Isolina Ferré
Encyclopedia
Isolina Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican Roman Catholic
nun. Known as the "Mother Teresa of Puerto Rico", she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
in recognition of her humanitarian work.
Ferré Aguayo was born in Ponce
to a wealthy family. She was one of five siblings, Jose, Carlos, Hernan, Rosario and Puerto Rico
's former governor Luis A. Ferré
. Other known members of the family include Rosario Ferré
and Pablo Casals
. When she was 21, Ferré traveled to the United States
where she commenced her novitiate
. After five years, she completed the solemn vows. As part of her religious work, Ferré traveled back and forth between Puerto Rico and the United States, serving as an abbess
in Cabo Rojo
and New York City
.
During this timeframe, she attended various universities in the United States, studying sociology and arts. After working as a member of New York City
's Committee Against Poverty, to which she was appointed by Mayor John Lindsay
, Ferré decided in 1969, to set her permanent residence in Ponce, specifically in the poor sector of La Playa
. Here, she was responsible for opening a small hospital and a school named Centro De Orientacion De La Playa in the area, which would later become Centros Sor Isolina Ferré. She is a member of Mu Alpha Phi
sorority.
, to Antonio Ferré and Mary Aguayo. Born into a wealthy family, she was one of five siblings, which included Luis
, Joe, Carlos, Hernan and Saro Ferré. Throughout the years, the Ferré family owned several companies in Puerto Rico, ranging from factories
to newspapers
. However, she was inclined towards a religious life from a young age. Her father was Catholic
, but left the church when, at the request of a dying friend, he joined the Freemasons
. The other members of the family attended a church named Iglesia de la Monserrate located in Hormigueros
.
Her mother used to spend her time in benevolent activities, often donating toys to orphaned children. Her mother contracted Filaria
, which limited her social and personal activities, therefore Saro, Ferré's older sister, became responsible for the upbringing of the younger children. When she was three years old, Ferré entered a religious school named Colegio de las Madres del Sagrado Corazón, where she became interested in the habits practiced by the nuns. Ferré traveled throughout Ponce with some of the family's employees, becoming familiar with the neighborhoods and their inhabitants. When she was young, Ferré believed that poverty was a voluntary economic state of being however, during her adolescence she realized that it wasn't so and that she was wrong in her way of thinking. During this timeframe she practiced tennis and cycling, and taught Catechism
.
's campus in Río Piedras
. She subsequently moved to the Orden De Las Siervas Misioneras De La Santisima Trinidad (Congregation Of The Missionary Servants Of The Most Blessed Trinity, MSBT), where she resided while studying. While in the university, Ferré developed an interest in opera and literature. She continued practicing tennis, eventually practicing with Rebekah Colberg
. Shortly after completing her first semester, Ferré returned to her home, where she was informed that her mother was in critical condition. Her mother died the next morning, moments after her son Luis arrived from the United States. Ferré resumed her studies with intensively and during this time she also worked and played tennis. Her health was affected because of her strenuous activities and after she went to her doctor and had a radiology done, she was told that she had damage in her lungs and was recommended that she take one year of rest. The condition worsened and she moved to Adjuntas
briefly, until the symptoms completely disappeared one month later. Jose Ferré (her brother) became a member of Luis Muñoz Marín
's government. He told her about the details of Operation Bootstrap
and Operation Serenity. Interested in this second project, she organized a group of delivery boys and shoe shiners and founded a candy distribution system. Ferré and some friends also preached to workers in sugar plantations, often visiting their houses in the evening. She left her family's house to join a convent shortly after her 21st birthday, after receiving permission from her father. Before entering the convent, she decided to swear a chastity vow. After arriving in Philadelphia, she spent her first year involved in a series of religious activities, including some "spiritual exercises" where she was only allowed to speak in the confessional
. Her first mission
took place in the small town of Norton, Virginia
. There she met with the priest of a community of Polish
miners and together they performed a series of domestic labors. She continued working on other missions, receiving occasional visits from her siblings. She eventually joined a Novitiate in New York City. In this convent, she was one of the few novice
s that knew how to drive an automobile and served as the convent's driver. While in New York, Ferré felt symptoms of appendicitis
, and was rushed to a Philadelphia hospital.
