Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, Sisters of the
HOLY SPIRIT AND MARY IMMACULATE, SISTERS OF THE
The Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate (S.H.Sp., Official Catholic Directory, #2050), a congregation with papal approbation (1939), was founded in 1893 in San Antonio, Texas, by Mrs. Margaret Mary Healy Murphy. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Murphy thought about several aspects of the apostolate to which she might devote the remaining years of her life. She was especially anxious to help educate black children. With ecclesiastical approval Mrs. Murphy and a small group of helpers took simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Mrs. Murphy, as Sister Margaret Mary, was elected first superior general, and governed the congregation until her death in 1907. Her charity, faith, and courage inspired her successors to continue her work; the sisters staffed parochial schools in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Their chief work is the education of youth, especially the poor and the marginalized. The sisters are also involved in pastoral ministry, youth ministry, retreats, catechetics and social services. The generalate is located in San Antonio, Texas.
[m. i. mcgann/eds.]