About Us
St. Patrick Center, a ministry of Catholic Charities, focuses services in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, providing assistance to 3,700 individuals and families annually. In addition to St. Louis City and St. Louis County, our Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program operates in seven outlying counties: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Francois, Warren and Washington.
Edith Cunnane, Founder
Visionary, philanthropist, advocate, realist, idealist, miracle worker & dedicated leader. In the early 1980s on a bitterly cold day, Edith Cunnane, a social worker, asked a group of people why they were outside. In partnership with the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Catholic Charities of St. Louis, and Monsignor Robert Slattery, Edith founded St. Patrick Center in 1983 inside the former St. Patrick School at 6th and Biddle Streets.
For the next ten years, she served as the Center’s first Executive Director, working tirelessly to increase services to the most vulnerable people. Under Edith’s direction, St. Patrick Center opened the Shamrock Club, the nation’s first day treatment program for mentally ill homeless people. The Casserole program and McMurphy’s Grill were also launched under her tutelage. Programs expanded to include housing assistance, employment services, and life skills training.
We salute Edith Cunnane for her commitment, dedication, and service to St. Patrick Center. Her leadership created a haven and resource for the most underserved and nearly forgotten people in our community – the unhoused.
Our Purpose
Transforming lives and working to create a community where everyone has access to sustainable housing, employment, and healthcare.
Our Values
As one of the nine family of ministries of Catholic Charities of St. Louis, we are proud to share in their mission, vision, and values.
Mission: To bring the healing, help, and hope of Jesus Christ to those in need with a compassionate, caring presence.
Vision: Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis will be a premier leader in community renewal and a visible catalyst for social outreach by connecting with people, parishes, and ministries committed to a meaningful communion of care to those in need across every square mile of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Values
Dignity: We love and serve each person as made in the image of God
Hospitality: We are to be and see Christ in those we serve
Service: We always welcome joyfully any opportunity to be in the presence of Christ
Excellence: We give our very best to people God calls us to encounter
Compassion: We seek to journey with our sisters and brothers
Joy: We bring fullness for life and look to bring healing, help, and hope in every encounter