. She was subsequently transferred from Long Island
to Cabo Rojo
per request of Ponce's Bishop. Upon arriving, she was received by a procession. As part of this mission, She and the nuns organized baseball teams and sewing schools. She continued working in this convent for 11 years, until she was promoted to abbess
. As Mother Superior, Ferré remained in Cabo Rojo for six more years, which is the time limit that a Mother Superior can work within the a mission before receiving another assignment. She was then sent to Hato Rey
, where she was assigned to a religious school. Here she replaced part of the institution's materials with new ones, using part of a savings account created by the previous directory. Shortly after she contracted Sepsis
, and was removed from the position. Some time later Ferré traveled to The Bronx
, where several of the nuns that studied with her in Philadelphia resided. This congregation focused their attention in discouraging street crime. One day, Ferré was forced to dress a gang member in nun's clothing, to confuse the members of a rival gang. Due to her actions, she was promoted to abbess of the convent. She led the other nuns in an effort to revitalize the city's landscape. New York's governor Nelson Rockefeller
, awarded her the city's "Republican Woman" recognition. The community elected her as their official representative in New York's "Committee Against Poverty", but she declined the offer and granted the position to another Puerto Rican resident. She did this because Mayor John Lindsay
had previously appointed her as his personal representative. Ferré focused her work in promoting education among street gangs. The convent, interested in promoting community acceptance regardless of religion, was originally called "Dr. White Catholic Center" was renamed "Dr. White Center". During this timeframe she continued her education, briefly attending Holly Family College and completing her bachelor's degree at St. Joseph's College for Women. After a stint as a teacher in Philadelphia, she was sent back to New York in order to complete and further her studies. Ferré completed a sociology master's degree at Fordham University
, submitting a thesis based in the strengths and weaknesses of Puerto Rican families that faced conditions of discrimination and poverty after migrating to the city. Her final work in the United States took place in Chicago, where she coached a group of Puerto Rican community leaders.
in Ponce where the Ferré family had built a dispensary to treat vesicular conditions. She was operated and remained in rest for a month, spending this period visiting adjacent barrios and reading. Ferré then began promoting community restructuring by rehabilitating several buildings with the help of her brother Jose. She was responsible for the opening of a small clinic and school named Centro de Orientacion y Servicios de La Playa de Ponce (Ponce Playa Orientation and Services Center), dedicated to providing educational opportunities, extracurricular activities, and day care services to low-income families. With the cooperation of a Methodist
reverend, she also founded an industrial sewing school. They also formed a baseball team named Las Latas Stars and an equestrian club. Ferré promoted cultural events, reestablished traditional celebrations and organized activities focused on theatrics, ballet, modeling and sports. Seeking to address a personnel deficiency in nearby petrochemical factories, Teodoro Moscoso
suggested to them the creation of a welding school. The institution was built adjacent to Puerto Rico Iron Works
, a company that belonged to the Ferré family, and which remained active until 1972. This initiative was followed by a photography laboratory, which served to illustrate El Playero, a local magazine.
Ferré and the community of La Playa designed a proposal to work with juvenile delinquents, by suggesting that they should be placed under custody by their community and that they should be treated with respect instead of as criminals. The program was based in a system designed by Charles Grosser named "Advocacy", eventually becoming known as "Advocacy Puerto Rican Style". This method gathered interest from community leaders in the United States, who were interested in establishing similar programs. The program also gathered interest from politicians, to which she suggested the creation of the Centro Diagnostico y de Tratamiento de la Playa de Ponce (Ponce Playa Diagnostic and Treatment Center). Ferré and the community received a grant of one million dollars to build the institution, which was built in a lot in barrio El Ciclón. While attempting to eliminate prostitution, Ferré rented a building which was once used as a bar, opening a technological center at that location. In 1975, the Center faced some financial losses, following a fire and a flood, when Hurricane Eloise
passed hit Puerto Rico. By this time a series of small centers had been founded, as part of an initiative that was denominated "religious urban guerrilla". Due to this the organization's work continued uninterrupted, temporarily moving their operations to a location in an adjacent barrio.
