Check out the latest news and stories from Holy Angels, a nonprofit in North Carolina supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions.

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National Magazine Features Holy Angels

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“Visiting Holy Angels in Belmont can somehow be jarring, sobering, beautiful, and inspiring, all tangled in a knot around your heart.” These words, written by Belmont native Stephen Copeland, begin a thoughtful, honest and beautiful depiction of Holy Angels published in St. Anthony Messenger, the flagship publication of Franciscan Media. This story details Stephen’s emotional journey meeting residents, staff and families at Holy Angels, and hearing raw, vulnerable and emotional stories of their experiences with developmental disabilities.

In her conversation with Copeland, president and CEO Kerri Massey shares a deeply personal journey from grief to gratitude—first coming to terms with her own daughter’s special needs, then embracing the beautiful possibility for a joyful, fulfilling life ahead supported by her own experience and her Holy Angels family. “Few understand the complexity of grief that many parents with disabled children face. It’s as if you’re constantly letting go of what you thought parenting would be,” Massey shared. Copeland writes, “Massey’s journey has better equipped her to uniquely meet other parents where they are—to help them to feel less alone as they consider Holy Angels for their child. She understands the nuances of grief, of letting go, of feeling inadequate. She says the happiest day for the Holy Angels staff is when they get to admit a new resident, which helps comfort parents.” The article brings to life􀀁the complexities families face in loving, caring for, and accepting help to raise children with disabilities.

“It’s no surprise that the Holy Angels logo is a heart. It took heart for the Sisters of Mercy to do what they did 70 years before, a legacy that continues to inspire Holy Angels employees in the present,” Copeland writes. “The story of Holy Angels had invited me in, and, in doing so, further into my own heart, into life itself. Soon to return again.”

Just as articles by Kays Gary shared Holy Angels on a national scale, Copeland’s writing shares our heartfelt story, with a raw, contemporary perspective. Read the full story by clicking here.

 

About Holy Angels: Now entering its 70th year, Holy Angels, Inc. provides medical services and specialized therapies, residential living, special education, creative arts and spiritual opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions. The nonprofit currently serves more than 80 residents ranging from ages 2 to 83. Its innovative programs also extend to vocational training and meaningful employment to support adults in reaching their highest potential through five sponsored businesses - Cherubs Café, Cotton Candy Factory, Spruced Goose Station, Bliss Gallery and Market on Main. A sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, Holy Angels maintains international accreditation from CARF, and employs more than 350 trained, committed individuals and maintains high standards of compliance with all federal, state and local governing bodies.