In 1900, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth founded Holy Family Institute as an orphanage.  The orphanage served children in need of care because of the grim realities of life in the industrial Western Pennsylvania:  mine disaster, mill accident, and illness.  As social conditions changed, Holy Family Institute changed too.

Today, with a philosophy based on compassion and faith, Holy Family helps families across Pennsylvania who are struggling with abuse, emotional and behavioral problems, learning disorders, and other debilitating situations.

At an age when most children are concerned about their favorite flavor of ice cream, Thomas could hear his small tummy rumbling after days without food and worried about when his next meal would come.  

At a time when most children strive to attract hugs and kisses from their parents, Thomas so feared the wrath of his mother that he would cower under the kitchen table when she would come home drunk or high to avoid being screamed at, kicked, or slammed against the wall as so often happened when she bothered to come home at all.

Thankfully for 6-year old Thomas, and the hundreds of children like him in our community, there is an answer. For more than a century, Holy Family Institute has been a home to thousands of children like Thomas, and has supported families in need of physical, emotional and spiritual help. 

Today at Holy Family Institute’s campus in Emsworth, more than 100 children reside in a home-like setting that provides care and treatment. Today’s child at Holy Family Institute is not an orphan and is not here by chance. Today’s child is broken, abused, neglected and troubled- most times by the people a child should be able to count on for love and support. Our children at Holy Family Institute have not had even basic love and care provided by a stable family and home. Now, more than ever, they need Holy Family’s services to develop the whole child – mind, body and spirit.

To these children in need, Holy Family Institute provides psychiatric services, family therapy, mentor relationships, special education services, medical services, spiritual development and individual therapy to each child. The greatest testament to the good work that Holy Family Institute does can be seen in the young adults that leave Holy Family with a strong foundation on which to build their future successes.

Each day, more than 600 dedicated educators, therapists, residential care workers, and administrators at Holy Family Institute work with children and families desperately in need of an opportunity. 

They come to us in search of a chance to heal, to feel safe, to believe in themselves and in the goodness of God and humanity.

Our Mission

In the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching and rooted in the heritage of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, we empower children and families to lead responsible lives and develop healthy relationships built on faith, hope, and love.