About SMS

The Sisters of Mary Congregation was founded by Msgr. Aloysius Schwartz, an American diocesan priest now known as Venerable Aloysius Schwartz, in 1964 in Busan, South Korea to provide free educational and vocational welfare for the underprivileged children/youth, medical care to the sick and the dying, and shelter service to the homeless and helpless.

In 1983, Fr. Al, as he is fondly called by many, was a recipient of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding, an award given in recognition for his exemplary works of alleviating the plight of the orphans, abandoned and the vagrants of Korea. During the ceremony, he met Jaime Cardinal Sin, the then Archbishop of Manila, who invited him to set up his Religious Community and charity programs in the Philippines.

In 1985, seeing the urgent need of the poor and with total confidence in God's providence, Fr. Al founded the Sisters of Mary at Sta. Mesa, Manila, thus expanding his charity programs in the Philippines. Construction of buildings and rounding up of children from the slum and very poor areas were done and in a few months, they launched the work.

The Sisters of Mary officially started its operation in the Philippines in 1985. The sisters work primarily by establishing Boystowns and Girlstowns that serve as schools and homes for deserving students from poorest of the poor families. They take care of the indigent youth entrusted to them by giving them free food, clothing, shelter, medical and dental services, and secondary education.

With complete facilities and qualified teachers, each Boystown and Girlstown School aims to achieve excellence in both academic and vocational training. Being boarding schools, students have additional hours spent in studying and extensive training to acquire intensive skills in vocational courses they specialize which are responsive to the needs of the industry partners/benefactors of the school. With discipline, good working attitude, and love for virtues instilled in the minds of the students, the Sisters of Mary Schools aim to provide graduates fully-equipped with knowledge that will lead them to a better life of an ideal Christian.

In 2005, the Sisters of Mary redesigned and restructured the 4-year academic calendar for the completion of the high school program to just 3-year academic calendar allowing the school to offer post-secondary education program for the remaining 8 months without compromising Department of Education’s required number of school days for high school education.

With the onset of K to 12 program in 2012, the Sisters of Mary deemed it necessary to change the post-secondary education by adding 10 months to accommodate the required Senior High School program, retaining its existing 3-year academic calendar for the Junior High School program.

To assist the charity program of the Sisters of Mary, Fr. Al’s Children Foundation, Inc. (FACFI) was established on November 26, 1992 after the demise of Venerable Aloysius Schwartz. From then on, FACFI have been actively inviting generous benefactors who share the same advocacy of the founder of the institution.