When the Sisters of Bon Secours began their ministry in the United States, some Sisters actually moved in with the family they were serving. Wherever assistance was needed in the home, the sister tried to help. If a single mother of four was ill, the sister provided medical help for the mother, fed the children and escorted them to and from school, cleaned the house and eventually restored the little family unit to health. Even when the Sisters started hospitals, their intent was to provide a setting to help their young sisters gain greater medical skill to assist in the neighborhood. Now, much the same effort is continuing, but in a much more comprehensive manner.

A central component of the Bon Secours effort is the reclamation of housing units and the establishment of age sensitive homes for the elderly. With a major cooperative effort involving public and private funding sources, the Bon Secourss of Maryland Foundation guts and rehabilitates vacant row houses and turns them into rental units for moderate to low income residents. With the benefit of training and assistance offered, those renting the units are better able to care for their homes and are held accountable more effectively.

The Bon Secours Community Support Center, a place where families can learn, grow and develop new skills, attempts to enhance the health of the individuals it serves by trying to insure that they live in a setting that nurtures good health. The support center provides employment and career enhancing opportunities to individuals and families, along with leadership training designed to enable community self-development, counseling and guidance in parenting, on preventive medical practices and in making life choices.

A central figure in this effort is Brother Arthur Caliman, CFX, who finds his ministry as Executive Director of the Bon Secours Foundation, a subsidiary of the Bon Secours Health System, an energizing response to his call as a Xaverian Brother to mission among the poor and the marginalized. In trying to enable others and facilitate the many processes and interactions required to accomplish all these objectives, he draws on a wealth of experience as a Xaverian and finds the days and months of his current ministry pass all too quickly.