Maureen E. McCarthy

                                                                        Maureen McCarthy’s father is from Michigan and her mother, now deceased, was from Puerto Rico.  Maureen was born in the country of Panama on May 5, 1953.  She spent five years of her childhood in Michigan.  Because of her father’s work for the U.S. Government, her other childhood years were spent in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Uruguay and Argentina.  She grew up hearing Spanish, and learned to speak it fluently while living in South America.

     Maureen was raised Catholic.  At the age of 17 she decided that she could not accept all of the Church’s doctrines.  She became a member of the Baha’i faith when she was 18.  When Maureen was 22, she went to live on her own in Uruguay and was there for almost 4 years.  After Maureen returned from South America in 1979, she found work with her godfather in Chicago.

     Maureen met her husband-to-be during a train trip to Virginia.  He was from Kokomo, so she moved here to marry him.  They had a son in 1981 and named him Dyami.  (His name is pronounced dee ah′ mee and means “eagle.”  It’s from the Pueblo Indian language.  He is part Cherokee.).  Maureen and her husband divorced in 1984.  Dyami now lives in Ft. Wayne, IN.  He has a 21-month-old daughter named Kyah.  (Her name is pronounced kai′ uh, and has several meanings, including “restful place” and “wise child.”)

     Maureen earned a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University at Kokomo in 1997, with her areas of concentration being Psychology, Speech, and Early Childhood Education.  She also has a Certificate in Computer Programming.

     Maureen considers it her calling to work in the field of parent education and support.  (Informing parents about the child-rearing practices that research indicates best meet the emotional and other needs of infants and young children, and providing parents with support, respect and encouragement.)  Maureen encourages parents to practice a responsive, attuned, and empathetic parenting style.  In 2001 and 2002 Maureen wrote a research-based, weekly parenting column for the Kokomo Tribune.

     She has worked as a breastfeeding consultant, computer programmer, pre-school teacher, English as a Second Language teacher, and case manager.  Maureen is looking for a full-time job in some kind of social service work, in Kokomo or in the Indianapolis area.  She currently teaches Spanish to Delphi employees.  To make ends meet, Maureen also delivers pizzas on the weekends.

     Maureen loves to dance to music with strong beats.  Dancing serves as both exercise and fun.  She loves swimming and relaxing on sandy beaches but doesn’t get many chances to do either.  She does Tai Chi, a “soft” martial art, for health reasons.   Maureen likes to read all kind of books: uplifting, entertaining and/or informative.

     One of her top priorities is to nurture the special relationships in her life, with her son and granddaughter and the “sons” she has “adopted” over the years.  Maureen met one “adopted son” while making pastoral visits at the local jail 4 years ago.  She still writes and visits him in prison. 

     She likes to meet people from different cultures.  She loves to foster inter-faith understanding and racial harmony.  Maureen attends services of different Faiths, such as Muslim and Jewish services.  She has also organized events such as interfaith prayer services and a Unity Walk at IUK as an alternative to a Ku Klux Klan rally. 

     A couple of years ago, Maureen saw the KCoB’s newspaper ad.  Since she had participated in our Hunger Walk in the late 1980’s, she decided to visit Sunday School at the church that cares about the hungry.  As a member of the Baha’i Faith, and because Baha’is deeply revere Jesus Christ, Maureen enjoys studying the Bible with her classmates in our Pathfinders SS Class.  She has substituted as a guest teacher for the class, and she participated in the Ash Wednesday prayer vigil.  Though not a member, Maureen is a remarkable church friend.

     In response to the question, What else would you like for your church family to know about you?, Maureen wrote:  “I wish I could do more for the Church that has given me so much love, support and spiritual education, but I’m in treatment for my fatigue problems and can’t take on anything else.  Your prayers are always welcome!”