What began as an effort to provide Christmas gifts for needy families by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ 40 years ago has evolved from a pile of presents in a convent basement to Santa’s Workshop at the thrift store of Daystar in Cairo.

Anyone who has attended a Catholic funeral has seen them. They are the ladies who reliably show up to prepare and serve (and clean up after) the post-funeral meal, usually in the school lunchroom or the church basement.

While the growth and learning of elementary school children is the primary focus of diocesan schools, Sister Thea Bowman in East St. Louis has expanded its educational endeavors to the families of students with the creation of the Family University Program.