The Archdiocese of Baltimore held its annual “Faith in Baltimore” gathering Jan. 17 at Mercy High School, where it honored Annette March-Grier for her decades of caring for local citizens in need of grief support services.
As the president and co-founder of Roberta’s House, a family grief support center in East Baltimore that offers free care for those of all ages, March-Grier’s work has touched tens of thousands of city residents over more than 30 years, starting in the days when she would visit parishes and community centers to help those who were hurting after losing loved ones.
March-Grier, a parishioner of St. Ann in East Baltimore who is also a registered nurse, says she became attuned to the grief of others while growing up the daughter of late parents William and Julia Roberta March, after whom Roberta’s house is named.
March-Grier’s parents opened March Funeral Home in 1957 – at the same North Avenue location where Roberta’s House has stood since January 2021. Now, with numerous funeral homes in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas and in Richmond, Va., March Funeral Homes is one of the largest, family-owned-and-operated African American funeral businesses in America.
“Being raised in a funeral home environment, l learned from my parents to be sensitive and compassionate and to understand the grief our communities dealt with,” March-Grier says. “My siblings and I were influenced to do community outreach. My parents always gave back – scholarships, church donations, programs.”
“I realized back [in the 1980s] that people in our communities did not have any bereavement services available to them,” she adds. “Grief is a part of life that can either make you or destroy you, and I saw the destruction going on in our communities. I went into this [pursuit] not knowing what it would take to make it work. I had faith and trust. This was my calling. It’s about loving and accepting people and being non-judgmental.”
Originally established in 2007 and having outgrown two other locations, Roberta’s House includes hundreds of trained grief support volunteers. The staff is especially focused on traumatic grief, often due to COVID-related causes, drug overdoses or deaths by violence, in a city that averages more than 300 homicides per year.
“Roberta’s House helps families face devastation, helps people heal after suffering traumatic loss. It has so many free services – workshops, overnight summer camps for children, support groups, really good food,” said Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., auxiliary of Baltimore and urban vicar for the archdiocese.
“Annette sets the tone, by going the extra mile with that soft, soothing voice. She is a comforter, an ambassador for Christ. When things seem dark, God sends us wonderful, brilliant light, through amazing people like Annette March-Grier.”
The Faith in Baltimore event also celebrated the Catholic Charities network of 80 programs functioning at more than 200 locations across the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The programs provide food, shelter, housing and early childhood education and fund mental wellness, behavioral health and substance abuse services.
Also in attendance at Mercy High were elected officials, community builders, interfaith leaders, nonprofit and business representatives, members of Mayor Brandon Scott’s executive team, and leaders from Catholic-affiliated institutions.
“I’ve had to learn how capital campaigns work, how to write grant proposals, how to operate a nonprofit,” said March-Grier, adding that the Roberta’s House operation has been refueled by a $1 million federal earmark, thanks in large part to Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen.
“This journey has taught me so much,” she added. “I’ve been blessed so much by others. Some of our former clients are now volunteers.”
“This has been an inspiring evening,” Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori said. “We have considered the ways we are rising to meet the needs of our beloved city.”
Bill McCarthy Jr., executive director of Catholic Charities of Baltimore, served as emcee for the Faith in Baltimore event, with Erin Moyer, clinic director at Villa Maria Community Resources Behavioral Health Clinic on the Fallsway, giving the keynote address.
To view more photos of the Faith in Baltimore reception, click below:
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