Sister Norma Pimentel
Organizations
Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley
Location
San Juan, Texas
Biography
Sister Norma Pimentel grew up in the border town of Brownsville, Texas. After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Southmost College, she entered religious life with the Missionaries of Jesus. Her first assignment as a young nun in the 1980s was to work with refugees at Casa Oscar Romero in San Benito. During her ten years at Casa Romero, she earned a Master’s of Theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. Her work with migrants and desire to bridge the gap between theology and missionary work led her to pursue a Master’s degree that combined both Psychology and Theology at Loyola University in Chicago. Sister Norma currently serves as the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Rio Grande Valley, where she is committed to “restoring human dignity” to migrants, especially through her work at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas.
Audio Clips
Interviewed by Jennifer Nájera on March 2, 2023 in McAllen, Texas
Sister Norma Pimentel describes her plans to get a degree in art, then has a spiritual awakening.
Pimentel describes how the sisters worked in communities.
Pimentel describes what it was like during the refugee crisis during the 1980s and Border Patrol enforcement practices during that time.
Digital Archive
Facade of the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas.
Altar of the Virgen de Guadalupe inside the Respite Center.
Sister Norma Seni Pimentel on receiving the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame, May 2018.