In 1994, having completed an assessment of needs in the Houston area, our Congregation made a commitment to initiate new literacy programs for adults and to collaborate with existing programs. In the ensuing years, four literacy centers were opened, one at San José Clinic in collaboration with the READ Commission, and a second at Southwest Clinic in collaboration with CHRISTUS Health/Legacy Health. The third at St. Austin Center was initiated by our Congregation. The fourth center was established at CHRISTUS Our Daily Bread in Galveston, Texas. These four centers offer classes in English and prepare students for the GED examination. Our Congregation also established a Literacy Core Group. This group has grown from being a collaborative effort among members from our Congregation, Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament and the Dominican Sisters of Houston, to include teachers from the four literacy centers. The Committee meets twice a year and each October hosts a Literacy Social. Personnel from other literacy centers are invited. The program at the social includes presentations by a guest speaker and by students from each center.
The type of teaching offered varies in each community and country. Among the education centers where our Sisters are missioned in Kenya are Bishop Ndingi Primary School, St. Peter the Apostle E.C.D. (Early childhood Development) and Elizabeth Place. These centers offer multiple educational opportunities to many young people in need. In Guatemala, Casa Claudio supports educational, spiritual and integral formation to low income women; House of Studies Santa Teresita does the same and Hogar Esperanza provides integral care and education for girls from birth to 6 years of age. In the U.S.A., many of our Sisters have served in parochial schools. Today, our focus is on literacy.