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Sister Norma Pimentel, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, is pictured along a border wall between Texas and Mexico in late February 2018. As the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville, Texas, Sister Pimentel has become a national symbol of the peacekeeping to which Christians are called in the refugee crisis. (CNS photo/Barbara Johnston, courtesy University of Notre Dame)

Radio Interview: The impact of immigration and welcoming the stranger


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Catholic Review Filed Under: CR Radio, Feature, Immigration and Migration, Local News, News, Radio Interview

Christopher Gunty speaks with Missionary of Jesus Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, about immigration, poverty and the Catholic call to welcome the stranger.

Sister Norma describes her decades of service at the southern border and explains how Catholic Charities supports vulnerable families. The organization provides emergency assistance, including food, shelter, and support for people facing homelessness; and addresses food insecurity, housing insecurity, and family separation. 

She explains that immigration is only one part of Catholic Charities’ broader mission. The agency also works with other faith communities, civic groups and local organizations to respond to disasters and address the needs of struggling families.

In advance of Sister Norma’s visit to Maryland as keynote speaker in the Catholic Charities of Baltimore symposium Oct. 21 at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, this episode offers a look at Catholic social teaching and the work of serving people in need.

Click play below to listen to the full interview.

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