Sister Sponsa Beltran (born Rosarie Beltran; March 25, 1925 - April 6, 2016) was an American

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

who was part of the Bernadine Sisters of St. Francis. She was known for her work in

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

as a

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

and caregiver for abandoned, displaced children and children with disabilities. She founded Our Lady of Fatima Rehabilitation Facility outside of

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

in 1998 and later, that work was taken over by the Jerry Cebulski African Disability Foundation (JCADF) which still operates to this day.

Biography

Beltran was born Rosarie Beltran on March 25, 1925, and grew up in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

. Beltran was the eldest of eight children and was the sister of the Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran. She attended St. Leo's School in

Ashley, Pennsylvania Ashley is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre. The population was 2,588 at the 2020 census. History Ashley was first settled in 1830. Forty years later, in 1870 ...

. Afterward, she attended Marymount High School and planned to become a nun after graduation. Beltran became part of the Bernadine Franciscan Sisters in 1944. In 1964, she graduated from College Misericordia in 1964 and also became a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...

. and She began to work with

people with disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

in the area. Beltran went to

as a

in 1970. She started working in

Cape Palmas Cape Palmas is a headland on the extreme southeast end of the coast of Liberia, Africa, at the extreme southwest corner of the northern half of the continent. The Cape itself consists of a small, rocky peninsula connected to the mainland by a san ...

at a clinic for the poor. In 1977, she left Liberia because of her

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred vision, blurred or vision loss, no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no sym ...

and returned after treatment in 1986. In 1989, Beltran and her students were forcibly relocated to the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

after she was involved in a confrontation between soldiers in the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War was the first of Second Liberian Civil War, two civil wars within the West African nation of Liberia which lasted between 1989 and 1997. President Samuel Doe's regime of totalitarianism and widespread Political cor ...

. Later in 1989, she founded a new center. She and the children were in exile in the Ivory Coast for around five years. While in exile, she contacted

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

for help in donations for the children in her care. In 1997, he came to San Pedro to deliver supplies and food to the 105 children who were staying at the Centre Bon Berger Catholic Mission. Beltran bought 13 acres of land where she built a small community called Our Lady of Fatima Rehabilitation Facility near

that included a school, clinic and chapel. It was opened in 1998 and the children that had been displaced to the Ivory Coast were returned to Liberia. The facility was created to provide education and care to displaced or abandoned young people and people with disabilities. Beltran retired from her work after becoming fully blind in 2007. In order to continue the work she started, the Jerry Cebulski African Disability Foundation (JCADF) was created. Beltran came back to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and moved into St. Joseph's Villa, a retirement home for Bernadine Sisters in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

. Beltran died on April 6, 2016, in Reading. JCADF continues to operate in Liberia, providing food, supplies and assistive devices for people with disabilities.

References

External links

Jerry Cebulski African Disability Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beltran, Sponsa 1925 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns People from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania American Roman Catholic missionaries American women nurses Misericordia University alumni American expatriates in Liberia Roman Catholic missionaries in Liberia Female Roman Catholic missionaries 21st-century American women