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Educational Ministries
Nurturing the Mind
The Sisters of Humility became a congregation in 1854 when rural French pastor, Fr. John Joseph Begel, asked a pious parishioner to gather together women who would be willing to teach the children of the poor, because other orders in the area would not. Since that time, responding to the educational needs of the people around them, especially the poor, has been a priority of the community, individually and collectively.
Educational Entrepreneurs
In 1969, the CHM community reaffirmed its commitment to apostolic service in the core areas of health, education and welfare but added that it would “include diverse and continually changing works which would be consonant with the needs of the times.” Whether those times are rural France, the American prairie or a 21st century global media culture, service to those who want and need to learn will always be a priority for the Congregation of the Humility of Mary.
As institutions transformed in the 1960s, CHMs began to explore their own gifts and talents, many becoming national leaders, experts and consultants in a variety of educational fields:
- Chinese scholar Sr. Kathleen Tomlonovic, PhD, teaches at Western Washington University in Bellingham and provides leadership for the Association of Asian Studies on the west coast and throughout the country.
- Sr. Michelle Schiffgens, PhD, former chair of the Marycrest Education Department, is a national leader and certification consultant on elementary reading programs.
- Sr. Roberta Brich created a model elementary school in Neola, Iowa to implement a system of education based on Adlerian Psychology.
- Sr. Elizabeth Thoman pioneered the field of media literacy education with Media&Values magazine and founded the Center for Media Literacy (http://www.medialit.org) in Los Angeles.
- Associate Diane Schlachter, PhD is a nationally known organizational development specialist, helping religious, educational and nonprofit organizations with skills of collaboration and strategic planning.
- At Cirimex (www.cirimex.com) in Guadalajara, Mexico, Sr. Kevin Bissell, PhD and Sr. Caridad Inda, PhD have perfected a culturally-sensitive approach to Spanish language learning for priests, lawyers, doctors, nurses and other “confidence professionals” who must be fluent in Spanish in order to speak with clients directly.
Beyond the Classroom
Today few CHMs are in the formal day to day classroom but education remains a major priority of the community. Indeed almost every form of contemporary ministry involves some educational component:
- Humility of Mary Housing staff teach life planning and financial skills for their single parent clients.
- Sisters and volunteers, who work at the John Lewis Coffee Shop in Davenport, teach computer skills, provide literacy classes and GED tutoring.
- Community outreach workers teach gardening along with nutrition and healthy eating habits
- A major component of health care delivery today is patient education – how the body works, the impact of medications, the mind/body connection.
- Religious educators prepare children for the sacraments, conduct scripture study groups, and teach meditation and prayer.
- At the grassroots level, many sisters are again involved in the education of immigrants – tutoring them in life skills and promoting English language fluency.
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