United States of America | Sœurs Auxiliatrices

An older Province in Mission addressing the Needs of our World today

There are currently 14 Sisters in the US. We live in small communities and in single residences. We have one sister living and working in the Boston/Cambridge area, one in San Bruno, a suburb of San Francisco. The rest of us live in the greater Chicago area.

The Institute came to the US in 1892 in response to a request by a Jesuit priest and several women from the New York area. The mission spread to include houses in St. Louis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and a novitiate in 1922 in Chappaqua, New York which later moved to St. Louis and eventually, Chicago.

The original Mission of the Helpers was “To help in all manner of good” offering all for the Souls in Purgatory. This took the form of home-health care, and catechetical work in parishes, especially parishes with significant minority populations. In addition, the sisters also led groups for the spiritual formation of educated women.

However, the main focus of the “apostolic work” was the immigrant populations, the African American community and Hispanic parishes including the needs of the Puerto Rican and Mexican populations.

Sisters

communities in 5 different towns

“We give priority to those who are wounded in their human dignity and those who are in greatest need of hearing the Good News.”

Our missions

Originally, the main ministries of the Helpers Sisters of the United States Province were home care and visiting, as well as catechetical ministry. The Sisters’ missions have now evolved.

The Spirituality of Social Justice

In fidelity to our commitment to God and one another, the sisters chose to work with laity and other religious to assist those touched by the major social issues of our time: immigration, racism, poverty, homelessness, refugees, the marginalized in any group including developmental disabilities, as well as respect and care for our planet.

Professional Services

To serve these populations better, the sisters are now professionally trained Social Workers, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners, Psychologists and Psychotherapists, Educators, Spiritual Directors, Healing Touch facilitators and Pastoral Associates. Although many are retired, they continue their mission bringing the quality of their formal training to their volunteer work with men and women and children.

Helper Projects

The sisters of the province support two major projects at this time: ● The Casa Esperanza project for homeless women and children ● The Circle: a Resource Center to provide multiple services for marginalized women. In cooperation with a local Parish, one community of sisters have offered part of their own housing to a Rohingya refugee family from Myanmar and currently to a Refugee woman from Sudan. Other sisters have assisted migrants’ families with donations of clothing, household items as well as financial assistance.

1892

Establishment of the Helpers Sisters in New York

1903-1925

Implantation in St Louis (Missouri), San Francisco (California), New York City and Chicago (Illinois)

1960

Creation of the United States Province

Today