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For more than 150 years, Sisters of Charity - Halifax have had an impact on the various communities in which they live in.
The following is a percentage breakdown of Sisters working in the following primary ministries.
Education 8.9%
Pastoral Ministry 6.4%
Health Care 4.0%
Social Services 3.3%
Spiritual Development 2.1%
Congregational Service 6.4%
Ministry of Prayer/Other 68.9%
(based on Dec. 2008 statistics)
One way the Congregation contributes is through the
Charity Alive Fund.
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The traditional areas of education, health care, pastoral ministry and social services are still priorities, though the focus within the area may have changed. For instance, though some Sisters are still classroom teachers and administrators, many others work in literacy, adult education, spiritual guidance and faith development, community outreach and training for immigrants.
Likewise in healthcare: the focus is no longer on establishing and maintaining hospitals. Sisters can still be found in nursing, and health care and retirement centre administration. One Sister of Charity - S. Nuala Kenny - is a doctor and medical ethicist. Others are involved in holistic health and alternative therapies, serving as nutrition consultants, reflexologists, massage therapists, psychologists and therapists.
Many Sisters of Charity are involved in pastoral ministry as chaplains, parish associates, vicars and pastoral care workers.
Social services and social justice areas include social work, economic and community development, counselling and various outreach services, especially for women. Seeking justice and peace has become a focus for many Sisters. S. Sheilagh Martin is the liaison with the Representative of the Sisters of Charity Federation Non-Governmental Organization at the United Nations.
Regardless of how Sisters list their primary ministries, almost all are also active in a volunteer capacity within professional or community organizations, especially in outreach to seniors and to the poor.
Here are a few examples of past and present ministries where the Sisters serve:
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Aging Gracefully
New Waterford, NS
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"Aging Gracefully" is a program designed for seniors of the New Waterford area, to help them to accept the aging process as just another phase of life, and to enhance the physical, spiritual, mental and social aspects of their lives. Organized in 1993 by a Sister of Charity, the program now serves over 75 seniors each week. Sessions include weekly topics relating to the well-being of participants including Tai-Chi or exercise and afternoon teas and entertainment.
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Asian Center of Merrimack Valley, Inc.
Lawrence, MA
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Founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1987, the Asian Center was formed in response to the critical unmet needs of a new Asian immigrant and refugee population making their home in the Greater Lawrence area. Today the Center has developed into a multi-service family-oriented, intergenerational agency focusing on language education, citizenship preparation, social service strategies, support services, and advocacy.
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Carmel Centre
New Waterford, NS
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Carmel Centre is an economic development project operated by a 12 member board of directors. The vision of Carmel Centre is to enable citizens to revitalize their community, encourage citizens to participate in self-help ventures, serve as a catalyst in the development of healthy community projects and to create partnerships with public and private institutions to enhance the quality of life in the community. Activities include: overnight accommodations during the tourist season, a senior meals program for 55 people, an adult literacy program, the dePaul Food Pantry and a co-op craft business.
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The Community Resource Centre
Dartmouth, NS
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The Community Resource Centre, located in Scotia Court Housing Project in Dartmouth, is the home for a literacy program founded by a Sister of Charity in 1994. The program prepares students for the high school equivalency exam and helps them achieve economic self-sufficiency. The Centre serves mothers from the housing project through the literacy program itself and through an after school program for their children. Children with learning difficulties receive one-on-one tutoring and the intervention is already helping to turn lives around. Similarly, two of the women from the program are attending universities. If funding was available, 60 additional children could be served at the Centre.
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Elizabeth Seton Academy
Dorchester, MA
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Elizabeth Seton Academy is a private Catholic all-women's college preparatory high school serving metropolitan Boston. The school opened in 2003 and admits women of all cultural, ethnic and religious traditions.
www.elizabethsetonacademy.org
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English as a Second Language
Wellesley Hills, MA
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The native languages of some of the staff at Mount Saint Vincent Wellesley include Portuguese, Spanish and Haitian. Currently, four Sisters tutor program participants, who range in age from their early twenties to their fifties.
