2700 N. Military Trail, Suite 240
PO Box 273908
Boca Raton, Florida 33427-3908
1-800-914-2420
PROJECT 0335
St. Bernadette’s Hostel
Support for Young Women
— Georgetown, Guyana —
And do not forget to do good and to share with others,
for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:16
WWW.CROSSCATHOLIC.ORG
ST. BERNADETTE’S HOSTEL SUPPORT
PROJECT 0335
Project Synopsis
Description
Provide for expenses at a
Catholic boarding home for 22
poor young women who are
studying and working far away
from home.
Purpose
The Catholic shelter offers
community, safety, accountability
and affordable living for young
women transitioning from
childhood to adulthood.
Location
Georgetown, the capital city
of the South American nation of
Guyana.
Cost
$9,900, or $450 per girl, goes
toward maintenance, utilities,
repairs, and other expenses for
the operation of the hostel for
a year.
Highlights
• Some women seeking
education and employment in
the city of Georgetown often
come from poor families in
remote, rural areas of the
country.
• Many of these women have
lived in institutions for much
of their childhood and cannot afford to rent an apartment.
• St. Bernadette’s Hostel is a very low-cost home where the girls can transition to adulthood under
the care of Catholic nuns, while finishing school and beginning careers in fields such as nursing or
teaching.
• St. Bernadette’s Hostel helps the girls with their travel expenses and books when possible, and also
gives them money for furniture for their first apartments when they move out.
• Cross Catholic Outreach provides funds for the upkeep of the building, so that costs to the
residents can remain within their means.
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ST. BERNADETTE’S HOSTEL SUPPORT
PROJECT 0335
Transitioning to Adulthood
In country better known for its lush rain forests, rivers and waterfalls--poverty has a strong
presence that you won’t find in a tourism brochure. In response to this problem, a group of Corpus
Christi Carmelite Sisters established St. Bernadette’s Hostel over fifty years ago. It was to be a home
away from home for young women trying to make their way in the world.
St. Bernadette’s is located at a renovated historical landmark in Guyana’s capital city. The hostel is
a beacon of light in an otherwise impoverished city.
In developing nations like Guyana, many children are institutionalized from a very young age —
not always because they are orphans, but more often because their parents simply cannot afford to
care for them. Some of these children remain in contact with their biological families, while others
don’t know their families and have no close connections with anyone outside of their orphanage.
In Guyana, it is always a difficult question where children will go when it’s time for them to enter
adulthood — whether they were institutionalized or not. They might return to their poor relatives
who are scraping by on subsistence-level farming. Or they might vanish into the streets, without
family, a job or any kind of support system. And with food prices and taxes at a punishing high,
chances are slim that these children will make themselves into productive, self-sustaining citizens in a
country whose main import is cash donations from Guyanese relatives living abroad.
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ST. BERNADETTE’S HOSTEL SUPPORT
PROJECT 0335
Path to Independence
It is fitting that the Georgetown Catholic Diocese, which plays such a huge part in providing shelter,
food and love to the country’s poorest children, has also accepted the challenge of helping young
women make the transition to adulthood and independence. St. Bernadette’s Hostel takes in girls
ages 18 to 25 whose families, if they have them, live too far away from the city for a daily commute.
Many are working full-time in the medical field, while others are in training to become nurses, teachers
or in one case even a computer repair worker. But whether working or in school, none of the girls can
afford to rent their own apartment, which might cost five times as much as staying at St. Bernadette’s.
Some of the girls now staying at St. Bernadette’s were raised at St. Ann’s Home — a local children’s
shelter — and are so accustomed to life in an institutional setting that it is a struggle to adjust to being
on their own. As Sr. Juanita explains, they feel they are suddenly lost and alone in an ocean.
For these girls, St. Bernadette’s provides a comfortable middle ground. Each resident gets her own
room and is responsible for her own groceries and daily schedule. At the same time, a dorm supervisor
makes sure they are doing their chores, cleaning up after themselves, and keeping the noise level down
at night. While the girls can find privacy when they want it, there is a community atmosphere. They
always have friends nearby to talk to, they work together to prepare meals, and they are encouraged
to attend morning and afternoon prayers in the chapel.
The girls are allowed to stay at the hostel for up to five years, during which time they are also helped
with travel expenses and books when the funds become available. When they eventually move into
their first apartment, St. Bernadette’s provides them with money for furniture. Cross Catholic Outreach
helps to cover the expenses of utilities and maintaining and renovating the hostel, which can be
expensive because the building is a century old and is considered a historical landmark. Our support
keeps costs affordable for these struggling young women.
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ST. BERNADETTE’S HOSTEL SUPPORT
PROJECT 0335
Reach Out in Love
Too often, well-meaning people run to the aid of the youngest and most innocent victims of poverty,
only to forget them when they grow old enough to actually make a difference. The sisters are working
hard to ensure that young women striving to rise above their poverty are not forgotten or abandoned.
St. Bernadette’s Hostel rewards and encourages positive behavior that will lead to a better future for
the people of Guyana, while keeping the girls connected with their Catholic roots and displaying Christ’s
love for the poor.
To continue providing quality housing at very low cost to those who need it, St. Bernadette’s relies
on the generosity of like-minded individuals who truly believe and live by the biblical teaching that
faith without works is dead. Cross Catholic Outreach is committed to supporting this crucial and
time-tested ministry, but we cannot do it without your help. Join us today and give the gift of a safe
home and secure future to a struggling young woman, so she will never have to withdraw into her
former life of poverty and hunger.
Our Promise to You!
100 percent of the proceeds of this appeal will be used for this project. In the event that we receive more than
needed to fund this project, additional gifts will be used for other urgent needs in the ministry.
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2700 N. Military Trail, Suite 240 • PO Box 273908 • Boca Raton, Florida 33427-3908 • 1-800-914-2420
© 2013 Cross Catholic Outreach. Cost effectively written, designed and printed in-house.