by Sr. Kris Schrader ASC
A gathering of justice advocates, volunteers, and interested persons, the majority being religious from the St. Louis area, gathered on April 10 at St. Louis University High School to welcome Sr. Norma Pimental, MJ, who led a conversation on immigration and Catholic Social Teaching.
Sister Norma is the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and a powerful voice for the dignity and rights of migrants. For Sr. Norma, it is all about listening as she sits in reflective silence in front of the Blessed Sacrament every morning. She listens for the direction God gives her, and that is about love. For her it is not about politics or ideologies but rather meeting others, the most vulnerable, and seeing their faces, hearing their stories and living true to Catholic Social teaching. And love. You may remember when Pope Francis visited the border, he said Sr. Norma was his favorite nun.
It was so nice that four ASCs (Sisters Regina, Barbara Jean, Kris, and Kristen) were able to be part of the evening. We were impressed with the commitment of the organizing group, Seeds of Justice Network, who has prepared and planned a multi-year series of in-depth, locally focused presentations to explore the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching. Do you know what those seven themes are? I didn’t know. On the evening of April 10, the focus was the Dignity of the Human Person & Immigration. In the Fall they will explore the Dignity of Work & Rights of Workers. Check out their website www.seedsofjusticenetwork.org.
As I looked around the room of 200+ it was obvious that religious women are committed and on the forefront of justice work in St. Louis. Around the perimeter of the room, there were 13 tables of the Partner Organizations with literature about their programs. It was truly an educational opportunity to gain a good understanding of the work being done, the opportunities for volunteer service and meeting many wonderful folks.
