GLOVERVILLE—Daughters of Charity Sister Catherine Marie Lowe is the new director of Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Center, which provides many services to needy people in the Horse Creek Valley section of Aiken County.
She succeeds Sister Mary Jean Doyle, who is moving to Washington, D.C., to begin a new assignment. Another Daughter of Charity, Sister Rose Mary Henschke, who has also worked at the center for the past several years, is being transferred to Jacksonville, Fla. They were honored at a farewell reception held at Our Lady of the Valley Church on July 15.
The Horse Creek Valley area is one of the poorest in South Carolina, with widespread unemployment that has only grown worse over the years since the area’s textile mills were closed.
She wants to continue the center’s many programs, including the emergency food pantry, activities for seniors, and the popular GED program started by Sister Mary Jean.
She also is looking at ways to improve and enhance the center’s Benefits Bank, which provides a one-stop shop setting for people who need to apply for food stamps and other government benefits or have questions and problems related to benefits.
“The main thing is to focus on what are the needs and how can we serve the people here?” she said. “There are so many needs in this area, and we serve everyone from the elderly to homeless teenagers, families and people who have lost their jobs.”