Page 17 - Spring 2019 Extension Magazine

Extension | Spring 2019 17

As part of Catholic serve nine parishes and nearly 300
Extension’s U.S.-Latin migrant camps. The sisters are keep-
American Sisters ing these communities strong and
Exchange Program,
Sister Maryud faith-filled.
Cortés keeps migrant For Sister Maryud, the Catho-
families strong lic Extension program provided the
in the Diocese of opportunity to get the education she
Kalamazoo. wanted for so long. With financial
support from Catholic Extension, she
workers during the harvest sea- uous lives. completed her bachelor’s degree
son. During this time, they face long Sister Maryud is sympathetic to in psychology at Atlantic Interna-
working hours, disruptions to fam- these hardships. She and the other tional University in 2017. In May, she
ily life and disconnectedness from sisters provide comfort, faith for- will receive her master’s degree in
their home base. They rely heavily mation, pastoral care, home vis- applied leadership from Boston
on their faith to manage their stren- its and youth programs. They College.
“I had a dream to serve my
brothers and sisters who suf-
fer from psychological illnesses,
depression and high levels of
stress,” she said. “When I arrived
in the U.S., I saw this situation
every day. I heard painful stories
and encountered the anguish of
SISTER many migrants.”
She believes that women have a
MARYUD special role in the Church. “Women

CORTÉS add soul, sustenance and flavor.
They are energetic, passionate and
DESTINED have a big capacity for love,” she
said. She cited Pope Francis as say-
ing that “women bring harmony that
TO LEAD makes this world beautiful.”
She dreams of creating self-im-
provement workshops for women,
parochial leadership programs and
youth English classes. “My greatest
hope is to share all the tools I have
received in this country,” she said.
With two academic degrees
and five years of experience, Sister
Maryud is fulfilling her goal to learn
and to lead. She is already a steady
and invaluable leader to many faith
communities, and her guidance and
the example she sets will continue
for many more years.