In 1968, Rose Mary Badami, a visionary social worker, founded Magnificat House in response to a growing crisis: the release of thousands from shuttered mental institutions with nowhere to go. Starting with one rehabbed house in the Second Ward of Houston, she welcomed women experiencing homelessness into a shared home where mutual support and dignity prevailed.

Soon, more homes were added for women, then men, and eventually for families. In 1972, she opened Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen to feed the chronically hungry. Her innovative community-based model, staffed by guests, volunteers, and religious partners, earned national praise from the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Psychiatric Association.

Rose Mary led Magnificat Houses for 46 years. Her legacy lives on in the lives transformed, the streets made safer, and the community of healing she helped build. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of St. Thomas in 1986.