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 which 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.Tho ...

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 its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

as a

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

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

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

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 ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in th ...

. Beltran was the oldest of eight children and was the sister of the Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran. She first went to St. Leo's School in

Ashley, Pennsylvania Ashley is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, one mile (2 km) from Wilkes Barre. The population was 2,588 at the 2020 census. History Ashley was first settled in 1830. Forty years later, in 1870, it was incorporated as a borough. It wa ...

. Afterwards, she attended

Marymount High School Marymount High School is an independent, Catholic, all-girls, college-preparatory high school located in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It sits on Sunset Boulevard across from the University of California, Los Angeles camp ...

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 nurse 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 licensing body to o ...

. 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, se ...

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 or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...

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, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

after she was involved in a confrontation between soldiers in the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997. President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...

. 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 activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

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 (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

. 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 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