When Sister Anna, a German Sister of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, arrived in rural El Factor in the Dominican Republic many years ago, she found it blessed with beautiful weather and warm, welcoming people. She also discovered that the village lacked an educational system for the youngest children.

Parents were so busy farming to feed their families or selling used goods they scavenged that many little ones were left to roam the streets, unattended.

Sister Anna did what any good missionary would do: with Christ in her heart and generous support from The Society for the Propagation of the Faith, she reached out her hands and began changing the lives of the children. Sister founded El Mundo de los Ninos -- "The World of the Children" -- preschool. Initially, she ran two sessions for three and four-year-olds during the school day in a simple one room concrete building. Sister taught the children colors, numbers, and letters, but most importantly, who Jesus is and how much He loves them.

Sister Anna began attracting more than children; young Dominican women found their religious vocation and joined the order, helping with the faith formation of El Factor. They were soon joined by an American, Sister Lisa Valentini, who became the principal of the preschool. She saw great promise but also great problems with the school.

First, there was no indoor plumbing. No matter the weather, children had to walk outside and cross a sometimes rain-swollen creek to the latrine, which was built for adults. Second, the minimal school supplies available were outdated and in poor condition. Lastly, the building itself was dreary and drab -- hardly a place to inspire young learners!

With help from donors to The Propagation of the Faith and many visiting teams of young missionaries -- some from Boston -- the classrooms are now bright and cheery. Desks and chairs are clean and functional; new school supplies arrive on a regular basis. The pre-school children are so well educated that many skip kindergarten when they go on to the local village school.

Most importantly, the gift of faith received by the children from the Sisters has become a year-round religious experience for the whole village of El Factor. The school Christmas play is now performed in the village square and attended by all; Stations of the Cross are re-enacted by children in the streets of El Factor allowing all to witness Christ's Passion.

Your prayerful and generous contributions to The Propagation of the Faith support missionaries who help children, like those of El Factor, bring Christ to their villages.



- Maureen Crowley Heil is Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies, Boston.