Retiring Sisters of the Holy Family gave children safe haven
Buffeted by poor neighborhoods and the growl of traffic on Interstate 15, the Variety Early Learning Center is easy to miss on D Street.
But spend a few minutes there, and you'll begin to see it as a safe haven for the children of West Las Vegas' struggling working class.
Starting in 1954, the intrepid and seemingly indefatigable Sisters of the Holy Family have operated the day-care center and made it their second home.
Although the Sisters transferred administrative duties in 2000, 77-year-old Sister Marie Julie has remained as a receptionist.
That amazing devotion to service ends this month with the retirement of the remaining three Sisters of the Holy Family in Southern Nevada.
Nuns from the Bay Area-based Catholic order have walked like angels through the Las Vegas streets since 1932.
They were called here by Bishop Thomas P. Gorman to minister to Catholic families during the construction of Hoover Dam.
They remained to teach catechism to generations of children while also serving the poor and ministering to the sick.
Started in part with cash from old-school casino men such as Moe Dalitz, the nonprofit Variety Club center enabled legions of porters, housekeepers, waiters, and other casino employees to go to work knowing their children were in a safe and productive environment.
As Latinos have joined African-Americans in West Las Vegas, English classes for immigrant parents have been offered.
The good work will continue, but none of it would have been possible without the Sisters.
At 68, Sister Diane calls herself "the kid."
"I have found this community to be wonderful," she says. "There are so many people who have supported us."
She had finished packing for the move to the order's retirement "Mother House" in Fremont, Calif. The Sisters were grateful they were able to sell their Las Vegas home despite the economy. Since they have taught and toiled in every parish in the valley, they know Southern Nevada's needs as well as anyone.
Although Sister Diane has embraced generations of working poor stuck in a brutal cycle of low-paying jobs and little education, she remains hopeful. I suspect it comes with the calling.
"How blessed we are to have had good parents, good families, and good backgrounds," Sister Diane says. "Each one of us who are successful are successful because somebody opened a door for us. Our work is to kind of seek help for and advocate for families so that their children have that same break."
Their duties have ranged from developing child care to fighting human trafficking, teaching Gospel lessons to serving Holy Communion to the terminally ill. The food, clothing, and furniture drives never end. They have embraced congregations throughout the valley and as far away as the Navajo Nation.
"We make everyone in the whole world work for us," Sister Diane says in mock conspiratorial tone. "Anybody who hears my name or Sister Barbara's name says, 'Oh, no. What does she want?' But it's all right. We've got to make life better for everybody."
Commuters drive by West Las Vegas quickly, but Las Vegas native Sister Barbara reminds me, "The poor are in almost every part of town. There are lots of poor areas of town that people just kind of move away from. All of a sudden, there's the inner city. Right along with the drugs and everything else that's going on, it's a terrible place for the children who grow up there.
"Las Vegas has grown to be so different than the way it was. It's been very, very hard for me to see the terrible things that have gone on in my town, but there also are wonderful people who help make Las Vegas a good place."
Light against darkness, these Sisters have spent their lives nurturing hope on our meanest streets.
John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.
