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Copyright©2008. Congregation of Saint Joseph.
Building Dedicated to Sister Lory Schaff, CSJ

        
      
New location at 2601 Canal Street in New Orleans.
       Sister Lory Schaff, CSJ, with a student in 2010.


From left to right, Bishop Shelton Fabre, auxillary of Archdiocese of New Orleans; Sister Bonita Sniegowski, SND, coordinator of the learning center, Sister Patricia Keefe, SND, teacher, and Sister Kathleen Bahlinger, CSJ, teacher.
The Archdiocesan Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the staff of the St. Vincent de Paul Adult Learning Center dedicated a new location of the Adult Learning Center in honor of the late Sister Lory Schaff, CSJ, on Sunday, August 19th, 2012. The event included a prayer service led by Bishop Shelton Favre. In attendance were local education advocates, former Adult Learning Center students, and family and friends of Sister Lory. The new center is located at 2601 Canal Street in New Orleans.

For four decades, Sister Lory was a dominant figure in the fight against poverty and injustice in New Orleans. As co-founder and director of Hope House, she worked on behalf of the poor on issues such as welfare and public housing reform. She lived in public housing for 14 years and became a part of the fabric of life in poverty. Sister Lory once said, “I wanted people to know the poor and decided that I could use words in a book to give a glimpse into the daily struggles and triumphs of our neighbors.”  She later authored the book, "A Tale Seldom Told." She passed away in January, 2012 after 28 years of religious life.

In 2006, Executive Director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Deacon Rudy Rayfield saw the need to better prepare returning residents for jobs post-Katrina. Aware of Sister Lory’s expertise and gift to motivate through learning, he reached out to her to help establish the St. Vincent de Paul Adult Learning Center for Empowerment in 2007. “Nothing made Sister. Lory happier than to see people believe in themselves and achieve their goals,” Deacon Rudy Rayfield said. “She was a true catalyst in the success of the Learning Center.”

Sister Kathleen Bahlinger, CSJ, Sister Lory's colleague and friend, said, "Sister Lory often spoke of her 'teacher heart'. It was this teacher heart that enabled her to get to know and love each of her students. That love and concern was often the catalyst that the student needed to move to another level of learning and being. Although she is no longer physically with us, her gentle spirit and loving presence are."

ABOUT THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER:

To improve the literacy and life skills of adults in post-Katrina New Orleans, the St. Vincent de Paul Adult Learning Center continues to prepare adults to take the GED test and develop employment skills. Conveniently located near the CBD, the Center serves as a beacon of hope to the disadvantaged in our community by offering educational services four days per week. Sister Kathleen Bahlinger, CSJ, Sister Bonita Sniegowski, SND, Sister Pat Keefe, SND, and the learning center volunteers serve between 120-150 individuals per year. Graduates have gone on to continue their education at Delgado Community College, SUNO, and Dillard University. Click here for more information.