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Glenairley Centre for Earth and Spirit
Glenairley, BC
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The Centre for Earth and Spirit is a not-for-profit ecological learning centre and organic farm that is committed to the protection and healing of Earth. The centre, initiated by S. Maureen Wild and formed with the aid of others, began as an educational website in 2002. In 2003, the centre partnered with the Sisters of Saint Ann to open a physical centre located in Glenairley, British Columbia. This incorporated charitable organization provides resources, programs, retreats and models that provide unique opportunities to learn, network and grow spiritually with a focus of responsibility, and sustainability in an expanding world view.
http://www.centreforearthandspirit.org/ |
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Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
Dorchester, MA
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In the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), the Sisters of Charity minister in a collaborative movement involving lay and religious women and men. Its mission is to unify neighborhood communities. One of the major thrusts of GBIO is to assist in providing affordable housing for residents of the greater Boston area.
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Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center
Brooklyn, NY
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The Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center is located in one of Brooklyn's poorest neighborhoods. The MCIF Center, opened in 1994, is a beacon of hope, promise and opportunity to 90 program participants. The purpose of the program is to provide job training and career development skills, especially for women who have recently arrived in the United States. Graduates of the program have gone on to college, work in child care, the public school system and local stores. The work of the Center was highlighted in a recent publication of the New York Women's Foundation: "...MCIF is equipping women to break out of the cycle of poverty for themselves and their children. The work encompasses self-sufficiency and community change."
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Missionary Works
in Peru and the Dominican Republic
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In the 1960s the Sisters of Charity established missions in both Peru and the Dominican Republic. Their activities in these countries provide education, health services, catechesis and community empowerment to some of the area's poorest residents.
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Mount Saint Agnes Academy
Hamilton, Bermuda
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The tie between Halifax and Bermuda stems from the fact that until the 1950s, Bermuda was part of the Halifax Archdiocese. Calls from the local bishop for Sisters to minister in Bermuda were made as early as 1878. And the Sisters did arrive. They made their long journey from Halifax to Bermuda by ship and on March 3, 1890 they officially opened Mount Saint Agnes Academy in Hamilton. Originally a girls' school, it now offers classes for boys and girls.
Feature article: A dream realized
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Pax Centre
Halifax, NS
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Pax Centre was begun by the Sisters in 1997. Originally the three Sisters who worked there provided counseling for individuals, couples and families, and this work continues. Presently, five Sisters work at the Centre, each offering a particular area of expertise: Centering Prayer, Reiki and Reflexology, facilitation of meetings and workshops, home studies for international adoption, and adult faith development.
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Seton Spirituality Centre
Terence Bay, NS
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In a setting of natural beauty overlooking Terence Bay on Nova Scotia's Atlantic Coast, Seton Spirituality Centre provides a place of quiet and stillness conducive to prayer and reflection. An ecumenical setting staffed by Sisters of Charity, the Centre provides private and group retreats, spiritual direction and a variety of spiritual and personal growth and development programs.
www.setonspiritualityctr.ca
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SHELL Outreach
Windsor, ON
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"SHELL Outreach" (Sharing the Healing Effects of Love in our Lives) is a program begun in 2000 for seniors in a disadvantaged area of Windsor, ON. It was established for the purpose of bringing together older men and women who were not having their social, leisure, psychological, and spiritual needs met in a special way. Meetings provide a comfortable and supportive atmosphere for acquiring simple skills through crafts, games, exercise, and various activities; as well as having talks and input from those with special expertise and resources. A lunch is provided and birthdays and significant holidays celebrated. It is hoped that these periods of time together may become a "quiet oasis" in lives that too often have been filled with loneliness, boredom, or discouragement. Interest is growing and frequently, gratitude for the program has been expressed.
