The Sisters of Mary provide safety, security, and education to over 20,000 of the most vulnerable children in the most dangerous circumstances throughout the world.
Lanham, MD. (July 20, 2023) – Over ten million tickets have been sold for the surprise independent summer hit Sound of Freedom, depicting the terror of human trafficking. The touching and heartbreaking reality that it brings to light has left many viewers looking for a way to help fight for children facing the unspeakable danger illustrated.
The Sisters of Mary World Villages for Children has practiced charity to the poor, abused, and potentially trafficked for over half a century. Every year throughout Asia, Latin America, and Africa, the Sisters go two-by-two to seek the lost; children under the threat of cartels and who have little hope in their current circumstances. The Sisters bring these children to study with them in live-in schools for five years from the ages of 12 to 17, when the danger is most severe.
The unflinching heroism of the Sisters of Mary brings them face-to-face with threats depicted in the movie. The Sisters themselves, in their pursuit of saving the world’s most vulnerable children, have been kidnapped, held up at gunpoint, and physically harmed. Their courage bears fruit.
Sister Margie, currently helping to launch a new school with the Sisters of Mary in Tanzania, shares her experience in recruitment, “Although fear and worries sometimes dwell in my heart, I remain firm in my heart like that of a mother towards her children.”
The Sisters of Mary wrap into the mantle of their fold more than 20,000 teenagers in fifteen school communities throughout the world. Their saving work in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Brazil, Tanzania, and the Philippines has pulled many young boys and girls from the grip of human trafficking. The Sisters spend five years educating, healing, catechizing, and mothering the children from their wounds, giving them the confidence to in turn go out to lift up others in their families and communities.
More than 160,000 of these teenagers have graduated from the Sisters of Mary schools. The majority of graduates attend universities or follow a vocational path initiated at the Sisters of Mary schools. They become teachers and bricklayers and run family farms. They are today’s auto mechanics, architects, musicians, priests, nuns, and dentists. By the grace of God, they break free from a life of poverty and become defenders of the poor and vulnerable themselves.
“We always hope and pray that our graduates will become Catholic missionaries. Some of them are already active in their parish and in their workplaces, whether they be in their country or abroad,” Sr. Elena, Sisters of Mary Superior General said. “They try to influence their families and others. When they have their own families, they see to it that they are also teaching their kids what they had learned with the Sisters of Mary. Entire generations are transformed.”
The industry of human trafficking is sinister and extensive, racking up $150 billion in profits annually. Thankfully, these hidden terrors have been unveiled through Sound of Freedom and roused a wave of righteous anger. The next step for the awakened public is rallying behind lifelines and fearless defenders of children like the Sisters of Mary and their saving work.
