Sr. Christina Schoen, FSP, Director of the Learning Center at Martin de Porres Village, Paterson

Sister Christina Schoen has been a Franciscan Sister of Peace for 45 years. For the past 19 of these years, she has served the urban Church as Director of the Learning Center at St. Martin de Porres Village in the city of Paterson.

According to Sister Christina, “The Village, which opened in 1981, provided the first low income housing in the city for seniors, handicapped individuals and families.” The Learning Center services “latch-key” children during after-school hours and through the summer months, providing them with a safe haven in a neighborhood replete with drugs, gangs and violence. The summer program includes classes in Science, Arts and Crafts, Karate and swimming, and trips to water parks, arcades, etc.

Five years ago, in response to the CitiCOR initiative, the novices of the Sisters of Christian Charity in Mendham began coming every Thursday to provide tutoring. They have continued their weekly drive into Paterson, and very much enjoy this opportunity for “service in the city.”

A Novice of the Sisters of Christian Charity arranges some vegetable art with a student at the Learning Center

A proud student displays her Easter Bunny made of fruit

Before Easter, A “healthy, eat-able art” project included the creation of an Easter Bunny from various fruits! An earlier project made use of veggies. At Sister Christina’s Learning Center, after-school time is both valuable and fun!

About her ministry, Sister Christina declares: “I am so grateful that my religious community was foresighted and futuristic enough to allow us to expand our ministries. I feel very fulfilled as a consecrated woman religious in today’s society.”

(As a Licensed Assisted Housing Manager of the State of NJ, Sister was the Director of the entire Martin de Porres Village during its first six years of existence. That position is now held by Brother Gabriel O’Brien, a Franciscan Brother of Brooklyn).