Ferré established the center's headquarters in a building that used to belong to the employees of her father, which had been renamed Dispensario San Antonio years earlier. This was donated to a local convent, who turned it into a corporation in 1950. As an honor to Isolina Ferre, the community of La Playa decided to change the name of the institution from Centro de Orientacion de La Playa to Centros Sister Isolina Ferré. Saatchi & Saatchi
, the advertising agency in charge of the Center's publicity, subsequently effected the name change.
She was elected as a delegate in the "World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women", organized in 1980. When interviewed, Ferré stated that while the organization is run by nuns from the state and donations from the private industry, she tried to keep both of them separated from the church. During the 1980s, most of the funds for Centros Sor Isolina Ferré were provided by Rafael Hernández Colón
, who promoted the establishment of a new center in Caimito, Puerto Rico. One day, Ferré decided to intervene in a hostage situation, where two young men were threatening to open fire if the police entered their house. She was able to enter the house and the father confessed that he was responsible for the incident, after he hit one of his sons as punishment. The two men used the distraction to escape by jumping to the sea, but went to Ferré's center in search of medical attention. She contacted the police, and convinced them that they would not be arrested if they went to a hospital. This convinced her that the community needed more police attention, eventually employing a Japan
ese initiative named Koban
. Based on this, a group of officers moved to one of the residences that comprised Caimito's center, visiting the other houses on a daily basis. When Hurricane Hugo
struck Puerto Rico, Centros Sor Isolina Ferré cultivated 10,000 trees in a greenhouse, intending to help the government deal with the deforestation left by the storm. One day, Mother Teresa
visited Ferré while she was preparing an educational initiative. Both nuns discussed theology and social and humanitarian work, coming to the conclusion that while they used different methods, their goal was the same. On the morning of July 22, 1985, Ferré suffered a heart attack. She remained hospitalized for some weeks before undergoing Cardiac surgery
. In 1989, she was selected to receive the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism
.
By the 1990s, the Centers had created 50 different initiatives, of which 40 proved successful. In 1993, Ferré received the Hispanic Heritage Award
in the "Education" category. In March of that year, Ferré organized the first International Congress of Centros Sor Isolina Ferré, which focused in community development and youth upbringing. The activity was attended by several religious and political figures. That same year, the Center also reported that their social programs directed towards juvenile crime had been successful, reducing the frequency of crime in the locations adjacent to the centers by 20 percent.
Ferré's efforts in La Playa were written and chronicled in Puerto Rican books and newspapers, as well as the publications of other Latin American countries including the Dominican Republic
and Venezuela
. She earned twelve honorary doctorates from diverse educational institutions, and more than 64 organizations awarded her recognitions. Her work was recognized by President Bill Clinton
who awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom
at a ceremony in the White House
, an honor previously also bestowed upon her brother Luis A. Ferré.
In early 2000, Ferré began experiencing some health problems, but her health improved somewhat that July. However shortly after that she began experiencing respiratory problems and was hospitalized at the Hospital de Damas in Ponce. Ferré died on August 3, 2000, shortly before her 87th birthday. By then she had provided over half a century of public service. Her body was buried in Las Mercedes cemetery. After Ferré's death, the Centers which she founded continued to operate under the direction of José Díaz Coto. With help from Puerto Rico's Department of Family and the Department of Justice, preventive programs have been added to the Centers offerings. On May 16, 2008, the institution reported a reduction of 2% in juvenile delinquency in sectors adjacent to its Centers in Ponce.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
nun. Known as the "Mother Teresa of Puerto Rico", she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
in recognition of her humanitarian work.
Ferré Aguayo was born in Ponce
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
to a wealthy family. She was one of five siblings, Jose, Carlos, Hernan, Rosario and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's former governor Luis A. Ferré
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
. Other known members of the family include Rosario Ferré
Rosario Ferré
Dr. Rosario Ferré is a Puerto Rican writer, poet and essayist. Her father, Luis A. Ferré, was the third elected Governor of Puerto Rico, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party. When her mother, Lorenza Ramírez de Arellano, died in 1970...
and Pablo Casals
Pablo Casals
Pau Casals i Defilló , known during his professional career as Pablo Casals, was a Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest cellists of all time...
