Over the past 160+ years, our congregation, Sisters of the Presentation, and our ministries have evolved. In the early years, most of our Sisters were engaged in the ministry of education, but the call of Vatican II invited us to extend our reach beyond the classroom and to minister in a manner which reflects the spirit and charism of our foundress, Venerable Nano Nagle. Her deep, personal union with God and love of neighbor kindled her response to the pressing needs of her day and led her to spend herself in works of compassion and justice. She understood those who were caught in a web of poverty; those who were sick, aged, lonely or otherwise deprived of the basic necessities of life.
Though the ways we participate in ministry are changing, we remain open to responding to the needs that call to us. In light of this, we have inaugurated the Sisters of the Presentation Grant Program, which provides impact-level financial resources to nonprofit organizations which share our mission of alleviating poverty and addressing the key justice issues of our time. This Grant Program is our answer to the question, “How do we continue to impact the dire needs of our world, and encourage the next generation of those who minister in the spirit of Venerable Nano Nagle?”
The first round of grants was distributed in the fall of 2022 to nine organizations whose work addresses needs of women and children, especially in the areas of education and healthcare. Located throughout California, grants were allotted to food banks, legal assistance for immigrants, scholarships and tutoring, job training, and maternal health care.
Within days of the grants being issued, we received this message from Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice, sharing the direct impact on one unhoused family:
“The family, a mother and her two children ages 9 and 12, had fled domestic violence and were living in their car. The gracious funding you provided made it possible for Amigos de Guadalupe staff to immediately stabilize the family with food and a hotel room for 17 days…our team has since been able to provide a housing voucher for the family and move them into permanent housing. Your funding is a blessing that allowed an immediate YES response for this mother with children in need.”
A new grant cycle is now underway.
Witnessing the work of these organizations gives us hope for the future. We feel privileged to work with ministry partners who hold as their own the values articulated in the Constitution of this congregation: "Impelled by the love which the Holy Spirit has poured into our hearts, we commit ourselves to give radical expression in our life and ministry to the fullness of the message proclaimed by Christ and to work for the realization of the fundamental gospel value of the human dignity of all persons." (Constitution 1)
https://presentationsisterssf.org/grant-program