The Father Taaffe Foundation was established as St. Brigid home in 1975 to provide a safe and loving home for pregnant teenage mothers. Supported and encouraged by Betty Marsh, a long time Salem city recorder and Oliver "Mickey McClure, a local grade school teacher, Father' Taaffe opened St. Brigid Home on St. Patrick's Day in March of 1975, in a rented house in Keizer, Oregon.

Father remembers the first day. Betty went to visit the neighbors to tell them about the home and to assure them that it would not change the neighborhood. The biggest concern the neighbors had was, "Would there be a lot of noise with teenagers living there?" Betty assured them, that they need not worry; the housemothers would make certain that the girls were respectful and quiet.

That night, one of the girls went into a labor with delivery quickly progressing. The housemother had no choice but to call for assistance. So, on that very first night at 3:00 AM, sirens blaring and red lights flashing an ambulance, a fire engine and a sheriff's deputy responded to the call. "That was our "quiet" beginning", Father remembers.

Originally there were four or five young mothers living at St. Brigid. They usually stayed for 5 or 6 months during their pregnancy and moved after they had their baby. At that time most of the girls gave their babies up for adoption.

In 1985 the rented house was razed for a parking lot and St. Brigid Home moved to a second house, which was owned by the state. This house was also eventually demolished to make way for a new development, and Father was forced to move St. Brigid again. Moving was difficult and disruptive. After much planning, hard work, prayer and many generous donations Father Taaffe was able to purchase a house in North Salem, which became the permanent location of St. Brigid Home.

As social conditions changed so did the needs of young mothers. By 1990 Father realized that many more teenage mothers were keeping their babies and that there was a need for a home where young mothers could go with their babies after completing their stay at St. Brigids. They needed time to establish themselves and St. Brigid only provided a home for pregnant girls, not teenage mothers. He was afraid that many babies would end up in the same situation that had originally brought their pregnant mothers to St. Brigids, staying with different friends, living with abusive boyfriends or mother's boyfriends, exposed to alcohol, drugs, and neglect. In 1991, again with the help of generous supporters he was able to open St. Monica Home. At first it was located in a rented facility which was once the convent of the Holy Names Sisters. Eventually, a house was purchased in south Salem, which was able to comfortable accommodate four teenage mothers and their babies.

St. Teresa Home was opened in 1998. There had been a waiting list for both St. Brigid and St. Monica Homes for some time. Father's intention was to open a third home, when it became financially feasible. Obviously, the need was there. One day a real estate agent, who knew Father and supported his projects called to let him know that a large home had just come on the market. She wanted to know if he would like to go look at it. Father declined. "The money is just not available", He told her. When he hung up the phone, he started thinking about the girls that were being turned away. He also felt bad responding negatively to the enthusiasm of the realtor. She was just being helpful and he did not want to seem ungrateful for her concern. So he picked up the phone and called her back. "No harm in looking", he figured.

The house was perfect. It had two stories, a large yard, a big kitchen and a family room with sunny windows. There was a daylight basement, which opened out into the yard and could be converted to a space for the girls to watch TV, study or into play area for children. But, there was the issue of financing.

Not long after Father looked at the home, he received a phone call from a family in Salem that heard there was a waiting list. "We know that you need another home Father, we'd like to make that possible". The home was purchased and with the help of volunteers it was cleaned, painted and renovated into the beautiful home that it is today. "I named it St. Teresa in honor of Mother Teresa," Father recalls. "I knew she wasn't a saint yet," he says with a twinkle in his eye. "But, I was sure she would be."