Mary Virginia Merrick | |
|---|---|
 Mary Virginia Merrick with two children (c. 1953) | |
| Born | 2 November 1866 Washington D.C., U.S. |
| Died | 10 January 1955 (aged 88) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Oak Hill Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Mary Virginia Merrick (November 2, 1866 – January 10, 1955), born in Washington, DC, was a pioneer in American Catholic social reform. At age 20, despite being paralyzed from a fall, she started the Christ Child Society in 1887 to provide for needy infants, children, and their families in the Washington, D.C. area. During her lifetime, she grew the National Christ Child Society to 38 chapters, and today it operates 45 chapters in 21 states and in DC with nearly 6,000 members.
Merrick's cause for beatification was opened in 2001 in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington; Merrick was designated a Servant of God in 2003.