In 2003, Sister Mary Rita Rohde founded Nuestra Casa. Today, through education, advocacy, and mutual support, Nuestra Casa empowers immigrants to create positive changes, enriching themselves, their families and their communities.
“Sister, you are an educator through and through, so you need to do something to educate immigrant women.”
What inspired you to found Nuestra Casa?
In 2002, I returned to the Yakima Valley in Washington State after serving on our Congregational Leadership Team for five years in Longueuil, Quebec. Because I had worked at Heritage University in the Yakima Valley prior to being in Quebec, I knew there were some unmet needs among the diverse population of the Valley. Thus, I interviewed 80 knowledgeable persons (teachers, social workers, church outreach workers, etc.), asking one question, “What is the greatest unmet need among low-income women and children in the lower Yakima Valley?” I shared the results of these interviews with our local Sisters and Associates and invited them to gather and discern to what ministry I was being called. As we discussed the information I had shared, it became obvious that the group of Valley residents who were most underserved and most vulnerable were immigrant women from Latin America. Sister Margaret Downey, the eldest of the seven Sisters present, said, “Sister, you are an educator through and through, so you need to do something to educate immigrant women.” Everyone agreed! Thus birthed the concept of founding a non-profit to educate and empower immigrant women.
“Although Nuestra Casa is an independent non-profit, founding it would not have been possible without the assistance of the Sisters of the Holy Names.”
What were the primary challenges you faced in establishing Nuestra Casa?
It can be daunting to establish a new non-profit, but many knowledgeable colleagues and friends made it possible. I was fortunate to know a competent lawyer who was familiar with doing the paperwork to establish a non-profit organization. It wasn’t difficult to recruit members for a Board of Directors. And of course, money was needed. Because I had learned to raise money for Heritage University, I knew how to raise funds, but I realized that would take time. So, I asked the SNJM Washington Provincial Leadership Team if they would fully fund Nuestra Casa the first year and fund half of the budget the second year, which they agreed to do. Our staff was just me and two half-time employees, and we were able to use the Sunnyside Catholic Church facilities, so our budget was small. Although Nuestra Casa is an independent non-profit, founding it would not have been possible without the assistance of the Sisters of the Holy Names!
Because there were so many needs among the immigrant community, we began immediately to collaborate with other agencies and churches to offer services. We invited a police officer to teach in Spanish what was needed to pass the written portion of the test to get a driver’s license. Our first class enrolled 45 students which was understandable since there is no public transportation in the lower Yakima Valley, and most immigrants need to drive a car to get to their work in the fields and orchards. Along with two police departments we helped hundreds of immigrants get their driver’s licenses! A sampling of collaboration with other groups has included five churches, the local community college and three local public-school districts in offering English classes; clinics and the local hospital doing workshops about health issues; Heritage University teaching GED classes. Individual volunteers have included a young man who taught fitness classes and a man who taught citizenship classes.
“For SNJMs, education is about much more than academics. At Nuestra Casa the full development of the person is evidenced in the large variety of offerings, including celebrations.”
How would you say the SNJM spirit is reflected in Nuestra Casa’s endeavors?
While Nuestra Casa was founded to educate and empower immigrant women, men are also welcome. Hospitality is one of those SNJM values that one feels immediately upon entering the Nuestra Casa building. Immigrants are joyfully greeted and asked how Nuestra Casa can be of help. People may want to enroll in a class or register for an event or have a question about services. If the person needs a service that Nuestra Casa cannot provide, staff assist the inquirer to get in touch with an agency that can be of help.
For SNJMs, education is about much more than academics. At Nuestra Casa the full development of the person is evidenced in the large variety of offerings, including celebrations. A sense of community and belonging is fostered in classes, workshops and events. Care of Earth and the environment is demonstrated through workshops and care to avoid buying anything plastic when possible. Women’s Justice Circles sponsored by IPJC have addressed local and State justice issues with success.
Four SNJM Sisters have been on the Nuestra Casa Board at various times; three Sisters have been on the staff for a few years. SNJM Associates have been involved as an Executive Director, as a staff member, as a Board member, and one is currently a volunteer English teacher. For short periods of time various Sisters and Associates have brought students from Holy Names institutions to volunteer at Nuestra Casa. Our SNJM spirit and values have permeated this ministry.
What are you most proud of regarding this organization?
What makes me most proud is that Nuestra Casa is run by immigrant women. (I am a volunteer English teacher but otherwise have no official role at Nuestra Casa.) The growth and expansion of Nuestra Casa’s services are due to its very competent leadership team who are all immigrant women. Of the eleven regular staff all but one are immigrant women. When the staff become aware of needs in the immigrant community, they act to address those needs and find the funds to do so. One of the most impactful programs they have developed is the all-encompassing Citizenship Program. Three staff have been trained and certified by the U.S. Department of Justice to assist immigrants with the legal work necessary to apply for citizenship, thus saving immigrants the $2,000-$10,000 they would have paid lawyers for this service. This program includes Citizenship classes and individualized assistance for the 60 immigrants who annually complete the arduous process to become U.S. citizens. Annually with all its programs Nuestra Casa serves about 1,500 families from a building it is in the process of purchasing!
For more information, listen to an episode of SNJM’s podcast, “Women on a Mission,” to hear an interview with Sister Mary Rita about the transformative work done by Nuestra Casa.
This article was originally published April 4, 2026, on snjm.org: https://snjm.org/en/blog/2026/04/08/nuestra-casa-in-the-words-of-sister-mary-rita-rohde-snjm/