At age 82, Sister Mary Noel Menezes enjoys a sense of fulfilment having promised her life exclusively to God and towards selflessly helping others
Sister Mary Noel Menezes was born in July 1930 in Kingston, Georgetown and later attended St. Joseph High School. In an interview with Sister Menezes, she recalled that she grew up in a happy home, and has no regrets dedicating her life as a “Sister”.
Sister Menezes entered the Sisters of Mercy community in 1947 at age 17, and received her religious training in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Sisters of Mercy is an institution of Catholic women “who commit their lives to God, deepening their relationship with God and serving God’s people, especially those who are sick, poor and uneducated. Its mission is to help people to overcome the obstacles that keep them from living full dignified lives…”
In 1950, Sister Menezes returned to Guyana to teach at St. Joseph High School, and two years later entered St. Joseph’s Training College in Jamaica where she gained a teacher’s diploma in education with honours. Returning to Guyana, she taught at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Girls’ School until 1963.
She holds a BA in History at College Misericordia, Dallas, Pennsylvania, and an MA in Latin American History (summa cum laude) at Georgetown University in Washington, DC was followed by a teaching stint at Sacred Heart College, Belmont, North Carolina, and College Misericordia, from which she later received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities.
In 1967, the highly acclaimed educator began a long and vibrant teaching career at the University of Guyana in the Department of History, with a break in 1970 when she was offered a Ford Foundation Fellowship – an American Award – to read for her PhD at the University of London. Her thesis, “British Policy towards the Amerindians in British Guiana 1803-1873”, was published in 1977 by Oxford University Press, and up to 1995 Sister Menezes continued to produce a spate of books, which led her to carry out extensive research in the main archives of London, Holland, Portugal, Madeira and the United States. She has also published innumerable articles in a variety of journals. In 2005, Sister Menezes was the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine. She was also conferred with the title of Professor Emeritus by the University of Guyana.
Mercy Boys Home
Sister Menezes has led an exciting life of academic recognition and adventurous travels. Now retired, Sister Menezes enjoys her time at the Mercy Boys Home, which she founded in 2000. “Having worked for 35 years with the St. John Bosco Orphanage and seeing that the boys who left there had nowhere else to go after they turn 16, I decided to open the Mercy Boys Home. I always refer to the home as a miracle home. When I decided to buy the property, which is now the Mercy Boys Home, it was selling for $14M. I told the owner I couldn’t afford that much and he asked me how much I could’ve afforded. I don’t why, but I told the owner I could buy it for $10M; of course, I didn’t have any money, but somehow I knew it would’ve worked out favourably. The same evening the wife of the owner called me and said her husband decided to sell me the house for the $10M. I asked why would he agree to it and she said because he grew up in the St John Bosco Orphanage in the 1930s. I told myself that this was definitely the hand of God.”
Excited about this new venture, Sister Menezes wrote benefactors in Guyana and other countries, and in six months, she was able to buy the house. The Mercy Boys Home is mainly operated by funds given by benefactors. Boys from the ages of 16 to 21 are given accommodation. The boys do their own shopping, cooking and cleaning. Sister Menezes disclosed that they pay for their telephone bills and the home takes care of everything else, including utility bills.
“We even try to get jobs for them also. Many of them residing here at the moment are currently employed. Two of the boys who lived at the home have migrated and are now getting their Masters at universities in the U.S. Many have moved on to better themselves and some have even started their own businesses. We were able to get a scholarship for one of the boys to pursue studies at UG. He didn’t have a computer to work on and would have to go to the internet café, which is very costly. This was when we decided to buy him a computer. Many who have left usually would come back and tell us how difficult it is for them out there, because they don’t enjoy the things they once did when they were at the home. That is why I encourage them to save because I want them to be able to afford the comforts they had here when they leave,” she related.
The Mercy Boys Home has comfortable accommodation for 10 boys, and is equipped with a television, spacious kitchen, dining space, and warm beds. There are strict rules outlined, such as curfew, but Sister Menezes said that after discussions with the home’s committee, they decided to extend the weekend curfew for the adult boys from midnight to 2 a.m. However, she would advise them about the dangers of going to parties at such late hours, and drinking. She would also point out incidents of tragedies resulting from such, which are constantly reported in the news. Fortunately, Sister Menezes said, she has never experienced any tragic incidents involving the boys.
Sister Menezes noted that with her age in mind, she is currently looking at training one of the boys to take over the administration of the home as she sees it as a “necessary” place for boys leaving the orphanage. “I would like to say a special thank you to all the generous benefactors who have supported us throughout the years because without them we could not maintain the home,” thanked Sister Menezes.
When asked if she ever desired a family of her own, Sister Menezes replied laughing, “When I was teaching at Sacred Heart, the mothers would come to me and complained of the domestic problems they faced. I would usually go to my little chapel and thank God I don’t have to endure that.”
The St John Bosco Orphanage, which has been a home for orphaned boys since 1879, is located at Victoria Road in Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, and the Mercy Boys Home is in Amla Avenue, Prashad Nagar in Georgetown.
