"Get out!"
Looking out on the sweeping lawns of McDonnell's Methodist Children's Home in the spring of 1974, eight-year-old Paul Wayne Buras had no idea of the implications those two words would have on his life. That day, Paul's gruff, abusive father took his three youngest children to the nearest orphanage, herded them to the administration building, and drove away.
For many children, that act of abandonment would have signaled the beginning of a life of loss ending in poverty, severe dysfunction, prison, or worse. But not for Paul. At MacDonnell's something magical happenedtwo humble nuns and their dedicated staff embraced this resilient boy and taught him about grace, love, and power of redemption. In the often rough-and-tumble atmosphere, Sisters Janice Buescher and Ellen Babin created an unconventional family for their forty young charges, with ties that, for many, would last a lifetime.