St. Mary’s Creates a New Guest Cottage to Help Families in Times of Stress

St. Mary's Mercy Guest Cottage will be a great blessing to out-of-town families.

On March 30, St. Mary’s leadership, the family of the late Ben Stephens, and Father Fred Wendel of the UGA Catholic Center blessed a new facility to serve families of seriously ill patients: St. Mary’s Mercy Guest Cottage!

This newly renovated, beautiful guest house sits on the campus of Highland Hills Village at 1660 Jennings Mill Road, on the outskirts of Watkinsville. The cute blue cottage is perfect for this use; all it needed was some extra TLC.

How St. Mary’s Mercy Guest Cottage came to be

The story begins with tragedy: Terry “Big Dawg” and Sue Stephens lost their son, Ben Stephens, who succumbed to fatal injuries caused by a horrible car crash on Dec. 30, 2020. Ben was a strong and active young adult who battled for his life in an Atlanta Hospital. During the three weeks he fought to live, the hospital put the Stephens family up in a guest cottage so they could focus on Ben and not have to worry about where they were going to sleep each night.

At the blessing of St. Mary’s Mercy Guest Cottage on March 30, TJ Stephens, the brother of Ben said, “During those three long, torturous weeks we had in Atlanta, a little shimmer of light was the house that we were able to stay in. There was somebody from our family there 24/7 so he was never alone. We were able to bond with other families that were able to use it, and it’s just a blessing to be able to pay it forward to other families.”

Paying it forward

Not long after Ben had passed, the Stephens reached out to begin discussing their desire to start a similar service for the families of patients at St. Mary’s. Talking with Vice President Tanya Adcock and other St. Mary’s leaders, they came up with the plan to renovate and refurbish the cottage at Highland Hills.

“St. Mary's Mercy Guest Cottage will be a great blessing to out-of-town families,” St. Mary’s President and CEO Montez Carter said at the blessing ceremony. “We know that whenever a loved one is in a hospital or hospice, sometimes it's a very stressful time. And if loved ones live hours or days away, the stress is magnified many times over. This beautiful cottage will take away much of that worry and hassle.”

A match made in heaven

The connection between St. Mary’s and the Stephens family goes back many years.

“St. Mary’s is where I was born, my sister was born, Ben was born there, Jamie was born there, and my daughter was born there two months ago,” TJ said. “So you talk about close to the heart; it doesn’t get any closer. I mean, I’m talking about a full circle-of-God moment here.”

Built in 1985, the cottage began life as a rental property at Highland Hills Village. In 2003, it became the convent of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus who served at St. Mary’s and in the Athens community. As their place of rest and refuge, it helped them in their efforts to carry St. Mary’s Mission forward: To serve together in the spirit of the Gospel as a compassionate and transforming healing presence within our communities.

But with the retirement of the Sisters in 2019, the cottage stood vacant, waiting to be put to a new use. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and there was no time or need to decide what to do with it. Then, the Stephens family came forward with the idea of creating a guest house. It felt like a match made in heaven.

“This guest cottage will be the physical embodiment of our mission in action,” Montez said. “It is an expression of who we are and what our purpose is.”

A legacy of love

The cottage is the perfect fit for how the Stephens family wanted to carry out their beloved son’s legacy. After creating a foundation in honor of Ben, they made the decision that the Foundation’s first undertaking would be to fund the renovation project and outfit the home. They chose soothing paint colors, attractive appliances, and comfortable furniture, bringing a “homey” feel to the cottage. They included a variety of lovely home accessories, especially beautiful photography taken by Ben during his travels out West.

“I think it’s evident when you go through the house and the pictures and just the spirit there that this is truly a legacy of love,” Montez said. “We appreciate the Stephens family for sharing that with us, and what it will mean to so many families when they come here, especially when they need that love.”

Live like Ben

March 30, 2022, would have been Ben’s 34th birthday, making the blessing celebration truly special. He was a beloved member of the Athens and Oconee communities, growing up in local schools, playing soccer, taking epic multi-state bicycle tours, and living a life of service and adventure.

“My hope is that people that stay here, they'll be able to create memories like we did,” TJ said on behalf the family. “And maybe they'll see the plaque of that beautiful man on that wall right there and they'll be able to learn about Ben, and maybe be inspired, maybe get out there and live like Ben. That's what we're here for.”

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St. Mary’s Mercy Guest Cottage will be available for use by families of patients receiving care at St. Mary’s Hospital, as well as families of residents at Highland Hills Village. Details on scheduling a stay at the Guest Cottage will be available in the near future.

St. Mary’s Public Relations Manager Mark Ralston contributed to this blog.