History

Left to Right: Sister Patricia Flass, SSJ – Sister Kathleen Navarra, SSJ – Sister Mary A. Cashman, CDP – Sister Virgina Patrick, CDP

The Academy History

In 2019, the Catholic Sisters Initiative of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation made a grant to Edmundite Missions to create The Edmundite Missions Academy.

The global Catholic sisterhood is a vibrant network of over 700,000 vowed women religious driven by their profound faith and compassion to be leaders and advocates for peace, equity and justice. Through their hands-on service ministries and local, national and global partnerships, sisters help to transform the lives of children, youth, families and communities around the world. Conrad N. Hilton, the founder of the Foundation, had deep respect and admiration for the work of Catholic sisters. The Catholic Sisters Initiative continues his legacy of support by providing resources to help reinforce strong and sustainable congregations, effective services, and collaboration among Catholic sisters worldwide. In our grantmaking, we focus on sisters’ formation, education, and care; supporting sisters in their ministries to develop human potential; building a global sisterhood; and research and evaluation.

In 2022, the Catholic Sisters Initiative and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation renewed their support for The Missions Academy through 2025. That support has attracted other donors who are helping to make successful educational lives possible.

With the support of the Catholic Sisters Initiative, Sr. Kathy Navarra, SSJ and Sr. Pat Flass, SSJ, worked with local educators to structure and create The Missions Academy as a pathway to success for the young people of Selma and other rural areas served by the Missions.