Sister Marilyn brightens the halls with her striking art and irresistible smile

Sister Marilyn Springs, IWBS, stands in front of one of her favorite paintings hanging on the walls of her office at Holy Family School. Sister Springs said this painting is of her beloved grandmother, Carrie Ellen Ward, from Port Au Prince, Haiti.

Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic

Sister Marilyn Springs, IWBS, was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, but feels right at home in south Texas. Currently the principal at Holy Family School, she cherishes the responsibility of guiding the Catholic education of more than 100 school children on Corpus Christi’s Westside.

"I love it here. The children, parents and grandparents are wonderful. We have a warm, family atmosphere at Holy Family School,” she said. 

When she arrived at the school almost two years ago, enrollment was down to 85 students. But over the past year, it has increased, and Sister Springs added she hopes to see the enrollment climb each year. “I’d love to see our enrollment climb to 150 someday. That would be a good number as our long-term goal,” she said.

The first African-American sister of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, Sister Springs did not feel the calling until her late 20s.

“My older brother received a scholarship to Trinity University in San Antonio. When it was time for me to graduate high school, I decided to follow him to Texas and simply fell in love with Our Lady of the Lake University, where I received my degree in art education,” Sister Marilyn said.

She was teaching in public schools in San Antonio for five years when burnout set in, and Sister Springs felt an urgent need for change.

“I decided to start work for a large insurance company, but while waiting for an interview, I put in an application at the Diocese of San Antonio for a teaching position. I received a call immediately about teaching first grade at a Catholic school,” Sister Springs recalled.

An Incarnate Word Sister called her the next day, giving her a tour of the school and asked if Sister Springs had ever considered joining as a religious.

She was taken aback but politely declined the offer.

But the Incarnate Word Sister was not about to back down easily, chuckled Sister Springs.

“She invited me to join her and the rest of the Incarnate Word Sisters at a retreat at the motherhouse in Corpus Christi. I agreed to go, so I met the other sisters and during the weekend retreat, something just clicked. I knew this was where I was supposed to be,” she said.

Five months and more retreats later, Sister Springs said she started the process of selling her belongings and entering the discernment phase of joining the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament. It was 1992 and she was 26 years old.

“I taught for several years at various Catholic schools in Corpus Christi until I was transferred to the Diocese of Brownsville to teach at Incarnate Word Academy. I stayed there for 14 years, eventually becoming the principal before coming back to Corpus Christi two years ago, which is how I landed at Holy Family and I couldn’t be happier. I found a beautiful home here,” she said.

One of her great joys is painting, and the walls of her office are filled with various expressions of her art.

“I like to portray children and women through cultural art. One of my favorite paintings is one I created of my grandmother, who was Haitian,” she said. “I love to paint different cultures, but I also paint landscapes and other subjects, too.”

Sam Armadillo, father of a second-grade student at Holy Family School, said Sister Springs is an incredible asset to the school.

“We are all really fond of Sister Springs. She’s always available to talk with us and continually asks for parent input. I grew up with a Catholic education, so it’s important for me to provide the same values and beliefs for my son,” he said.

Sister Springs said one of the biggest challenges for Holy Family School is tuition costs for families, especially considering all the new charter schools popping up around town.

“More than ever, it takes a village to raise a child. Thank God for grandparents, who play a pivotal role in their grandchildren’s lives nowadays,” she added. “We have some challenges to overcome as the future of Catholic school education evolves, but I’m proud we’ve actually been able to increase enrollment over the last year and look forward to the day where our school is at full capacity.” 

Sister Marilyn Springs, IWBS will be directing the first Diocese of Corpus Christi Catholic Schools Elementary and Middle-Level Art Show on April 27 from 1-6 p.m. at Incarnate Word Academy Elementary Gym. The event is open to grades first through eighth. For other general information go to southtexascatholic.com/events/cs2019artshow. 

Sister Springs helps three-year-old Angel Sala with his afternoon snack at Holy Family School. Although she is the principal at the school, she still loves to visit the children and assist with classroom activities. Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic