Nearing a century of service

Even though she is 94, there isn't much that gets by Helen McGinty.

Some might think the vintage Irish tea she drinks keeps her sharp as a tack, but others know why she has so much energy: She has been doing God's work all of her life.

Mrs. McGinty was recently honored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians with its Mother Teresa Award for her "outstanding Christian life that follows the teaching of the Church and the Corporal Works of Mercy." She has been a member of the Irish-American group for 63 years.

Doing what's needed

Mrs. McGinty, who finds it difficult to talk about herself, couldn't understand why the AOH gave her the award when it could have gone to someone "more deserving."

"I haven't done anything special," she told The Evangelist. "All I did was what needed to be done."

Many disagree, including one of her daughters, Sister Jean McGinty, RSM, with whom she lives in Albany.

"Mother Teresa helped people in need, especially the poor," said Sister Jean. "In our family, we have witnessed that same spirit in my mother. She continues to help those who are less fortunate."

Family example

"My grandmother was always taking care of others," Mrs. McGinty recalled, reflecting on growing up Irish Catholic in "old Albany" before the First World War.

"We did what had to be done in those days," she said. "We helped as many as we could, and there was always someone who needed help."

When she was young, many families in the neighborhood were in need of food, clothing and shelter. She learned to share with those less fortunate because "that's what people did: help each other."

Clothes rack

After she married, Mrs. McGinty's spirit of giving continued as she and her husband operated a small grocery store.

"My mother loved her customers," Sister Jean said. "She was always trying to help them out. She would collect clothing from families in the neighborhood, items that the children outgrew. She kept the clothes hanging in the back of the store. Whenever someone needed clothing, my mother would take him or her to the back, help pick something out and give it to them. I can't tell you how many adults and children left our store with new clothes.

"Forty years later, a woman came to me while my mother and I were at a service at St. Patrick's Church. She recognized my mom immediately. She had been one of those children my mother had given clothes to. She wanted to thank my mom again for helping her and her family."

More to do

After her husband passed away and she sold the store, Mrs. McGinty continued to help others. Although she was hesitant to discuss it, she has cooked hundreds of meals for families that were temporarily "down and out" over the course of the past 50 years.

"Someone was always homeless, or out of work, or home from the hospital recovering from illness or an operation," said Mrs. McGinty.

"Sundays after church were legendary in our home," Sister Jean added. "My mother would come home from Mass and immediately begin to cook. She always knew who was sick, homebound, who needed a meal."

Giving spirit

At Christmastime, Mrs. McGinty would recycle toys and give them to needy parents when they came into the store.

"She would keep watch for kids in trouble with the law or kids that were on the street. She had a great concern for the children," Sister Jean noted.

"When Mercy House [a shelter for women] opened up in the 1980s, my mother was in her seventies. She decided to raise money for them by holding a Bingo party at her house. She held them for years. She's also brought food and clothing for the women and children."

Although Mrs. McGinty has slowed down, she continues to minister to the poor in various ways. When asked what those ways are, she just smiled and sipped her tea.

"If you want to help people, you don't have to talk much about it," she commented. "If you know you can do something to make one life a little bit better, just go ahead and do it."

(10/30/03) [[In-content Ad]]