St Mary's Residential Training School

When World War I broke out, Charles P. Greco spent one summer in Como, Italy at a villa that was home to people with developmental disabilities. He fell in love with the people and dreamed of opening a school/home for children with developmental disabilities in America. His dream became a reality on September 15, 1954.

When St. Mary’s opened in Clarks, Louisiana with seven children housed in a renovated hotel, Charles Greco had become Bishop Greco. Soon, St. Mary’s was home to over 200 children and adolescents. Due to the tremendous growth and requests from parents to help their children, Bishop Greco began a national campaign to raise funds for the building of a state-of-the-art campus that would meet the special needs of each child.

On May 6, 1974, Bishop Greco welcomed the children of St. Mary’s to a new campus in Alexandria that has served as the nucleus for continued growth ever since. St. Mary’s has become one of the nation’s premier facilities for serving individuals who have a dual diagnosis of mental retardation and autism.

Throughout it’s history, St. Mary’s has been administered by the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, who have insured continuation of our Catholic heritage.

Today, St. Mary’s is home to 202 children from nine states and a place of hope for their families. The buildings on our 55-acre campus, including 10 group homes and 3 dormitories, are comfortable, welcoming and functional. The setting itself is spacious and peaceful.

Through the years, St. Mary’s has retained a strong and abiding commitment to keep the dream of Bishop Greco alive through our training, programs and activities and above all through the reciprocal love of our children, families, and staff. Our history demonstrates our continuous striving to improve services, expand opportunities and to provide an enhanced quality of life for the children and families whose trust we have earned and whose love is our greatest reward.