Good Shepherd Sisters.

“I have long cherished the wonderful work of St. Andre Home,” Gerry said in a news release. “The Catholic Church in the United States has long placed care for children high on its list of priorities.”

It’s a message that has been lost amid recent controversies over molestation in the church, Foltz said.

The charity began in 1940 in Biddeford. It was meant to be a place where young women could be safe and have help learning to be mothers. Women of all backgrounds are welcomed.

The program is funded by a combination of state money, funds from the diocese and donations. Each year, women in every Maine county are helped. About 3 percent of them are guided through the process of adoption.

During its 63-year tenure, about 1,600 children have been adopted through the St. Andre Home.

The home currently has residences in Biddeford, Bangor and two in Lewiston. The other is located at the corner of Central and Sabattus streets.

Many neighbors probably don’t know they exist, Foltz said. There are no signs marking the homes.

“We want people to see us as a quiet neighbor,” Foltz said.

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