Creating life-changing opportunities
A lean-to shanty of corrugated steel.
A thin layer of material on the ground, barely worthy to be called a bed.
A hand-me-down shirt that hangs from bony shoulders. Far too often, these are the scenes the Sisters of Mary walk into as they comb though the country’s most underserved communities.
For 60 years now, the congregation has done this to offer children a life-changing opportunity: a dormitory bed on campus, three square meals a day, medical care, a high school education and guaranteed work after graduation. On this journey, not a centavo changes hands. The catch? There isn’t one.
The Sisters carry on the grand plan of American priest, Venerable Aloysius Schwartz. Father Al, as he was affectionately called, began his mission in Busan, South Korea, where he provided postwar children a safe haven to complete their studies.
The Sisters then carried the mission around the world to Central and South America, the Philippines, and most recently, Tanzania—certainly no small feat for a 100-percent donor-funded operation.
On a recent balmy August morning, a sea of smiles greeted visitors at the Sisters of Mary Girlstown campus in Cavite. The year 2024 marks six decades of the Sisters of Mary, and celebrations were in order. Colorful costumes, garlands and young singing voices punctuated the outpouring of love. Not a dry eye remained by the end of the lively program.
The work does not end here, said Charlie Rufino, president of Father Al’s Children’s Foundation (FACFI), the school’s fundraising arm: “We also mark today our biggest project for FACFI, our Digital Transformation Center, currently under construction. We intend for our students to have access to many new digital careers by providing specialized courses in these fields.”
The sea of pupils broke into excited chatter at the news. The building, expected to be completed in 2025, brims with opportunities for the Cavite students. Not one to be left behind technologically, the school has expressed keen interest in collaborations and sponsorships for the new building’s programs and laboratories.
“We are so proud to have reached this landmark moment,” Rufino added. “What the Sisters have done around the world is nothing short of a miracle.”
Standing before thousands of radiant young souls full of new hope for the future, one can’t help but agree. For if it takes a village to raise a child, there is no other word for having successfully raised thousands of them all over the world for 60 years. It is indeed a living miracle.
FACFI accepts donations in cash or kind for their Cavite and Cebu campuses. Email sms.ardc@thesistersofmarvschools.edu.ph for more information.
