The Sisters Of Mary

The Sisters of Mary are devoted to helping the poorest of the poor in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The religious order was founded by Aloysius Schwartz, the priest of the poor. The Sisters have been operating charitable programs for more than fifty years serving children with the greatest need who have the greatest potential. In 6 countries there are 400 Sisters of Mary caring for over 21,000 children with the mission of helping them break free from a life of poverty. This is one day in the life of a Sister.

Your Support Provides

  • Hope.
  • Clean water.
  • Medical care.
  • Dental care.
  • Three nutritious meals a day.
  • A safe place to live and study.
  • Clothing and school materials.
  • Help to break the cycle of poverty.
  • Spiritual, physical, and emotional care.
  • Vocational training tailored to local industries.
  • Protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
  • Opportunities to participate in sports, music, and art.
  • Spiritual, social, and academic formation and guidance.
  • Education for students that leads to careers or college.

You Will Receive

  • A welcome package with information on your selected Mother Sister.
  • Information about the situation of the country in which she is serving.
  • Biographies from a few of the children cared for by the Sisters.
  • The peace of knowing you are being remembered daily in prayer.
  • Opportunity to share your prayer intentions with the Sisters and children. 
  • Continuing engagement in serving the poor and changing lives.
  • Mission and pilgrimage visits can be arranged to select locations.
  • Opportunities to send notes of encouragement to the Sisters and children. 
  • Periodic updates from the Sisters of Mary.

 *Please note: 

  • The Sisters love receiving notes, but as you can understand, it is often difficult for them to write back directly because of their commitment to caring for so many children.
  • In accordance with our child protection policy, all communications go through the WVC office in the U.S. (personal contact information will be redacted).

Sponsor Sr. Alma

Mexico

Chalco

I am Sister Alma. I serve as a Mother Sister in Girlstown, Villa de las Niñas, in Chalco, Mexico where we care for almost 3,500 girls.

I can relate the children’s story with my own because I attended and graduated from Girlstown, Villa de las Niñas de Chalco when I was younger. As a student here, my religious vocation was born. My family was very Catholic, so I have always had a deep trust in God. I received my first call to a religious vocation the first day I entered Girlstown. When I saw the work and the kind smile of a Mother Sister, I said to myself, “I want to be like her.”

As a Sister of Mary, my daily life consists of nurturing my spiritual life and giving good daily service to the children under my care. I cannot say that it is easy, but this is God’s work. Many of the children carry with them pain from their pasts. I consider each child as a beautiful flower – each one has something beautiful and different to offer up to God. Many of my children came to Girlstown like withered plants, thirsty for water and love. I watched as they nourished themselves little by little physically, spiritually, psychologically, and morally with the encouragement of all the Sisters and fellow students. I do absolutely nothing on my own, the grace I receive daily in the Eucharist is the engine of my religious life.

I try to live each day as a new opportunity to get closer to God and I desire to work for His glory. I would like to continue helping the children in their growth with the aim of saving souls for God. Thank you for supporting this work and for sponsoring my spiritual family and me.

Learn more about the children

The children at our schools come from the poorest of the poor. Each child has their own stories of what their life was before coming to our schools and how their lives are being transformed by the Sisters of Mary programs.  Read the moving stories of our children in their own words. 

Meet Our Graduates

There are 160,000+  graduates from the Sisters of Mary Schools. Many of our graduates went on to live prosperous lives, helping their families and local communities. Read the inspiring stories of our graduates in their own words. 

Life At Our Villages

Learn more about how we help children break free from a life of poverty.