"I think the most essential work of the Sisters of Mary is giving the needy and poor people a chance to live fully."

Sister Michaela Kim was born on February 3, 1941 in Waesung Kun, Korea. In 1965 she entered the Sisters of Mary.

She became the Superior of the Sisters of Mary Boystown and Girlstown in Seoul in 1976, a position she held until 1984. In 1985 she was assigned Superior of the New Apostolate of the Sisters of Mary in Manila to work among the poor and sick in urban areas and continued that mission until 1992 when just prior to his death Father Schwartz personally named her as his successor and director of his charity programs. Following his death, Sister Michaela was named Superior General of the Sisters of Mary.

She has received many awards including a 1972 citation from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs for hospital work in Busan, Korea and a Prime Minister’s Award for dedicated social work in Korea in 1984.

In addition, on June 1, 2004 the Sisters of Mary received the Ho-Am Prize for Community Service at an award ceremony in Seoul, Korea.

The Ho-Am Prizes were established in 1990. Ho-Am was the pen name of Byung Chull Lee who was the founder of Samsung. Ho-Am Prizes are presented in five categories: Science, Engineering, Medicine, The Arts and Community Service. The Ho-Am Prizes are internationally recognized and are considered one of the most prestigious awards in Korea.

The Sisters of Mary received the award in recognition of their 40 years of charity work serving the poor and needy in Korea, as well as in the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil.

Many distinguished guests including all ministers for the Korean government and members of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee attended the awards ceremony.

In her acceptance speech, Sister Michaela said,

“The news that we were chosen as the awardee of the 2004 Ho-Am Prize for Community Service was a surprising gift and an unexpected joy. We, the Sisters of Mary, according to the spirit of our founder, Monsignor Aloysius Schwartz, are living a simple life in the name of Christ among the poor and neglected doing our daily work. Receiving such a renowned prize is a great honor, which we humbly accept. We will use this prize as an inspiration to work even harder to serve the poor.”

Please click here to see a copy of the Ho-Am Prize for Community Service Certificate, which the Sisters received.

Milo Olympics winners and Sister Michaela. The Milo Olympics are a two-day competition for elementary and high school children in the Philippines. Several thousand students from more than 100 schools compete in seven Olympic sports. In 2007, our girls won the team championship for the 19th time in 20 years.

"I don't have any great gift or talent in my work, but I think the opportunity of serving the poor is the greatest grace that I received from the Lord." – Sr. Michaela