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Single Parent Centre, Home of the Guardian Angel
Halifax, NS
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The Single Parent Centre provides support to single parents free of charge. Programs include computer use, tax counseling, prenatal classes, support for new mothers and their babies, and nutrition. Each year, the Centre serves approximately 650 families. Approximately 70% of those served by the Centre are either working poor or on public assistance. The Centre's contributions to the well-being of the parents and children who use its many services and to the strengthening of family life in greater Halifax is unquestionable.
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St. Kevin School
Dorchester, MA
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Staffed by the Sisters of Charity, the school remains an anchor institution in Boston's inner city and draws its students from an ethnically and culturally diverse population including those of Spanish, Haitian and African-American extraction. The school's strong curriculum inspires the best in St. Kevin's students. For hundreds of young people, the grounding they have received at St. Kevin's has provided a firm foundation for their future education. Alumni include a diverse array of professionals in the metropolitan Boston area and beyond.
Feature article: St. Kevin School
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St. Nicholas of Tolentine School
Jamaica, NY
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Founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1929. Generations of New Yorkers have benefited from the School's teaching and challenging curriculum. The School draws students from around the world with over 46 countries represented in the student body. Alumni include a number of distinguished New Yorkers including a member of the Board of Education, doctors, lawyers, teachers and Sisters of Charity.
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St. Patrick School
Lawrence, MA
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Lawrence, MA is the third poorest city in the United States. St. Patrick School was founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1906. St. Patrick continues today as a tangible sign of educational stability in this culturally diverse and ever-changing community.
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South Shore
Elder Services
Braintree, MA
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This agency, in which several Sisters of Charity serve, addresses the needs of the rapidly growing elderly population of Boston's South Shore. Clients are individuals who are physically vulnerable and generally have no families in the area to care for them.
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W.A.I.T.T. House
Roxbury, MA |
In 1970, the Sisters of Charity founded W.A.I.T.T. House, a literacy and career development program. Located in the heart of Roxbury, one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in Boston, more than 850 men and women have been served at W.A.I.T.T. House since its founding. The literacy and career development skills program is designed to help adult students earn a high school diploma. Recent alumni have gone on to such schools as Wheelock College, the University of Massachusetts, Bay State and Roxbury Community Business School.
Feature article: WAITT House celebration
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Women Helping Women
Queens, NY |
Women Helping Women, staffed by three Sisters of Charity, was founded in 1981 as a refuge for battered women and their children. It has served more than 1,400 residents. Women who have received shelter at the Center have moved on to independent housing, and have pursued careers in a number of fields. Those assisted at the shelter have gone on to nursing school, graduated from colleges and universities and have worked for a number of organizations. Their children have successfully completed colleges and universities as well.
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Aging Gracefully
New Waterford, NS
|
"Aging Gracefully" is a program designed for seniors of the New Waterford area, to help them to accept the aging process as just another phase of life, and to enhance the physical, spiritual, mental and social aspects of their lives. Organized in 1993 by a Sister of Charity, the program now serves over 75 seniors each week. Sessions include weekly topics relating to the well-being of participants including Tai-Chi or exercise and afternoon teas and entertainment.
|
|
Asian Center of Merrimack Valley, Inc.
Lawrence, MA
|
Founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1987, the Asian Center was formed in response to the critical unmet needs of a new Asian immigrant and refugee population making their home in the Greater Lawrence area. Today the Center has developed into a multi-service family-oriented, intergenerational agency focusing on language education, citizenship preparation, social service strategies, support services, and advocacy.
|
|
Carmel Centre
New Waterford, NS
|
Carmel Centre is an economic development project operated by a 12 member board of directors. The vision of Carmel Centre is to enable citizens to revitalize their community, encourage citizens to participate in self-help ventures, serve as a catalyst in the development of healthy community projects and to create partnerships with public and private institutions to enhance the quality of life in the community. Activities include: overnight accommodations during the tourist season, a senior meals program for 55 people, an adult literacy program, the dePaul Food Pantry and a co-op craft business.
