HAYESVILLE — A beloved member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission and St. William Parish communities is being recognized for her substantial contributions to the people of western North Carolina.
Sister Therese “Terry” Martin, CND, has a parish hall at IHM named in her honor: Sister Terry Hall. Now there is an endowment set up in her name to benefit students from Clay and Cherokee counties who are pursuing higher education.
The Sister Terry Martin Endowment Fund has been established by Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville as a way to honor her for all her years of service to the parish. The endowment was funded by parishioners through several fundraisers. The initial endowment contribution was a little over $27,000.
The endowment income is to be used for the benefit of students in Clay and Cherokee counties to provide scholarships for higher education. Allocation of these funds will be determined by a five-member scholarship committee.
This year marks Sister Terry’s 70th jubilee anniversary of profession with the Congregation of Notre Dame. She turned 90 in February.
For more than 27 years, Sister Terry has been helping people struggling at the margins in the far western Appalachian counties. In her ministry as the Far Western North Carolina Outreach Worker for the Diocese of Charlotte, based out of Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville, she is a witness to the preferential love of Christ for the poor – bringing food, clothing and other essential items to migrant farm workers; serving as a team member of Catholic Charities’ family strengthening services; visiting the sick; and working with victims at domestic violence shelters in Hayesville and Murphy.
She has also made it her personal task to help children in struggling families have shoes, warm coats and school supplies. She has also helped many adults earn their GED.
Sister Terry has been a volunteer with the Murphy office of Catholic Charities since its founding 19 years ago, working alongside Catholic Charities’ staff and community partners in offering a variety of charity and justice-promoting works out of the Bishop Begley Center for Economic Development in Murphy.
Bob McGinnis, an IHM parishioner who helped spearhead fundraising for the endowment fund, said, “We decided based on her years of involvement in education and her deep concern for both parishes in both counties we would raise money to be given out in her name.”
He said that when Sister Terry entered her religious order, she wanted to be a missionary.
“She was a missionary within the country,” McGinnis explained. “She is the most loving, giving woman I have ever known in my life. When I think of Sister Terry I think of Mother Teresa… She’s had an amazing impact on our community.”
The Sister Terry Endowment Fund will be managed by the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation.
The annual scholarship will be disbursed starting next fall. It will be managed by a committee of five people, a chairperson and two members of both IHM and St. William parishes. They will work with school systems in both counties to invite students to apply for the scholarship. Any high school student from either county going on to higher education may apply.
“Currently almost half of our 260 endowments are named endowments – that is, the endowments were established to honor or remember an individual or individuals,” noted Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development. “Some of these endowments are established at the death of an individual through a will or other estate gift. Others, like the Sister Terry Martin endowment, are established when a group raises some money to honor an individual or individuals. In any event, more and more people are establishing named endowments to leave a legacy to loved ones – gifts from thousands of dollars to millions – and we are thankful for their generosity.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Joe Purello of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte contributed.
Learn more
Interested in setting up an endowment? Individuals can establish an endowment in the diocesan foundation by leaving a bequest in their will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a gift of real estate, a gift of life insurance, cash or securities sufficient to set up an endowment, or a life income arrangement such as a trust or annuity.
For details about setting up an endowment to benefit the Church in western North Carolina, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..