Sr. Joan’s life is a good illustration of, “Bloom where you are planted.” A New Yorker by birth, Sr. Joan was a classroom teacher and principal for almost 50 years—most of them spent in New York schools.

When she retired from full-time teaching, it was only fitting that she chose to volunteer as a tutor at Abraham House in the Bronx. Founded in 1993 by three former chaplains of Rikers Island Prison, Abraham House has been termed “one of the best programs fighting crime in NYC.”

Abraham House
Abraham House monitors a dozen or so petty criminals as an alternative to sending them to Rikers. The organization was welcomed by the neighbors of the Mott Haven section of the Bronx where it is located since 80% of those living there have or have had a family member in jail. So successful has been the program of education, counseling, and job training, that in its 15 years of existence, only three men have returned to prison for a second offense.

Expanding the Program
Within the last several years, Abraham House has expanded to also focus on serving the families of those incarcerated by providing them with counseling, food supplies, socialization, and liturgies. In 1999, afterschool and summer programs were added, and Sr. Joan began volunteering as a tutor with this program in 2002.

“Presently,” she explains, “we serve 60 children from grades K-12. They arrive from school around 2:30 p.m. and remain until 5:45 p.m. The children do their homework assisted by a tutor, have a snack, and are given classes in music, art, yoga, and dance.”

Sr. Joan shares that, “It is very rewarding to minister there, as the need is great, the people most appreciative, and a sense of community is evident. It is also disconcerting to be aware of how disrupted these children’s families are. It is overwhelming to hear them pray for people who were murdered outside their complex or their brother who had to go to jail. Yet, in spite of it all, they are children and they bring joy and laughter into one’s life.”