|
|
The Community Resource Centre
Dartmouth, NS
|
The Community Resource Centre, located in Scotia Court Housing Project in Dartmouth, is the home for a literacy program founded by a Sister of Charity in 1994. The program prepares students for the high school equivalency exam and helps them achieve economic self-sufficiency. The Centre serves mothers from the housing project through the literacy program itself and through an after school program for their children. Children with learning difficulties receive one-on-one tutoring and the intervention is already helping to turn lives around. Similarly, two of the women from the program are attending universities. If funding was available, 60 additional children could be served at the Centre.
|
|
Elizabeth Seton Academy
Dorchester, MA
|
Elizabeth Seton Academy is a private Catholic all-women's college preparatory high school serving metropolitan Boston. The school opened in 2003 and admits women of all cultural, ethnic and religious traditions.
www.elizabethsetonacademy.org
|
|
English as a Second Language
Wellesley Hills, MA
|
The native languages of some of the staff at Mount Saint Vincent Wellesley include Portuguese, Spanish and Haitian. Currently, four Sisters tutor program participants, who range in age from their early twenties to their fifties.
|
|
Glenairley Centre for Earth and Spirit
Glenairley, BC
|
The Centre for Earth and Spirit is a not-for-profit ecological learning centre and organic farm that is committed to the protection and healing of Earth. The centre, initiated by S. Maureen Wild and formed with the aid of others, began as an educational website in 2002. In 2003, the centre partnered with the Sisters of Saint Ann to open a physical centre located in Glenairley, British Columbia. This incorporated charitable organization provides resources, programs, retreats and models that provide unique opportunities to learn, network and grow spiritually with a focus of responsibility, and sustainability in an expanding world view.
http://www.centreforearthandspirit.org/ |
|
Greater Boston Interfaith Organization
Dorchester, MA
|
In the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), the Sisters of Charity minister in a collaborative movement involving lay and religious women and men. Its mission is to unify neighborhood communities. One of the major thrusts of GBIO is to assist in providing affordable housing for residents of the greater Boston area.
|
|
Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center
Brooklyn, NY
|
The Maura Clarke-Ita Ford Center is located in one of Brooklyn's poorest neighborhoods. The MCIF Center, opened in 1994, is a beacon of hope, promise and opportunity to 90 program participants. The purpose of the program is to provide job training and career development skills, especially for women who have recently arrived in the United States. Graduates of the program have gone on to college, work in child care, the public school system and local stores. The work of the Center was highlighted in a recent publication of the New York Women's Foundation: "...MCIF is equipping women to break out of the cycle of poverty for themselves and their children. The work encompasses self-sufficiency and community change."
|
|
Missionary Works
in Peru and the Dominican Republic
|
In the 1960s the Sisters of Charity established missions in both Peru and the Dominican Republic. Their activities in these countries provide education, health services, catechesis and community empowerment to some of the area's poorest residents.
|
|
Mount Saint Agnes Academy
Hamilton, Bermuda
|
The tie between Halifax and Bermuda stems from the fact that until the 1950s, Bermuda was part of the Halifax Archdiocese. Calls from the local bishop for Sisters to minister in Bermuda were made as early as 1878. And the Sisters did arrive. They made their long journey from Halifax to Bermuda by ship and on March 3, 1890 they officially opened Mount Saint Agnes Academy in Hamilton. Originally a girls' school, it now offers classes for boys and girls.
