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On Sunday January 15, nearly 100 people gathered at the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters' new residence at 2020 Morse Avenue to bless the Sisters' new venture, "The Holy Spirit Life Learning Center." Sisters Patricia Crowley, Benita Coffey and Judith Murphy were in attendance to support Sister Mary Melady who will be teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at the center. "It's the kind of work I love to do," explains Sister Mary, "and the need in the area is so great." |
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Father Jeremy Thomas, the pastor of
St. Jerome's, in which the Holy Spirit
Life Learning Center is located,
blessing the new venture. |
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The mission of the Center, located in the basement of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters' residence, is to serve the immigrant population in Rogers' Park: to assist people in the community who need to learn more English, to provide training in domestic skills and basic computer literacy, as well as to tutor students in area schools. In 2000, nearly 34% of the population of Rogers' Park was born outside of the United States, with Hispanic or Latino immigrants making up over one-quarter of the population of the neighborhood. Sister Mary notes that she has interviewed people who had lived in the area for many years and who spoke almost no English. "It must be so frustrating," she observes, "to feel so isolated." |
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Sister Mary, who retired from teaching ESL at Taft High school in June, will be teaching ESL classes three times a week. The Center provides free baby-sitting service for parents who wish to attend. The classes will be held in small groups, and scheduled around the demands of the students, many of whom work in manual or service jobs because of their limited English. She currently has 31 students, at different levels of English proficiency. "The response so far has been amazing!" Mary exclaims. Sister Mary's service at the center is in keeping with the community tradition of education and service "where there is need." |
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