Cathy Howe, Founder of Mother's Hope, Biography
Cathy Howe, Founder of Mother's Hope
Cathy Howe lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Jim, of 37 years and has three children and two grandchildren. Being a wife, mother and nana was her dream, but through God’s Grace and Our Blessed Mother’s endless love, she is ever growing into another role – a role bringing hope to children as Founder and Executive Director of Mother’s Hope Foundation. The Foundation has raised over two million dollars aiding sick and disadvantaged children at home and abroad. She also founded Mother’s Pilgrims which brings pilgrims to Medjugorje with the great blessing of having Mirjana Soldo, Medjugorje visionary, as co-host with Cathy.
In 1994 after the passing of her mom, Cathy and her family received a great spiritual gift through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This grace led Cathy to Medjugorje to thank Our Lady, even though Cathy was fragile of health battling both mastocytosis and malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Cathy returned home feeling great peace and joy which she believes is there for all who visit Medjugorje. Since that first trip to Medjugorje, Cathy believes that her call to found Mother’s Hope Foundation and Mother’s Pilgrims is a Divinely-inspired work, and she regularly receives spiritual direction to assist her in discernment.
Since 1994, Cathy has made 28 pilgrimages, 17 to Medjugorje, also to Betania, Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, Rome with a very sick body. On October 5, 2007, in Medjugorje, feast day of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Apostle of Divine Mercy, Cathy believes through the intercession of Pope John Paul II she was cured. In October 2008, Cathy’s oncologist at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute stated that she is in complete remission and her clinical, constitutional symptoms associated with the mastocytosis have completely resolved without any therapeutic intervention. Cathy continues to receive healing of body, mind and soul as she continues her pilgrim journey on earth trying to share the gifts of peace, love and hope that were so fully given to her by a Mother whose love has no boundaries. Cathy continues to bring pilgrims to Medjugorje leading her 20th pilgrimage in April 2011 and has also had the great blessing to travel to the Holy Land in 2010 and with a group of pilgrims led by Bishop David Zubik to Poland in July of 2011.
On June 25, 2011, the parish of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, under the pastoral care of the Herzegovinian Franciscan Province of the Assumption of Mary, and people from all over the world will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Our Lady coming there. Cathy feels it is a great privilege to bring people to Medjugorje. She believes with all her heart the River of Grace she experienced, the great peace, joy and hope which touches countless people who travel there is not of this world!
On August 15, 1993 His Eminence Cardinal Dr. Franjo Kuharic, Archbishop of Zagreb, stated, “We bishops, after a three year long commission study, accept Medjugorje as a holy place, as a shrine.
“This means that we have nothing against it if someone venerates the Mother of God in a manner and in agreement with the teaching of the Church. Therefore, we are leaving that to further study. The Church does not hurry.”
The Vatican announced on March 17, 2010 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had established an international commission to investigate the claims of six young people in Medjugorje who said, and continue to say until this day, Mary appeared to them daily beginning in 1981. The Doctrinal Congregation appointed retired Cardinal Camillo Rivini, former papal vicar of Rome, to head the commission. The commission continues.
Pope John Paul II met with Medjugorje visionary, Mirjana Soldo, in Castle Gondolfo upon his request. The Pope said to Mirjana, “Take care of Medjugorje. Medjugorje is hope for the whole world.” Cathy believes this with all her heart.
