By Rose DeFer, courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School
Students at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School (SVdP) have hopes and dreams and come to school each day eager to learn about their faith and academics. However, many of these students and their families face financial challenges and social obstacles that could hinder their full participation in the Catholic educational experience. Rather than labeling them as “at-risk,” Sr. Cabrini Thomas, a Daughter of Charity and the director of SVdP, sees them as “at promise.”
“All are created in the image of God,” said Sr. Cabrini. “Therefore, we owe it to our students and their families to provide the necessary support for them to succeed.”
One form of support that SVdP provides is the Families At Promise program, which strives to remove barriers to success by helping students and their families access comprehensive wraparound services that address medical, psychological and socio-economic issues.
“Offering a child a Catholic education is wonderful, but to truly serve them, we must meet the socio-emotional and economic needs of their families,” said Sr. Cabrini.
The Families At Promise team includes a health aide, a scholarship coordinator, a behavior specialist, a counselor and a social worker, all under Sr. Cabrini’s compassionate direction. They meet biweekly to share insights and collaborate, ensuring no students or families fall through the cracks. Whether it’s providing clean uniforms, addressing attendance issues, offering mental health support or assisting with housing and job-related challenges, they work as a team to foster strong, supportive relationships between home and school.
Founded in 1959 by Vincentian priests and the Daughters of Charity, SVdP initially served predominantly middle-class families in Phoenix’s Maryvale area. However, a cancer cluster scare in the 1980s drastically changed the community, significantly impacting school enrollment. When the parish could no longer support the school, it faced possible closure. Thanks to the generosity of a donor and the support of the Daughters of Charity Foundation’s Education Ministry, SVdP became the first school sponsored by the Daughters of Charity in 1999.
Recognizing the need for family services, small changes began in the 1990s, including renaming the “Home and School” organization to “Partners in Education” (PiE), emphasizing the partnership between parents and the school. The tradition of serving pie and coffee at the end of monthly meetings fostered fellowship among parents. Initially, a health aide and a part-time counselor were the only outreach services available.
The COVID-19 pandemic in particular highlighted the acute needs of numerous families. A part-time social worker, mentored by a Daughter of Charity sister, volunteered to reach out to parents. Home visits and phone calls revealed numerous challenges: weak or no internet connections, shared devices among siblings and older children babysitting younger ones instead of attending online classes.
Sr. Cabrini, inspired by her work at another Catholic school in Los Angeles, envisioned the Families At Promise program. Through philanthropic partnerships a new multipurpose building was built on the SVdP campus, creating the space for the Families At Promise program and three years of the program’s start-up costs were provided, helping it to become what it is today.
Sr. Cabrini’s advice to others looking to replicate this program is simple.
“Start small. Pray about what needs to be done and then begin. Once people see the need and know you are doing something about it, they will support God’s work.”