. When she was 21, Ferré traveled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where she commenced her novitiate
Novice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
. After five years, she completed the solemn vows. As part of her religious work, Ferré traveled back and forth between Puerto Rico and the United States, serving as an abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
in Cabo Rojo
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
During this timeframe, she attended various universities in the United States, studying sociology and arts. After working as a member of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Committee Against Poverty, to which she was appointed by Mayor John Lindsay
John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay was an American politician, lawyer and broadcaster who was a U.S. Congressman, Mayor of New York City, candidate for U.S...
, Ferré decided in 1969, to set her permanent residence in Ponce, specifically in the poor sector of La Playa
Playa (Ponce)
La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
. Here, she was responsible for opening a small hospital and a school named Centro De Orientacion De La Playa in the area, which would later become Centros Sor Isolina Ferré. She is a member of Mu Alpha Phi
Mu Alpha Phi
Mu Alpha Phi is a sorority established in Puerto Rico on October 24, 1927. It is considered to be the first Puerto Rican sorority founded in the island. The sorority has Alumni and University chapters across the Island and even has an alumni chapter in Florida.-History:The sorority was...
sorority.
Early life
Ferré was born in Ponce, Puerto RicoPonce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
, to Antonio Ferré and Mary Aguayo. Born into a wealthy family, she was one of five siblings, which included Luis
Luis A. Ferré
Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and a patron of the arts. He was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973, and the founding father of the New Progressive Party which advocates for Puerto Rico...
, Joe, Carlos, Hernan and Saro Ferré. Throughout the years, the Ferré family owned several companies in Puerto Rico, ranging from factories
Ponce Cement, Inc.
Ponce Cement, Inc. was a cement and limestone manufacturer in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was located at the intersection of PR-123 and PR-500, in Barrio Magueyes. It was founded in 1941 by Antonio Ferre Bacallao, a Puerto Rican industrialist of Cuban origin. In 2002, Ponce Cement, Inc...
to newspapers
El Nuevo Día
El Nuevo Día is a Puerto Rican newspaper based in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and distributed daily throughout Puerto Rico and some parts of the United States.- History :...
. However, she was inclined towards a religious life from a young age. Her father was Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, but left the church when, at the request of a dying friend, he joined the Freemasons
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. The other members of the family attended a church named Iglesia de la Monserrate located in Hormigueros
Hormigueros, Puerto Rico
Hormigueros is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the western region of the island, northeast of Cabo Rojo; northwest of San Germán; and south of Mayagüez. Hormigueros is spread over 5 wards and Hormigueros Pueblo...
.
Her mother used to spend her time in benevolent activities, often donating toys to orphaned children. Her mother contracted Filaria
Wuchereria bancrofti
Filaria, is a parasitic filarial nematode spread by a mosquito vector. It is one of the three parasites that cause lymphatic filariasis, an infection of the lymphatic system by filarial worms. It affects over 120 million people, primarily in Africa, South America, and other tropical and...
, which limited her social and personal activities, therefore Saro, Ferré's older sister, became responsible for the upbringing of the younger children. When she was three years old, Ferré entered a religious school named Colegio de las Madres del Sagrado Corazón, where she became interested in the habits practiced by the nuns. Ferré traveled throughout Ponce with some of the family's employees, becoming familiar with the neighborhoods and their inhabitants. When she was young, Ferré believed that poverty was a voluntary economic state of being however, during her adolescence she realized that it wasn't so and that she was wrong in her way of thinking. During this timeframe she practiced tennis and cycling, and taught Catechism
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official text of the teachings of the Catholic Church. A provisional, "reference text" was issued by Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992 — "the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council" — with his apostolic...
.
Novitiate
When she was sixteen years old, Ferré enrolled at the University of Puerto RicoUniversity of Puerto Rico
The University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
's campus in Río Piedras
Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Río Piedras is a district of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1714, it has been the home of the University of Puerto Rico's main campus since 1903, earning the town the popular name of Ciudad Universitaria...
