FEW YEARS AGO Pope Francis gave Sister Norma Pimentel, M.J. a
shout-out during a televised papal audience. In an unscripted moment
he asked to speak directly to her, then thanked her and all Catholic
sisters in the United States for their good works. At that moment the world
became more aware of Pimentel’s humanitarian work at the U.S. border. Pimen-
tel, who is director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rio Grande, Texas,
has been attending to the needs of poor people at the border for decades. That
“Celebrity” and “nun” don’t often go together, but Sister
Norma Pimentel, M.J. has gained international attention
for leading efforts to tend to the many migrants who pass
through the U.S.-Mexico border.
A
Bill McCormick,
S.J. belongs to
the Jesuits of
the Central and
Southern Province. A seminarian (scholastic),
he also teaches
political science
and philosophy
at Saint Louis
University.
Sister Norma Pimentel
takes our questions
BY BILL MCCORMICK, S.J.
SISTER NORMA
Pimentel, M.J.
has become
widely known for
working with and
advocating for
immigrants at the
U.S. border with
Mexico.
COUR TES Y OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF NOTRE DAME/BARBARA JOHNS TON
SISTERS
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