African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC)

ASEC was officially established in 1999 by the leaders of four institutes of women religious and the presidents of the colleges and universities founded by those institutes in Pennsylvania. ASEC’s founding institutes include—Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia (SSJ) and Chestnut Hill College, Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) and Marywood University, Sisters of Saint Francis of Philadelphia (OSF) and Neumann University, and the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) and Rosemont College. These eight institutes are the Corporate Members of ASEC. The women religious leaders, who were members of the founding institutes and were key to ASEC’s inauguration, have come to be known as ASEC’s Founding Mothers. ASEC’s Founding Mothers include—Sr. Anne Munley, IHM, PhD, Sr. Kathryn Miller, SSJ, PhD, Sr. Marcia Sichol, SHCJ, PhD, Sr. Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, PhD, Sr. Mary Reap, IHM, PhD, Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF, and Sr. Anita Cattafesta, OSF.

After 25 years of service to the women religious of Africa, the ASEC 25th Anniversary Founding Mothers Research Project endeavored to capture the dreams and aspirations of ASEC’s Founding Mothers, which led to the establishment of ASEC all those years ago. The purpose of the project was to tell the origin story of ASEC from the perspective of the women religious who were integral, at various stages, to the development of the collaborative. It is hoped that by better understanding ASEC’s roots, it’s history and origins, ASEC will be better equipped to serve the women religious of Africa for years to come.

Data Collection

Individual interviews were conducted with six of the Founding Mothers from August to September 2023. The interviews focused on collecting the Founding Mothers’ unique perspectives on ASEC’s establishment. In addition, two focus groups were conducted with all participants, the research consultant, and select ASEC staff members in attendance. Further, extensive document reviews of published documents (e.g., ASEC historical newsletters, timelines, and internal and external reports), Neylan Commission Meeting Minutes (1999-2000), and ASEC Board Meeting Minutes (2001-2007) were conducted in August 2023 to provide context and structure for ASEC’s historical timeline.

Results

Results were broken down into two main categories—The Founding of ASEC, detailing the collaborative’s establishment and key steps in the process from the participants’ perspectives, and The Founding Mothers’ Experiences, which provides the participants’ personal context and reflection on ASEC’s establishment. Each main category was then organized by theme. Themes for The Founding of ASEC included—Setting the Stage-Why Africa, Forming the Collaborative, Bridging the Gap-Fact Finding and Planning, Building Infrastructure, and The Path for the Future-SLDI. While themes for The Founding Mothers’ Experiences included—Dreams and Motivation, Founding Values, Finding Meaning, and Hopes for the Future.

Result highlights included the Founding Mothers consensus that ASEC’s story needs to be told, the most pressing reason being the possibility that the amazing work that has been done at ASEC can be replicated in other places.

Additionally, other colleges/universities and institutes of women religious can join ASEC’s cause, furthering the impact of the organization and allowing more sisters to access education. Sr. Carol Jean stated, “the story is nowhere finished … changing these women’s lives, giving them the tools they need, will transform the future for both women and men in Africa.”

For a complete description of these results please see the full 2024 Special Research Report, available at asec-sldi.org.

Conclusion

Twenty-five years later, the dreams of ASEC’s Founding Mothers are now a reality. With more than 10,000 individuals directly served through ASEC programming and over 7 million people benefitting from the efforts of its alumni, ASEC is a thriving organization that continues to adapt to meet the educational needs of Catholic sisters in Africa. Today, ASEC is able to provide African sisters educational opportunities from the secondary to doctoral levels, as well as facilitate training in vital areas of professional development, across 11 countries in Africa. ASEC “has endured and will until its mission is accomplished.” Sr. Mary believes that, “this is an example of the continuation of the response of women religious to the needs of their time. Because it’s there to be done, you make it work … when it is of the spirit, when it is of God, I think it works … and it turns out to be an ASEC.”

ASEC is a brilliant example of what can grow from several seeds and strong roots. As Sr. Anne said, “all we had in the beginning were some seeds…seeds of commitment and … belief.” ASEC is now a strong, flourishing organization because of small seeds that were sown back in 1995 and has grown to achieve the vision of the Founding Mothers for ASEC, “being deeply rooted in God, being deeply rooted in mission, the mission of Jesus, which is, everyone has a place and nobody is excluded from the table.”

As outlined by the Founding Mothers, the establishment of ASEC was a truly collaborative process. For the purposes of this project, seven women are referred to as ASEC’s Founding Mothers. However, there were many individuals, in addition to the Founding Mothers, that provided vital contributions in ASEC’s early days (1999-2007). A full listing, acknowledging the tireless efforts of these individuals, can be found at asec-sldi.org. Please note that this listing is not exhaustive. ASEC recognizes that there are many more contributors, not all of which are listed below or on the website. To all those who have assisted ASEC in growing into the organization it is today, ASEC sincerely thanks you for your tenacity and service!

Below is a listing of the women religious considered ASEC Founding Mothers that were interviewed as part of this research project.

• Sr. Anne Munley, IHM, PhD, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
• Sr. Kathryn Miller, SSJ, PhD, Sisters of Saint Joseph
• Sr. Marcia Sichol, SHCJ, PhD, Society of the Holy Child Jesus
• Sr. Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, PhD, Chestnut Hill College
• Sr. Mary Reap, IHM, PhD, Marywood University
• Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF, Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
• Sr. Anita Cattafesta, OSF, Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

Tara Lopatofsky, PhD, CCLS
Author
Senior Program Manager, Monitoring & Evaluation