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Norma Pimentel

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Norma Pimentel, MCJ (born July 1, 1953) is a Mexican-American nun of the Missionaries of Jesus and the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.[1][2] She has been praised by Pope Francis and others for her work with refugees and immigrants to the United States.[1][3] She has also gained international attention for her work and for speaking out against the Trump administration family separation policy.[1][2][4]

Early life

Pimentel was born on July 1, 1953[4] in Brownsville, Texas, where her parents had applied for residency.[2][4] Her mother was from Matamoros and her father was from Chiapas, both in Mexico.[4]

She started kindergarten in Matamoros, Mexico and then moved to Brownsville, Texas.[1][2] She describes herself as an American citizen by chance, having grown up on both sides of the border.[2][4] She has four siblings.[4]

She was a poor student in high school but improved her grades enough to be admitted to college.[1] She studied art, earning a bachelor's degree in the subject from the Pan American University.[4] She made money as a young woman designing window displays for clothing stores.[1]

Religious life

Pimentel entered religious life against the wishes of her family.[1] She entered the Missionaries of Jesus in 1978.[4] As part of her formation, she earned a master's degree in theology from St. Mary's University.[4][1] She later earned a second master's in counseling at Loyola University Chicago.

She began working with refugees in 1980 at the Casa Oscar Romero and there developed a passion for the work.[4] Pimental became executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in 2004,[a] having previously served as a counselor and assistant director.[4][1][3][2] In this role she provides food, shelter, and other necessities to migrants entering the United States.[3][2] She has been featured in newspapers around the world, on 20/20, CNN, 60 Minutes, and more.[4]

Pimentel continues to paint, often portraying the refugee families she sees in her shelter.[4] The paintings are often donated to fundraisers, and one was given as a gift to Pope Francis during his 2015 trip to the United States.[4]

Pimentel was selected to receive the Laetare Medal by the University of Notre Dame in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society in March 2018.

Notes

  1. ^ Crux has the date as 2008.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Farragher, Thomas (March 1, 2020). "With humility and a soft voice, she fights Trump on the border". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Catholic News Service (July 13, 2019). "Sister Pimentel shares stories from the border with U.S. priests". Crux. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Guidos, Rhina (February 14, 2019). "Border city to close Catholic Charities center run by Sister Norma Pimentel". America. Catholic News Service. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Salgado, Soli; Stockman, Dan (August 17, 2019). "Sr. Norma Pimentel, LCWR award recipient, embraces 'holy chaos' of her ministry to migrants". Global Sister's Report.
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