Completing the Mission: Sister Nuala completes Valdosta assignment

May 6—VALDOSTA — Sister Nuala Mulleady began her journey with St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church as the St. Francis Center director in 2011.

Mulleady arrived at a time when the center had been closed so she had to start from scratch.

She said, "Glory to God that this has blossomed so much, thanks to volunteers and our parish at St. Johns."

Mulleady said she always blooms where she is planted, and she lives by that statement.

As a native of Ireland, she grew up with a mission to serve the less fortunate.

"Even at a young age my passion was for helping the poor and needy, especially in foreign countries," she said. "I would have little fundraisers of my own to support mission work."

She entered the Missionary Franciscan Sisters with the hopes to go on missions in Africa or China.

Although her hope to travel to Africa and China did not come to fruition, she completed her missionary training in Rome and received her first assignment in the United States.

Mulleady, with a background in early childhood education, served as a teacher, principal and social worker in elementary schools. She said over time she found her teaching skills transferable in ministries and missions.

After time serving as an educator in Georgia and Massachusetts, she was elected to leadership by the congregation to serve the Seventeen Roman Catholic Diocese to lead the missions in Peru and Bolivia.

During her time in leadership, she traveled to international meetings for 13 years, which led her across South America and the United States.

"After I served in leadership, I took a sabbatical but I could feel a spark in my heart for the missions, so I went to Papua New Guinea for three and a half years," Mulleady said.

While in Papua New Guinea, she served as an educator again, this time supporting the women, who did not know how to read or write, in a male-dominated country.

"That was the most rewarding class I ever taught because they were highly motivated," she said. "They would travel in harsh conditions with no shoes just to get to class."

Mulleady returned to the States where she served as an English as a second language teacher in Massachusetts before finding a position in Springfield, Ga., for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah.

During her time in Springfield, she went on a mission to South Sudan to initiate a teacher training college.

After returning from South Sudan, she applied for the opening as director of social services for the outreach of St. John's Catholic Church in Valdosta.

"By the grace of God, I have enjoyed everywhere that I have been but I have been especially blessed in Valdosta," Mulleady said.

"The love and dedication of the people here to serve and help the community is so inspiring."

She said each day she and her staff pray and share scriptures before opening the St. Francis Center. "I believe that brings fruits of our efforts," she said.

The St. Francis Center is a volunteer-based thrift store which sells gently used clothing, household goods and kitchen items at an affordable price. The profits from the sales is used to assist families in need with their utility bills, as well as give food and clothing to people in need.

"Every penny goes back out to the community from the parish , community donations — helps assist with food, clothing and utility bills," Mulleady said.

"It is very gratifying to hear a thank you or feel appreciated, though you don't do it for that purpose there are several who share how they are doing now and remind me that they have received help from the center."

The St. Francis Center partners with multiple community organizations, churches and individuals to complete its mission, including but not limited to providing Ashley House residents with dinner, paper goods and hygiene items for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas; during Fourth of July week — coordinate lunch served everyday which the church sponsors due to the Soup Kitchen closure; partnership with Valdosta State University College of Business, Wiregrass Technical College, Behavioral Health, Migrant Farm Clinic, etc.

Last year, the St. Francis Center embarked on a mission with Valdosta-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity to provide adequate housing for people who need it.

Mulleady serves as a representative on the housing task force to bring awareness to the issues of substandard housing conditions, evictions, rental spikes and homelessness in Valdosta-Lowndes County.

"More people need to be aware of the housing issues and learn how they can get involved with the city and county to make them aware — especially with rent challenges," Mulleady said. "That to me is the greatest need because eviction leads to homelessness, which is affecting the health of individuals and families. It is like a domino effect."

When people visit the St. Francis Center, Mulleady offers a quiet area where they may request prayer or spend a moment to clear their mind. In this space are beautiful stain-glass paintings in the windows with religious material for individuals to take, and a quote hanging on the wall which says, "The compassion we seek is one that stands in awe of what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment of how they carry it."

She said, "This is how I choose to live each day, it is so easy for us to judge someone for what we see on the outside but until you know what they are dealing with on the inside you will lack compassion for others problems."

Mulleady shared a story of a homeless man who would sleep in the stairwell.

"Each morning I would arrive at the center and there would be maybe one sneaker and at the end of the day I would leave a good pair of sneakers or a torn blanket and I would leave a new one.

"One day a man came in and said 'you know I am the one who has been sleeping on the stairwell,' he had come back to look for a suit to attend a funeral. He asked 'why are you so nice to me' and I asked 'why do you keep coming here' he said 'because I find love here.'

"That said everything to me and I was so overwhelmed with emotion. That summed up everything that we do here," Mulleady said.

Mulleady will return to Massachusetts in July after the completion of her assignment in Valdosta at the St. Francis Center.

She thanked St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and parish members for their support and generosity to the mission of St. Francis Center, volunteers for their kindness, compassion and dedication to the mission, and the community for supporting through donations or connecting people in need to resources offered.

"It will be extremely difficult to leave, mainly because of the people that I have been blessed to meet here.

"I am not retiring but rewiring for the next chapter," Mulleady said. "At this stage, I know that God is going to provide and I am open to that."