Feature article: A dream realized
|
|
Pax Centre
Halifax, NS
|
Pax Centre was begun by the Sisters in 1997. Originally the three Sisters who worked there provided counseling for individuals, couples and families, and this work continues. Presently, five Sisters work at the Centre, each offering a particular area of expertise: Centering Prayer, Reiki and Reflexology, facilitation of meetings and workshops, home studies for international adoption, and adult faith development.
|
|
Seton Spirituality Centre
Terence Bay, NS
|
In a setting of natural beauty overlooking Terence Bay on Nova Scotia's Atlantic Coast, Seton Spirituality Centre provides a place of quiet and stillness conducive to prayer and reflection. An ecumenical setting staffed by Sisters of Charity, the Centre provides private and group retreats, spiritual direction and a variety of spiritual and personal growth and development programs.
www.setonspiritualityctr.ca
|
|
SHELL Outreach
Windsor, ON
|
"SHELL Outreach" (Sharing the Healing Effects of Love in our Lives) is a program begun in 2000 for seniors in a disadvantaged area of Windsor, ON. It was established for the purpose of bringing together older men and women who were not having their social, leisure, psychological, and spiritual needs met in a special way. Meetings provide a comfortable and supportive atmosphere for acquiring simple skills through crafts, games, exercise, and various activities; as well as having talks and input from those with special expertise and resources. A lunch is provided and birthdays and significant holidays celebrated. It is hoped that these periods of time together may become a "quiet oasis" in lives that too often have been filled with loneliness, boredom, or discouragement. Interest is growing and frequently, gratitude for the program has been expressed.
|
|
Single Parent Centre, Home of the Guardian Angel
Halifax, NS
|
The Single Parent Centre provides support to single parents free of charge. Programs include computer use, tax counseling, prenatal classes, support for new mothers and their babies, and nutrition. Each year, the Centre serves approximately 650 families. Approximately 70% of those served by the Centre are either working poor or on public assistance. The Centre's contributions to the well-being of the parents and children who use its many services and to the strengthening of family life in greater Halifax is unquestionable.
|
|
St. Kevin School
Dorchester, MA
|
Staffed by the Sisters of Charity, the school remains an anchor institution in Boston's inner city and draws its students from an ethnically and culturally diverse population including those of Spanish, Haitian and African-American extraction. The school's strong curriculum inspires the best in St. Kevin's students. For hundreds of young people, the grounding they have received at St. Kevin's has provided a firm foundation for their future education. Alumni include a diverse array of professionals in the metropolitan Boston area and beyond.
Feature article: St. Kevin School
|
|
St. Nicholas of Tolentine School
Jamaica, NY
|
Founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1929. Generations of New Yorkers have benefited from the School's teaching and challenging curriculum. The School draws students from around the world with over 46 countries represented in the student body. Alumni include a number of distinguished New Yorkers including a member of the Board of Education, doctors, lawyers, teachers and Sisters of Charity.
|
|
St. Patrick School
Lawrence, MA
|
Lawrence, MA is the third poorest city in the United States. St. Patrick School was founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1906. St. Patrick continues today as a tangible sign of educational stability in this culturally diverse and ever-changing community.
|
|
South Shore
Elder Services
Braintree, MA
|
This agency, in which several Sisters of Charity serve, addresses the needs of the rapidly growing elderly population of Boston's South Shore. Clients are individuals who are physically vulnerable and generally have no families in the area to care for them.
|
|
W.A.I.T.T. House
Roxbury, MA |
In 1970, the Sisters of Charity founded W.A.I.T.T. House, a literacy and career development program. Located in the heart of Roxbury, one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in Boston, more than 850 men and women have been served at W.A.I.T.T. House since its founding. The literacy and career development skills program is designed to help adult students earn a high school diploma. Recent alumni have gone on to such schools as Wheelock College, the University of Massachusetts, Bay State and Roxbury Community Business School.
Feature article: WAITT House celebration
|
|
Women Helping Women
Queens, NY |
Women Helping Women, staffed by three Sisters of Charity, was founded in 1981 as a refuge for battered women and their children. It has served more than 1,400 residents. Women who have received shelter at the Center have moved on to independent housing, and have pursued careers in a number of fields. Those assisted at the shelter have gone on to nursing school, graduated from colleges and universities and have worked for a number of organizations. Their children have successfully completed colleges and universities as well.
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