The power of children: School reaches out to deaf woman and new companion dog

Mary Morois, left, Benedictine Sister Heidi Marie Krack and a golden retriever named Roxy are all part of a touching story about the powerful combination of dogs, children and faith. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)

By John Shaughnessy

As the golden retriever named Roxy waited patiently at the feet of Mary Morois, the scene offered a nice snapshot of two of the main characters in a story about healing, an unexpected gift of $9,000 and the amazing moments that can happen through the powerful combination of dogs and children.

It’s a story that began last October when Morois, who is deaf, faced one of the most heartbreaking times of her life.

She was grieving the death of her dog, Camden, who had been more than a beloved animal to her for nine years.

As a hearing service dog, Camden had also been a valuable partner to his 47-year-old owner, alerting her in such instances as when the doorbell rang, the fire alarm sounded and the alarm clock blared.

“We were a team for nine years,” Morois recalled. “This was like a spouse relationship, to an extent. You love them so much you would rather suffer. I was grieving.”

Like most people in that situation, the Indianapolis woman turned to the people who she knew would understand her pain and offer her comfort with open arms.

She drove to Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove. There, since 2001, she has been an oblate, a layperson dedicated to a Christian way of living, in connection with a religious community. She had relied on the Benedictine sisters there for years. She knew she needed them more than ever.

“On the day that Camden died, I needed something to do. One of the sisters met me at the door. She asked about Camden,” Morois said, recalling how the sister comforted her. “It meant a lot to me. I spent the first week without Camden at the monastery. It lessened the sense of loss. It affected everybody. Everyone was sad. It was like a family experience.”

In the midst of the sorrow, Benedictine Sister Heidi Marie Krack began to develop a plan to get another hearing service dog for Morois. As the plan evolved, Sister Heidi saw it as an Advent project for the students at St. Matthew School in Indianapolis, where she teaches a fifth-grade class. The project became known as “Giving the Gift of Hearing: Dollars for Dog.”

“From the moment we introduced the project, the students were so excited,” Sister Heidi said. “They were continually coming up with projects. It took them out of themselves. We’re supposed to reach out to the larger community, and this is what we did. It just snowballed. One student made dog treats and sold them. The Girl Scouts [at the parish] made treat stockings for dogs and sold them.”

The word about the project soon spread. Benedictine sisters at Holy Name School in Beech Grove and St. Mark School in Indianapolis told their students and fellow teachers about Morois and her need for a new dog. Sisters also talked to their families and asked if they would contribute to the project as a Christmas gift. Morois’ fellow oblates at Our Lady of Grace Monastery gave, too.

So did the staff, residents and the Ave Marie Guild at St. Paul Hermitage in Beech Grove. Some doctors and staff members at Community Hospital South in Indianapolis also donated to the effort, as did the owners, employees and customers of an Indianapolis business called Learning Express.

“People were excited. Everyone wanted to participate and help,” said Kara Sobolewski, an eighth-grade student at St. Matthew School. “We had jeans’ days on Fridays, and we brought in one or two dollars to wear jeans in school. We’re a community, and we want to keep giving.”

While the project kept expanding, an unsuspecting Morois prayed every morning with the prayer group at her parish, St. Thomas Aquinas in Indianapolis. When Camden was suffering in the last days of his life, she had prayed for a merciful death for him. After he died, she prayed to God to help her through her grieving. Then she asked him to provide another good hearing service dog for her.

She received her new dog in early January, a nearly 2-year-old golden retriever named Roxy, purchased through the generosity of the St. Vincent Hospital Mission Office. So the money that was raised through the Advent project—and additional money through her prayer group at St. Thomas Aquinas—became available to pay for Roxy’s training in Massachusetts and other needed expenses.

The St. Matthew School community invited Morois to receive the donation after the school Mass at the parish church on Ash Wednesday. The amount of the check—more than $9,000—stunned Morois.

A social worker for deaf people, Morois said, “My heart is in helping people.”

She credits that approach to the influence of her father, who helped people whenever he could. She was touched by that same spirit in the school children.

“I want to say a heartfelt thank you,” Morois told the children after Mass while Roxy rested at her feet. “You really taught me again the power of children.”

It was a day at St. Matthew’s when the cross marked in ashes on the foreheads of Catholics reminded them of their mortality.

It was a day at St. Matthew’s when a surprised woman, her new dog and a church filled with giving people offered a reminder of the divine spirit within humanity.

Sister Heidi fought a losing battle to hold back her tears as she said, “This journey has been amazing, almost miraculous to me, because of all the people who have opened their hearts and contributed to this.” †