. She subsequently moved to the Orden De Las Siervas Misioneras De La Santisima Trinidad (Congregation Of The Missionary Servants Of The Most Blessed Trinity, MSBT), where she resided while studying. While in the university, Ferré developed an interest in opera and literature. She continued practicing tennis, eventually practicing with Rebekah Colberg
Rebekah Colberg
Dr. Rebekah Colberg ,Dates of birth and death were provided and confirmed by the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee-August 24, 2010 is known as "The Mother of Women's Sports in Puerto Rico".-Early years:...
. Shortly after completing her first semester, Ferré returned to her home, where she was informed that her mother was in critical condition. Her mother died the next morning, moments after her son Luis arrived from the United States. Ferré resumed her studies with intensively and during this time she also worked and played tennis. Her health was affected because of her strenuous activities and after she went to her doctor and had a radiology done, she was told that she had damage in her lungs and was recommended that she take one year of rest. The condition worsened and she moved to Adjuntas
Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
Adjuntas is a small mountainside municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwest of the island on the Central Mountain range , north of Yauco, Guayanilla and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; and west of Ponce. Adjuntas is spread over 16 wards and Adjuntas Pueblo...
briefly, until the symptoms completely disappeared one month later. Jose Ferré (her brother) became a member of Luis Muñoz Marín
Luis Muñoz Marín
Don José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
's government. He told her about the details of Operation Bootstrap
Operation Bootstrap
For other uses, see Bootstrapping and Bootstrapping .Operation Bootstrap is the name given to the ambitious projects which industrialized Puerto Rico in the mid-20th century.-History:...
and Operation Serenity. Interested in this second project, she organized a group of delivery boys and shoe shiners and founded a candy distribution system. Ferré and some friends also preached to workers in sugar plantations, often visiting their houses in the evening. She left her family's house to join a convent shortly after her 21st birthday, after receiving permission from her father. Before entering the convent, she decided to swear a chastity vow. After arriving in Philadelphia, she spent her first year involved in a series of religious activities, including some "spiritual exercises" where she was only allowed to speak in the confessional
Confessional
A confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called confession, or Reconciliation. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church, but similar structures are also used in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic orientation, and also in the...
. Her first mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
took place in the small town of Norton, Virginia
Norton, Virginia
Norton is an independent city within the confines of Wise County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,958, making it the smallest city in the state by population...
. There she met with the priest of a community of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
miners and together they performed a series of domestic labors. She continued working on other missions, receiving occasional visits from her siblings. She eventually joined a Novitiate in New York City. In this convent, she was one of the few novice
Novice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
s that knew how to drive an automobile and served as the convent's driver. While in New York, Ferré felt symptoms of appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
, and was rushed to a Philadelphia hospital.
Work as a nun and Mother Superior
Five years after serving in the missions, Ferrer swore the solemn vowsSimple vow
In Roman Catholic canon law, a simple vow is any vow, public or private, individual or collective, concerned with an action or with abstaining from an action, if that vow has not been recognized by the Church as a solemn vow....
. She was subsequently transferred from Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
to Cabo Rojo
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
per request of Ponce's Bishop. Upon arriving, she was received by a procession. As part of this mission, She and the nuns organized baseball teams and sewing schools. She continued working in this convent for 11 years, until she was promoted to abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
. As Mother Superior, Ferré remained in Cabo Rojo for six more years, which is the time limit that a Mother Superior can work within the a mission before receiving another assignment. She was then sent to Hato Rey
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
Hato Rey is a former ward located in the northwest part of the dissolved municipality of Río Piedras. It now stretches over three wards of the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico:*Hato Rey Central*Hato Rey Norte*Hato Rey Sur...
