By 1970, St. Joseph parish in Plymouth had outgrown its pioneer church and purchased land nearby in New Hope. It took two years for a new church to be built. In the meantime, Father Blane Barr saw social ministry as an essential part of parish ministry. He put his vision into practice by hiring Martha Jane Gates to open the Social Action Center in the house on the property. Better known as Marty, she was a committed community activist with over a decade of experience running a teen center.
Martha Jane Gates: Decades of fighting hunger, poverty and homelessness