Extension magazine - Summer 2023

28 INSPIRE
Cover Story
Extension | Summer 2023 29
“We are all so connected with those who are most vulnerable, with the poorest of the
poor people, with those who are at the peripheries as our Holy Father has asked us to
reach out to.” —SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL, MJ, 2023 Spirit of Francis Award recipient
Pope Francis praised the
work of the women who were
part of Catholic Extension’s
delegation to Rome.
ble, with the poorest of the poor
people, with those who are at
the peripheries as our Holy Father
has asked us to reach out to.
And their voice, their presence,
bringing that forward and having
the world listen to them and
see them is very important. And
I think that this is who we are as
Church.”
There are the women in the
U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange
Program who represent
44 religious congregations from
11 countries of Latin America
and who serve immigrant communities
in the United States.
They are taking classes for their
degrees in health and human
services in partnership with St.
Mary’s University of Minnesota.
The sisters celebrated Mass
with Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
secretary of state for the Vatican,
in the beautiful chapel in
the Palace of the Governorate.
What song did they sing for this
formal occasion?
The “Canción del Misionero.”
The missionary song, which has
become their anthem, their rallying
cry, their “mission” statement.
The refrain lyrics simply
say:
“Send me to the people who
need your words, who need the
will to live; where there is no
hope, where there is no joy, simply
because they do not know
You.”
Sister Clarice, Fedigan, Sister
Marie-Paule, Sister Fatima, Sister
Carol, Arbelo, Sister Norma and
the U.S.-Latin American sisters.
Follow the women who follow
the risen Christ and who
are unafraid of the pietà pathways
that are required to find
the risen one.
THE POPE
If the eyes are the windows
of the soul, Pope Francis’ soul
is Michelangelo beautiful. He
entered the private audience
with Catholic Extension briskly
and joked with Cardinal Blase
Cupich, our chancellor, that he
was “still alive” when asked how
he was doing. He clearly loves to
laugh. He clearly loves to make
others laugh. And we were more
than willing to grant him this
pleasure.
The pope spent about 20 minutes
with us. He said, “I encourage
you as well to continue to
express ‘God’s style’ in the work
that you do. God’s style is never
distant, detached or indifferent.
Instead, it is one of closeness,
compassion and tender love.
“It is my hope that your service
will always reflect these
qualities, showing that God
draws near to our lives, that he is
moved to compassion for those
in difficult situations, and that
his love calls us to be in relationship
with him and to see our
neighbor as truly a brother and
sister.”
He recognized that he was in
a room full of people who already
know so well how to express
“God’s style.” And so, it
was notable how many times he
said thank you to our group, in
gratitude for the work of Catholic
Extension, and most especially
to the people who every
day do the heavy lifting on behalf
of the Church to lead God’s
people from death to new life in
Christ.
He greeted each of us individually,
looking us in the eye, like
each of us was the only person
he had ever met. He gently took
each of our hands, shaking them
slowly, his care and attention infallible.
Francis may be a pope,
but he is clearly a pastor first.
When the women reached to
take the pope’s hands, they were
not empty-handed. In Fedigan’s
words, they brought a gift of
hands, all of the hands they’ve
touched and people they’ve
healed. They brought all of those
thousands and thousands of
hands to the pope as their simple
gift.
Pope Francis beamed the
best of his love for Sister Carol,
Fedigan, Sister Marie-Paule, Sister
Fatima, Sister Carol, Arbelo,
Sister Norma and the U.S.-Latin
American sisters. They beamed
back at him, and we realized all
at once that Pope Francis follows
the women who follow the
risen Christ.
Melva Arbelo runs a
home for abused and
neglected children in
Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ,
embraces a homeless child.
She provides care to hundreds
of thousands at the U.S.-
Mexico border.