, where she was assigned to a religious school. Here she replaced part of the institution's materials with new ones, using part of a savings account created by the previous directory. Shortly after she contracted Sepsis
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
, and was removed from the position. Some time later Ferré traveled to The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, where several of the nuns that studied with her in Philadelphia resided. This congregation focused their attention in discouraging street crime. One day, Ferré was forced to dress a gang member in nun's clothing, to confuse the members of a rival gang. Due to her actions, she was promoted to abbess of the convent. She led the other nuns in an effort to revitalize the city's landscape. New York's governor Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
, awarded her the city's "Republican Woman" recognition. The community elected her as their official representative in New York's "Committee Against Poverty", but she declined the offer and granted the position to another Puerto Rican resident. She did this because Mayor John Lindsay
John Lindsay
John Vliet Lindsay was an American politician, lawyer and broadcaster who was a U.S. Congressman, Mayor of New York City, candidate for U.S...
had previously appointed her as his personal representative. Ferré focused her work in promoting education among street gangs. The convent, interested in promoting community acceptance regardless of religion, was originally called "Dr. White Catholic Center" was renamed "Dr. White Center". During this timeframe she continued her education, briefly attending Holly Family College and completing her bachelor's degree at St. Joseph's College for Women. After a stint as a teacher in Philadelphia, she was sent back to New York in order to complete and further her studies. Ferré completed a sociology master's degree at Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, submitting a thesis based in the strengths and weaknesses of Puerto Rican families that faced conditions of discrimination and poverty after migrating to the city. Her final work in the United States took place in Chicago, where she coached a group of Puerto Rican community leaders.
Founding Centros Sor Isolina Ferré
In 1968, she returned to Barrio La PlayaPlaya (Ponce)
La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
in Ponce where the Ferré family had built a dispensary to treat vesicular conditions. She was operated and remained in rest for a month, spending this period visiting adjacent barrios and reading. Ferré then began promoting community restructuring by rehabilitating several buildings with the help of her brother Jose. She was responsible for the opening of a small clinic and school named Centro de Orientacion y Servicios de La Playa de Ponce (Ponce Playa Orientation and Services Center), dedicated to providing educational opportunities, extracurricular activities, and day care services to low-income families. With the cooperation of a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
reverend, she also founded an industrial sewing school. They also formed a baseball team named Las Latas Stars and an equestrian club. Ferré promoted cultural events, reestablished traditional celebrations and organized activities focused on theatrics, ballet, modeling and sports. Seeking to address a personnel deficiency in nearby petrochemical factories, Teodoro Moscoso
Teodoro Moscoso
Teodoro Moscoso Mora , was a Puerto Rican politician known as "the architect of "Operation Bootstrap".-Early years:...
suggested to them the creation of a welding school. The institution was built adjacent to Puerto Rico Iron Works
Puerto Rico Iron Works
Puerto Rico Iron Works is a heavy industry iron foundry located in barrio La Playa in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The company was founded in 1918...
, a company that belonged to the Ferré family, and which remained active until 1972. This initiative was followed by a photography laboratory, which served to illustrate El Playero, a local magazine.
Ferré and the community of La Playa designed a proposal to work with juvenile delinquents, by suggesting that they should be placed under custody by their community and that they should be treated with respect instead of as criminals. The program was based in a system designed by Charles Grosser named "Advocacy", eventually becoming known as "Advocacy Puerto Rican Style". This method gathered interest from community leaders in the United States, who were interested in establishing similar programs. The program also gathered interest from politicians, to which she suggested the creation of the Centro Diagnostico y de Tratamiento de la Playa de Ponce (Ponce Playa Diagnostic and Treatment Center). Ferré and the community received a grant of one million dollars to build the institution, which was built in a lot in barrio El Ciclón. While attempting to eliminate prostitution, Ferré rented a building which was once used as a bar, opening a technological center at that location. In 1975, the Center faced some financial losses, following a fire and a flood, when Hurricane Eloise
Hurricane Eloise
Hurricane Eloise was the most destructive tropical cyclone of the 1975 Atlantic hurricane season. The fifth tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Eloise formed as a tropical depression on September 13 to the east of the Virgin Islands...
passed hit Puerto Rico. By this time a series of small centers had been founded, as part of an initiative that was denominated "religious urban guerrilla". Due to this the organization's work continued uninterrupted, temporarily moving their operations to a location in an adjacent barrio.
