Social Work as an Empowerment Tool

Embodying their core values of compassion, faith, prayer and community, the Sisters of the Holy Cross have answered the needs of vulnerable people for more than 180 years. Over this time, the ways in which they have responded have changed and have helped pave the way for evolutions in the field of social work. As the focus of their ministries grew from providing direct service to promoting systemic change, sisters have helped others to develop their skills and enhance their lives for the better — permanently.

In this second of a three-part series, we explore how education and community engagement empower and enable those with struggles by providing long-term solutions that can be sustained well after a sister is present. This type of social work serves as an empowerment tool for the individual, benefitting them and the neighborhoods and communities in which they live.

Sustainable Health Care

During the U.S. Civil War, 65 of the 160 Holy Cross sisters served as nurses. Having no training when first called to serve in 1861, they gained nursing knowledge quickly as they tended to soldiers serving on either side of the conflict.

By the early 1900s, nursing had taken root within the Congregation and the sisters sought to pass their knowledge on to lay people and other religious. Holy Cross Sisters M. Elena (Costello), M. Clare Anne (Rumschlag), M. Cordelia (Gahagan) and M. Nicholas (Gough) instructed aspiring nurses across several Holy Cross hospitals throughout during this time. These women religious inspired and educated generations of nurses and taught them the skills needed to succeed.

The same work continues today in community-based health education ministries in India. Sister Ribha Mynsong, CSC, travels to remote communities to educate residents on first aid and general health awareness. Likewise, in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, Sister Comfort Arthur, CSC, serves as a public health officer. She ensures health institutions and communities adhere to health codes and safety practices. For instance, she educates residents on the importance of clean water and general sanitation practices to help prevent malaria and other water-borne diseases. These types of outreach and social work provide sustainable health care through community education.

Education as empowerment

These same skills-development ministries also assist people living with inadequate financial resources and barriers related to race and gender. This was evident in a sewing ministry started by Sister M. Charlita (Enright), CSC, that spanned from 1947 until her death in 1983. At St. Martha’s Social Service Center, São Paulo, Brazil, she formed a group of mothers who volunteered to sew clothes for community members oppressed by poverty. The women’s collective developed into a center that provides classes and programs to women to help them nurture an entrepreneurial spirit and support their families. Sister Charlita saw firsthand the empowerment these women felt as they developed their gifts and gained confidence.

In the same vein, Sister M. Bruno (Beiro), CSC, formed a women’s group with cooperative principles in the 1960s. She taught them how to make reasonably priced traditional mandí clothing to sell in their village of Jalchatra, Bangladesh. In time, she traveled to more villages to teach other groups of women how to sew. By 1976, Sister Bruno had helped create at least 60 of these cooperative groups. By learning these new skills, the women positively impacted their communities—in ways they had not before—while developing personal autonomy and creating livelihoods.

Far-reaching impacts

This type of education as a path toward empowerment is not limited in scope or application. Today, Holy Cross sisters are providing the environments, tools and encouragement to grow healthy communities full of respect and love for humankind.

Holy Cross Sisters Mary Josephine Delany, Sisters Conceição Nogueira dos Santos and Patricia A. Dieringer are teaching individuals in Lima, Peru, how to engage with others around the Gospel. Together, they work with laypeople on how to read the Bible with others in a way that fosters spiritual growth and empowerment to help vulnerable people. In turn, students become the Gospel in action for the benefit of all people.

Similarly, elders and widows, once outcasts in Ugandan culture, are now celebrated and cared for by one another. Holy Cross Sisters Nancy Rose Njeri Njoroge, Angelica Birungi and Beatrice Wangatia all are having an impact simply by bringing people together and fostering community in their respective neighborhoods. This interconnection has allowed once marginalized individuals to have new hope as they care for one another. Suddenly, those once downtrodden are developing their own ideas and even cooperatives for sustainable outcomes.

The lasting effects of all these ministries have empowered multiple generations of women and men across various regions. Where women struggled to support their families and rear their children — opportunities for livelihoods and education are developed and shared throughout communities. Likewise for widows and elder individuals, whose lives have been changed in lasting and meaningful ways. And this is no accident.

These are examples of an evolution that Sisters of the Holy Cross and many religious congregations embraced years ago, changing the field of social work along the way. Just as teaching a person to fish provides a long-term trajectory of sustenance, developing skills and teaching individuals about God’s transforming love build strong communities full of dignity and health.