Franciscan University of Steubenville opens maternity home for students

Father Jonathan St. André, TOR, blesses the dining room of Guadalupe House, a maternity home for pregnant students designed to provide a faith-filled environment to support student moms as they continue their education at Franciscan University of Steubenville. / Credit: Ben Glaser/Franciscan University

CNA Staff, Feb 18, 2025 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS), a Catholic liberal arts university in eastern Ohio, has opened a maternity home for pregnant students designed to provide a faith-filled environment to support student moms as they continue their education. 

Guadalupe House is near campus and enables pregnant mothers enrolled at FUS to stay at the house for up to two semesters for the current on-campus housing rate. Student moms may receive material assistance ranging from diapers to baby clothing and nursery furniture as well as the support of an on-site residence coordinator. 

FUS is one of several Catholic colleges in the United States to not only offer pregnancy support but also provide a maternity home for students while they pursue their education. Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina and University of Mary in North Dakota both feature maternity programs for student mothers. 

The push to better support pregnant students marks the Catholic, pro-life values that several Catholic colleges are championing amid a culture that often points to abortion as an easy way out. 

Guadalupe House is designed to provide “stability while students pursue their academic and personal goals, ensuring the women receive both practical assistance and spiritual care,” according to the university’s press release.

The university officially opened the house with a home blessing led by the vice president of Franciscan Life, Father Jonathan St. André, TOR. St. André explained the meaning behind the choice of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the home’s patron saint. 

“Our Lady of Guadalupe reminds us of the gift of life, the gift of pregnancy, and the gift of mothers,” he said in the press release. “She reminds us to care for those who are often marginalized.”

“We are honored to be able to name this house in her honor, asking her care and patronage for our students who are pregnant and reminding us to care for them in the best way possible while they complete their education at Franciscan University,” St. André continued.

No students occupy the residence yet, but the option is now available for students who are expectant mothers. FUS’ vice president of student life, Daniel Dentino, noted that it’s essential that the option be available.   

“Knowing past students who could have benefited from a home like this made it clear the university had to come up with a better way to support a student living through an unplanned pregnancy,” Dentino stated. “Guadalupe House will allow us to provide practical and pastoral support to young moms and to extend Franciscan’s commitment to human life from conception to natural death.” 

The housing was donated to the university by Heather and Doug Perry and was formerly a missionary center. Heather Perry called the opportunity an answer to her prayers as she sought a purpose for the house after the missionary center closed. 

“After we decided to close the Ad Gentes Mission in 2023, I knew the Lord was asking me to find another purpose for this home to continue serving in a missionary capacity,” she said.

“For years, the university had an obvious desire to meet the unique needs of students who might find themselves with an unexpected pregnancy,” she continued. “It was clear the Lord was answering my prayer to find a new purpose for the mission house as well as President Father Dave Pivonka’s hope to meet the needs of some of his students.” 

Hollieann Geike, a FUS student and part of the advisory board as a student representative, said the home is important because it helps show God’s love to women with unexpected pregnancies. 

“What inspired me to see the need for a place like the Guadalupe House at Franciscan is the fact that 7-8 [out of] 10 women who have abortions go to church every Sunday,” Geike told CNA. “These women should not see abortion as an option because they should feel support from their church. At a school where 95% of the students are Catholic and [the] majority attend Mass every Sunday, this statistic is concerning.”

“We should be teaching our students the importance of extending God’s love and mercy to women who find themselves in unexpected pregnancies. Not to judge them based on how the child was conceived,” she continued. “No child should be punished for the sins of their parents. And we as brothers and sisters in Christ should offer women support and lead them to the sacraments. Providing mothers with a place to live is one way we can do this.” 

Dentino noted that the new maternity housing is a practical way that Franciscan can live out its pro-life mission. 

“Guadalupe House allows us to live our pro-life mission in a very practical way and is another example of how the university can ‘be light’ in service to our students, especially those who may be most in need,” Dentino said.