Sisters of Bon Secours: Where We Serve

In Education

Joining with others to fill the community's needs
The Sisters of Bon Secours recently joined with the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur to open a tuition-free middle school for girls in grades 5–8 who come from families of limited economic means. Sisters Academy of Baltimore offers a quality, faith-based education designed to help young girls in the community develop academically, morally, and spiritually and to prepare them for top quality high schools so they will have choices for their future. The small classes provide individual attention and support as the girls are educated to become agents of transformation in their families, communities, and society.

School President Sr. Delia Dowling, a School Sister of Notre Dame, explains how Sisters Academy responds to the needs of the communities it serves. "The Catholic schools in this neighborhood closed 30 years ago, leaving the community without a parish school. We talked with parents, got involved with the community in a variety of ways, and learned the greatest need was for a middle school. These are essential, transitional years for young girls when the seeds for the future are being planted.

In response to those needs, we provide a holistic education, teaching not just academics but also sports, art, and life skills and involving parents in their daughters' school life through volunteer work. The Sisters of Bon Secours were interested in Sisters Academy since the beginning. They believe providing this education is a new means of liberation and helping support women and children."

Bon Secours President Sr. Alice Talone, a Sisters Academy Board Member, agrees. "The Sisters of Bon Secours believe in a holistic approach to all of life and because of that believe being a Sponsor of Sisters Academy lives out what Bon Secours means—good help to those in need."

Bon Secours Schools Of Nursing Have A Rich Tradition
As nursing care in the United States became more sophisticated and specialized and hospitalization became available, so too the mission of the Sisters of Bon Secours recognized the need to expand their ministry to serve patients outside the home setting. To this end, on March 1, 1920, the first Bon Secours hospital in the United States opened in Baltimore with the purpose of “conducting of a hospital and a training School for Nurses.”

Read about our Schools of Nursing:

IN HEALTH CARE • OUR RETREAT CENTER • OUR COMPANIONS