The building which housed Nazareth Life Center for its entire twenty-eight year history had a decades long involvement with a number of religious institutions and charitable works.
The house was built for the Reverend Walter Thompson and his wife around 1890, when he was rector at St. Philip’s Episcopal church in Garrison.  The house was constructed in the Tudor Revival style, and included an elaborate carriage house and stable.  Its unique architecture resulted in the property being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The property remained in the Thompson family for many decades, after which it served as a private home to other families.  Later in the twentieth century it became a residence for the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, who operated a home nearby for young women in need.  After the Sisters left the premises, the Christian Brothers of the Christian Schools used the site as a retirement home for some of their members.
It was in 1979, that Father Eugene Keane, with Sister Marita Paul and Sister Marie Virgil of the Franciscan Sisters of Peace, established the Nazareth Life Center on the property, bringing a new form of charitable work there.  

The Nazareth Life Center was created to provide young women in crisis pregnancies with an alternative to abortion. The program was approved by the State of New York in 1980 and provided a full complement of services for the young women who resided there, such as continuing their education, encourag-ing recreational opportunities, and offering medical and adoption services.  Members of the Franciscan Sisters of Peace comprised the residential staff of the Center and provided welcoming hospitality for all who came there. Nazareth Life Center was not only a warm and caring place for young women in need but also a connection with loving couples looking to adopt through the Catholic Home Bureau. More than 500 children were born and adopted through the Nazareth Life Center. 

After 28 years of services to women in need, the Board of Directors of Nazareth Life Center made the difficult decision to close the ministry, and officially dissolve the Nazareth Life Center corporation.   The congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Peace was named as a beneficiary in the distribution of the assets of the Nazareth Life Center.  As a beneficiary, the congregation has the obligation to use the funds received only to provide services which are substantially similar to those which had been provided by the Nazareth Life Center and are consonant with its mission.  With this in mind, the Franciscan Sisters of Peace established the Nazareth Legacy Fund for Mission and developed a process whereby charities which meet the criteria can receive a grant from the Fund.  
When in existence, the Nazareth Life Center had as its mission  to provide a nurturing environment which assisted pregnant women in all aspects of their lives as they awaited the birth of a child.  Charitable organizations which have a similar mission are eligible for funding, e.g, to provide counsel, housing and/or care for pregnant girls and women; to foster the health and well-being of unborn children.  
Recent grants have been awarded to: 

• Several Sources Shelters, Ramsey, NJ for transportation needs;
• Zoe’s Place, Paramus, NJ for programs for teen age mothers/parenting teens;
• Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women, Passaic, NJ to combat food insecurity in families;
• Children’s Global Health Fund, Mt. Kisco, NY to conduct a program to end mother-to-child HIV AIDS transmission.