Colégio Santa Maria

In 1947, in the United States, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross extended its missionary field of action, sending sisters to São Paulo seeking to meet the most urgent needs of the people and the Church, such as school education and catechesis. Thus, a group of Sisters, Sister Charlita Enright, Sister Olivette Whalen, Sister Caecilius Roth and Sister Armella Guerrero, left for here. Soon after their arrival, what they actually found were challenges to overcome. With the help of Fr. Lionel Corbeil, they were given the house in Vila Betânia, where they set up a school for girls. At that time, young women who finished high school rarely continued their studies. In Vila Betânia, these young women were received and learned religion, art, decoration and practiced different sports. The nuns, however, desired a more active and fruitful work.

In 1948, the sisters initiated three educational projects: a cultural course for young women from the upper class of that time, a school for underprivileged children, and a preschool, which throughout its history has aimed to guarantee a quality education and develop essential ethical values in the formation of the person, following the philosophical and pedagogical principles of Father Moreau.

The school was directed for a long time by Sister Anne Veronica Horner Hoe (1948-2019) and Sister Diane Clay Cundiff (1945), who retired from the position at the end of 2025.

The school's official anthem is the song The Bells of Saint Mary's, composed by A. Emmett Adams in 1917.