Colégio Santa Maria
São Paulo, Brazil

Brazil is a country of contrasts that illustrates the paradox and stark reality of “misery amid wealth.” Though rich in natural resources, Brazil is one of the most destitute countries in the world; 23 million people live in extreme poverty. The harsh social, economic and political reality of this nation has had its impact on Holy Cross education at the colégio.

From the school’s beginnings in 1948, Holy Cross education in Brazil has been designed to take into consideration the context of the present-day reality of widespread injustice, political oppression and poverty.

In attempts to address the root causes of the desperate need they see around them, Holy Cross educators have built into their academic curricula a social outreach education component for all grades. These environmental and social awareness programs and volunteer opportunities offer a wide variety of experience by which students are educated to the necessary conditions for justice in the world.

Over the past 50 years, Colégio Santa Maria has grown into a comprehensive Holy Cross education system consisting of 70 classes of 1,975 paying students from preschoolers to high school seniors. In addition, 15 evening classes offer free education to over 500 adults enrolled in basic literacy through secondary-level instruction.

As the mission statement of the school affirms, the colégio community continually strives “to be an institution of education directed toward the formation of citizens with academic competency and ethical values to exercise solidarity in their human relationships and in the preservation of all life on this planet.”

~From reports by Sisters Anne Veronica Horner Hoe, CSC, and Diane Cundiff, CSC, principals

“Educating for Justice,” a slideshow of social responsibility projects (2.83 MB)