About Us

Mission Statement

Saint Maria Goretti Home (St. Maria’s Home) is committed to providing a Catholic home of hospitality and empowerment to pregnant and parenting women, 18 and over, with support and resources in the
Portland/Metro area for up to three years past delivery.

Interview with our Founders

About Us

St. Maria’s Home will be a non-profit Catholic home for women who need lodging, love, support and guidance throughout their pregnancy and up to three years after delivery of their child. St Maria’s Home will provide tools for our mothers to become self-sufficient and able to support themselves and their child (children). This includes vocational goals, financial skill competency, life skills classes, homemaking and child care skills, and support in continuing education or GED completion. Our mother/residents will also be offered women's bible study, Theology Of The Body classes, Natural Family Planning classes, and transportation to weekly mass or the option of attending another faith worship of their choice.

St Maria's Home will be able to freely proclaim Christ in her Church by being self-funded and accepting ethical grants. Based on another, faith based Maternity Home in Beaverton, Road 2 Hope, who fully fund their Maternity Home with 12 local Protestant churches, we calculate our future month costs to be between $20,000 to $25,000 per month. We will rely on volunteers, however, for stability, we do plan to fully employ a Mother-Child Coordinator and Executive Director. Marie Barzen, as Founder and President of the Board will not be receiving a salary. Marie’s pledge is to insure that all Board Members and employees are practicing Catholics.

Our Team

Marie Bernadette Barzen, RDH - Founder & President of St Maria's Home. Marie Bernadette Barzen has had extensive experience in directly leading 40 Days For Life/Beaverton for over 4 years of bi yearly campaigns. It is there that she honed her skills as a sidewalk counselor. Marie, a parishioner of St Cecilia and St Patrick Catholic Church then joined the team of 40 Days For Life/ Portland with Therese Ruesink of St Rose and Julie McConnell of First Orthodox Presbyterian Church. With our combined skills the help of countless prayer volunteers and God, closed down the Lovejoy Surgicenter in January 2021. Now the 40 Days For Life Portland Campaign is focused on the Lilith Clinic in downtown Portland. Marie's counseling skills have also been updated by conducting Sidewalk Advocate For Life classes at her home. She has been interviewed on Mater Dei by both Diana Marie and Brenda Aikin on various 40 Days For Life Campaigns over the years. Marie is an active member of St Cecilia Beaverton Respect Life Committee and also involved with St Patrick's in downtown Portland.

Marie graduated from Phoenix Community College with an Associates of Dental Hygiene Sciences. She has worked as a Registered Dental Hygienist in Arizona, Germany, and Florida but is currently retired. Marie has been happily married to Tom Barzen for 42 years. They have two grown children of whom they are very proud of.

Vicky Maurseth, - Vice President of St Maria's Home. Vicky and her husband Jerry met in college in the early 1970s at the University of Missouri – Rolla. She has a BS in Computer Science (74) and an MS in Engineering Management (76). They have been married for over 50 years and have eight grown daughters and 15 surviving grandchildren. They are members of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Beaverton.

Vicky has been active in the prolife movement since the family moved to Oregon in 1978. She has volunteered and worked for Oregon Right to Life (ORTL) in various roles over the years as president, vice president, national delegate office manager, speaker, and coordinator of the Oratory, Essay and Drawing Contests for the Education Foundation. She also coordinated several of the annual conferences many years ago. She volunteered briefly with Birthright of Hillsboro by supervising some rummage sales in the mid-1990s. She also coordinated rummage sales for her daughters’ scout troops, elementary and high schools and for Washington County Right to Life.

Currently, she is serving as a general board member of ORTL and Oregon Right to Life Education Foundation and currently co-chairs the Respect Life Ministry at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Beaverton with her husband. Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, sewing and staying current with developments in the pro-life movement.

Claire Anctil-Cathey is a member of the Board of Directors of St. Maria’s Home and has been involved in building the organization since its incorporation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2021. With a professional background in public relations, communications, social media, and brand strategy, Claire works with a diverse portfolio of clients and organizations, helping them tell their stories, engage their communities, and build meaningful connections through strategic communications.

Claire is a mother and parishioner of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in North Portland and a member of the St. Michael’s Pro-Life Group. She previously served on the Board of Directors for Precious Children of Portland, a nonprofit supporting mothers in need and their children. Her own path to motherhood gave Claire a particular heart for women facing difficult or unexpected pregnancies and a desire to ensure that mothers feel supported and accompanied in choosing life for their children. She later became involved with the St. Michael’s Pro-Life Group and 40 Days for Life, where she met Marie, who inspired her to join the effort to establish a much-needed Catholic maternity home in the Portland area. 

As her involvement in pro-life ministry deepened, Claire sought opportunities to learn from others doing this work and to better understand how to serve mothers and their children in a meaningful and sustainable way. In 2023, she was invited to attend the Vita Institute at the University of Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, an intensive formation program bringing together a small international group of leaders committed to building a culture of life. Claire and Marie have also spent time learning from established maternity and pregnancy-support ministries, including Mary’s Shelter in Virginia and Road 2 Hope in Oregon, gaining firsthand insight into the practical, relational, and spiritual support that helps mothers and their children thrive.

Claire is passionate about bringing her professional experience in communications and community engagement, along with what she has learned through her pro-life work and formation, to the mission of St. Maria’s Home. Outside of her professional work and ministry, Claire enjoys spending time with her son and family, group fitness, and being outdoors.

Nick El-Hajj Board Officer. Nick grew up in SE Portland and has been active in the Catholic community within Portland for several years. He is a member of St Stephen Catholic Church and St Sharbel. He has been involved in various ministries, but especially ministries focused on building community among Catholics and Catholic evangelism. In 2012, he helped found St Paul Street Evangelization with president and owner Steve Dawson, when Steve was living in Portland. For the past six years, Nick has been most active with Urban Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, a local Catholic evangelism ministry which focuses especially on homeless ministry. Nick has known Marie Barzen for over ten years, and when he heard Marie’s dream to get a Catholic Maternity Home started, he knew it was the Holy Spirit wanting this project to happen.

Nick has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Portland State University and has been working as Lead Designer & Consultant for life-safety and security systems projects for the past 16 years.

Helen Heller Board Member At-Large. Helen Heller is a dedicated Catholic, community volunteer, and wedding coordinator with a lifelong commitment to faith, service, and philanthropy. Originally from Indonesia, she immigrated to the United States in 1990. She studied Biology at the University of South Dakota and Nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College.

Helen currently serves as Wedding Coordinator for St. Patrick Catholic Church and St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. She was a founding board member of Rose Haven Womens Shelter. Her extensive volunteer leadership includes service on parish pastoral councils, capital campaign committees, school advisory boards, CYO leadership, and numerous nonprofit organizations. Helen has held leadership roles with the Indonesian Catholic Community of Oregon, Cathedral School, National Charity League, and other community organizations.

Through decades of service, Helen has helped strengthen Catholic education, support families, mentor young people, and build vibrant faith communities. As a Board Member At-Large for St. Maria’s Home, she brings experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising, community engagement, and a deep passion for supporting mothers, children, and families in need.

Alexandria Buchanan Secretary. Allie is a devoted mother of three, grandmother of five, and an avid animal lover with seven cats and a dog. She finds joy in reading, traveling, and attending church, where she also volunteers her time.

Alexandria has recently explored destinations such as Hawaii, Italy, and Montreal. She supports her husband, a business owner and active member of the Knights of Columbus, in his endeavors and community service. Her life is a blend of family, faith, and adventure.