Ferré established the center's headquarters in a building that used to belong to the employees of her father, which had been renamed Dispensario San Antonio years earlier. This was donated to a local convent, who turned it into a corporation in 1950. As an honor to Isolina Ferre, the community of La Playa decided to change the name of the institution from Centro de Orientacion de La Playa to Centros Sister Isolina Ferré. Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency network with 140 offices in 80 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in London in 1970 but now headquartered in New York. The parent company of the agency group was known as Saatchi & Saatchi PLC from 1976 to 1994, was listed on the London...
, the advertising agency in charge of the Center's publicity, subsequently effected the name change.
Later life, declining health and death
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for three non-consecutive terms, from 1973 to 1977 and from 1985 to 1993. An experienced politician, Hernández holds the record for being the youngest Governor of Puerto Rico,...
, who promoted the establishment of a new center in Caimito, Puerto Rico. One day, Ferré decided to intervene in a hostage situation, where two young men were threatening to open fire if the police entered their house. She was able to enter the house and the father confessed that he was responsible for the incident, after he hit one of his sons as punishment. The two men used the distraction to escape by jumping to the sea, but went to Ferré's center in search of medical attention. She contacted the police, and convinced them that they would not be arrested if they went to a hospital. This convinced her that the community needed more police attention, eventually employing a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese initiative named Koban
Koban (police box)
A is a small neighborhood police station found in Japan. Kōban also refers to the smallest organizational unit in today's Japanese police system. In addition to central police stations, Japanese uniformed police work is done from small buildings located within the community, a form of community...
. Based on this, a group of officers moved to one of the residences that comprised Caimito's center, visiting the other houses on a daily basis. When Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo
Hurricane Hugo was a classical, destructive and rare Cape Verde-type hurricane which struck the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico and the USA mainland in South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane during September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season...
struck Puerto Rico, Centros Sor Isolina Ferré cultivated 10,000 trees in a greenhouse, intending to help the government deal with the deforestation left by the storm. One day, Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
visited Ferré while she was preparing an educational initiative. Both nuns discussed theology and social and humanitarian work, coming to the conclusion that while they used different methods, their goal was the same. On the morning of July 22, 1985, Ferré suffered a heart attack. She remained hospitalized for some weeks before undergoing Cardiac surgery
Cardiac surgery
Cardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
. In 1989, she was selected to receive the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism
Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism
The Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism is a prize given to people who made exemplary contributions to humanity and the environment. The goal of the prize is to advance the cause of humanitarianism. The prize was established in 1986 by Albert Toepfer, an international grain merchant from...
.
By the 1990s, the Centers had created 50 different initiatives, of which 40 proved successful. In 1993, Ferré received the Hispanic Heritage Award
Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is a non-profit organization operating out of Reston, Virginia that works to increase the number of Latina and Latino leaders in society...
in the "Education" category. In March of that year, Ferré organized the first International Congress of Centros Sor Isolina Ferré, which focused in community development and youth upbringing. The activity was attended by several religious and political figures. That same year, the Center also reported that their social programs directed towards juvenile crime had been successful, reducing the frequency of crime in the locations adjacent to the centers by 20 percent.
Ferré's efforts in La Playa were written and chronicled in Puerto Rican books and newspapers, as well as the publications of other Latin American countries including the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. She earned twelve honorary doctorates from diverse educational institutions, and more than 64 organizations awarded her recognitions. Her work was recognized by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
who awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
at a ceremony in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, an honor previously also bestowed upon her brother Luis A. Ferré.
In early 2000, Ferré began experiencing some health problems, but her health improved somewhat that July. However shortly after that she began experiencing respiratory problems and was hospitalized at the Hospital de Damas in Ponce. Ferré died on August 3, 2000, shortly before her 87th birthday. By then she had provided over half a century of public service. Her body was buried in Las Mercedes cemetery. After Ferré's death, the Centers which she founded continued to operate under the direction of José Díaz Coto. With help from Puerto Rico's Department of Family and the Department of Justice, preventive programs have been added to the Centers offerings. On May 16, 2008, the institution reported a reduction of 2% in juvenile delinquency in sectors adjacent to its Centers in Ponce.
See also
- List of Puerto Ricans
- Roman Catholicism in Puerto RicoRoman Catholicism in Puerto RicoThe Roman Catholic Church in Puerto Rico is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and the curia in Rome.-Present situation:...