Affiliates
The Ministry of Casa Esperanza
Initially operating out of a small apartment in the heart of the community in 1993, in 2006 we opened a new multipurpose facility on Blythe Street, a feat made possible through support from foundations, architect Rafael Franco, elected officials, and Blythe Street residents.
Corita Art Center
The Corita Art Center preserves and promotes Corita Kent’s art, teaching, and passion for social justice. Today, the Corita Art Center supports exhibition loans and public programs, oversees image and merchandising rights, sells Corita’s original prints, and serves as a resource of information about her life and work.
At our core, the Corita Art Center believe that art and arts education are powerful platforms for social change. Recognizing that the Corita Art Center engages in the legacy and interpretation of a single individual, we seek to preserve and promote Corita’s life and work by actively supporting a wide breadth of arts programs, exhibitions, and scholarship, cultivating open dialogue and diverse perspectives.
La Casa de Maria
The La Casa de Maria Retreat Center serves as a peaceful sanctuary for groups and individuals that seek to renew purpose, strengthen community, and increase their effectiveness in the world. Located on 26 acres along the banks of the San Ysidro Creek, La Casa is nestled between mountain and ocean.
Today the center continues its legacy of commitment to spiritual growth as a retreat center, open to all faiths and disciplines, focused on providing a safe, peaceful and naturally beautiful environment dedicated to helping people reconnect and recharge physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Join our Community’s journey.
Collaborative Ministries
Our Collaborative Ministries function as their own 501(c)3 corporations, separate from the IHC. The IHC and individual Collaborative Ministries are affiliated by their founding and alignment of mission. IHC members hold various roles and relationships within these organizations. The IHC supports and participates with the following six partners in ministry.
The Ministry of Casa Esperanza
Initially operating out of a small apartment in the heart of the community in 1993, in 2006 we opened a new multipurpose facility on Blythe Street, a feat made possible through support from foundations, architect Rafael Franco, elected officials, and Blythe Street residents.
Alexandria House
Alexandria House was co-founded in 1996 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the Immaculate Heart Community. IHC has partnered with Alexandria House to provide safe and supportive housing for women and children in the process of moving from poverty and homelessness to economic stability and permanent housing.
Alverno Heights Academy
In 1978, the IHC assumed sponsorship of the school from the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Christian Charity. Its philosophy as stated on the Alverno Heights Academy website: “Enlivened by the spirit of its Immaculate Heart Community sponsors, and mindful of the Franciscan roots of its founders, Alverno’s program– academic, spiritual, aesthetic, social, and physical– is shaped by the staff, trustees, and students in light of the world for which the students are being educated.” Their stated mission is inclusive of the goal “to empower each young woman to be exactly the person she wants to be.”
Emanate Health
In 1962, the IHC, in conjunction with local Covina officials, founded Queen of the Valley Hospital. In 1994, Queen of the Valley Hospital and Intercommunity Hospital merged to form Citrus Valley Health Partners. In 1996, Foothill Presbyterian Hospital joined the partnership. Also in 1996, Queen of the Valley Hospital, Intercommunity Hospital, and Foothill Presbyterian Hospital all merged to form Citrus Valley Health Partners (CVHP). As of May 1, 2019 CVHP became Emanate Health. “Emanate Health exists to help people keep well in body, mind, and spirit by providing quality health care services in a safe, compassionate environment.”
fINdings Art Center, Inc.
fINdings was established in 2007 by Annette Ciketic, IHM; Rod Stephens, IHM; and others, most of whom were inspired and taught by Corita Kent. The intention was to continue the legacy of Corita’s method of education and art and to serve as a satellite center for supporting the mission of the Immaculate Heart Community.
Housing Works
Housing Works (HW) was founded in 2003 by six IHC members to address the need for affordable housing in Los Angeles. It leads the local implementation of a “best practice” model of services for the most vulnerable among the population of people who are homeless – the people who are chronically homeless, persons with co-occurring addictions, the seriously mentally ill and those with co-occurring addictions. HW was the initial provider of services in the LA County Dept. of Health Services Housing for Health Project. By doing “whatever it takes for as long as it takes” the program serves the “hardest to serve” with the goal of each person becoming permanently housed.
Immaculate Heart High School & Middle School (Grades 6-12)
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart founded Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles in 1906. The High School became an independent 501(c)3 in 1970 at the Community’s request when the Immaculate Heart Community was formed. The school “fosters academic excellence and creativity in an environment that empowers students to become women of great heart and right conscience. Students embrace a life-long commitment to compassionate service, leadership, and humanitarian values.”