When she lost her home to a fire, one woman found hope at the Mercy House in Newark

There were flames. Screams. There was no time.

It was 8 p.m. on Nov. 1, and Halloween candy was scattered around. Maria Abarca and her husband Alberth Gonzalez were eating in the kitchen of their Newark apartment, and their three young boys watched TV in the bedroom.

Then the unthinkable happened.

“We noticed the fire coming up, and I grabbed my kids, and we ran out,” Abarca recalled. “We were barefoot. I was screaming. My kids were screaming: ‘Mommy, Mommy. Our toys, our beds.’ I was just like, wow, why is this happening to me? I saw everything vanish down before my eyes.”

*Maria Abarca provided this image of what her children’s bedroom looked like after a fire ravaged it, and her family was displaced.*

Abarca keeps photos on her phone of the aftermath of the fire. Charred toys are littered across her children’s bedroom floor next to pieces of broken ceiling. A photo frame sits on a dresser, but the image is faded and blackened from smoke. Wet dolls are here and there. In another room, large sections of the walls are broken in.

“We lost everything because the fireman had to go inside, and they had to break the windows,” Abarca said, fighting off tears. “All the water, all the smoke, it was bad. This is how it looks now. After I went back to see what we could rescue, there is not much to rescue.”

Despite the devastating loss, Abarca said she tries to remain positive.

“I’m just blessed to be alive and have my kids safe,” she said. “With time, I just think everything happens for a reason.”

Last week Abarca was at the Mercy House in Newark with her two-year-old son Anthony. Anthony loves farm animals, so he was thrilled when given a large toy horse for Christmas. He smiled and pulled it around the Mercy House, happily showing it off.

The Mercy House, a resource and referral center operated by the Archdiocese of Newark’s Respect Life Office, distributed more than 1,000 new and unwrapped toys to families in need during its annual Christmas Toy Giveaway on Dec. 17.

“The Christmas giveaway is such a blessing,” Abarca said. “During this crisis that I’m going through, I’ve been worrying about trying to bring food to the table and buying everything all over again. It’s hard money-wise to buy my kids presents, and just to have them get their gifts and see them smile again is a blessing.”

Abarca spent time volunteering and sorting presents to give to others who, like her, turned to the Mercy House in a time of need. Hundreds of people — some arriving four hours before the giveaway began — stood patiently in a line that wrapped around the block as they waited for the chance to receive presents they could give to their children on Christmas morning.

“Maria is a gentle soul,” said Cheryl Riley, the Respect Life Office director. “She was so grateful that the first thing she wanted to do was give back and help. People can’t believe they are getting the help we give them. It feels unrealistic. That’s why we are here.”

When Abarca first came to the Mercy House for assistance, she broke down in tears sharing her story.

“She was frightened,” Riley said. “They could have lost their lives.”

Since meeting Abarca, Riley has been helping her and her family rebuild their lives. She arranged mattresses and bed frames for the family with the help of donors. The Mercy House regularly provides the family with food, clothes, and other essentials.

Maria Abarca and her two-year-old son Anthony at the Mercy House on Dec. 17, 2021. The Mercy House, a resource and referral center operated by the Archdiocese of Newark’s Respect Life Office, distributed more than 1,000 new and unwrapped toys to families in need during its annual Christmas Toy Giveaway. (Photos and Video by Jai Agnish/Archdiocese of Newark)

“I’m very thankful that my neighbor told me about the Mercy House,” Abarca said. “They welcomed me like I was someone they knew for years. It’s very nice to know that there are people out there who are still caring.”

She said Riley and her team do a great job and constantly ask if she is OK and needs anything.

“The people that work here are just amazing,” Abarca said. “Everybody here is so loving, caring. They try to help you as much as they can. It’s just a great community. All the work they do is great.”

Abarca said she wants to settle down and hopes better things come her way.

“I’m just blessed with what I have now,” she said.

The Mercy House is open year-round on Tuesdays and Fridays to provide food, clothing, baby supplies, furniture and help find work and housing for individuals and families in need.

Learn more by visiting www.rcan.org/respect-life/mercy-house.

Sean Quinn Quinn contributed.