From the moment Pope Leo XIV stepped out on the balcony as our 267th pontiff, he spoke of the need to build peace in our complicated world, especially in places where violence and chaos reign. “Today more than ever, humanity cries out and pleads for peace,” he said.
We recently convened a group of religious sisters who are part of the Church’s peace-building force in some of the most troubled places on the planet.
One year ago, 44 women religious graduated from Catholic Extension Society’s U.S.- Latin American Sisters Program. The initiative provides an opportunity for Catholic sisters from religious congregations founded and based in Latin America to work among the poor in this country for five years while also pursuing a university degree in health and human services.
After completing the program, the sisters, armed with newfound skills and academic knowledge, are deployed by their religious orders to lead ministries in the U.S. and throughout the world.
We recently held a reunion of last year’s graduates. Read below how they have been building peace throughout the world.
Sister Martha Zúñiga | Sisters of the Sacramental Heart of Jesus
Sister Martha had been working in South Carolina until her graduation in 2024, after which she was sent to Chihuahua, Mexico. Now she works with various indigenous communities under constant threat from drug cartels. Three priests were murdered shortly before her arrival—a stark reminder of what she, the Church and the people are up against. Despite the dangers, Sister Martha speaks about her role with great passion. She has a big job as she is working to promote faith, build community, and support heath initiatives.
Sister Delia Aurora Ibarra Rodriguez | Servants of the Divine Face
After graduating from our program last year, Sister Delia was sent to Ecuador as the bishop’s delegate for promoting education. She is working within the Afro-Ecuadorian community in an area where young women are sadly often mistreated. Within parishes and schools she helps young women to discover their potential as human beings, and tries to model what it means to be a strong woman.
When she arrived at a school last year to offer programs, she was questioned by a male colleague about whether she “knew what she was doing.” Sister Delia said that she went to her convent and gathered up all her training certifications and her diploma she had earned while in Catholic Extension Society’s program. She laid the pile of credentials in front of her male colleague and she simply said, “I do know what I’m talking about.” He hasn’t questioned her competency since.
Sister Daysis Evangelista Uriarte Benavidez | Servants of the Divine Face
After serving immigrant families in the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and earning her degree, Sister Daysis was not permitted to return to her motherhouse in her homeland of Nicaragua due to the government’s repression of the Catholic Church. Her own father was assassinated in Nicaragua more than a decade ago. But she still believes in her purpose as a peace-builder. After graduating last year, Sister Daysis was sent to the poorest area of Costa Rica, where street violence is prevalent. Today, she has planted herself among the young people – helping them find purpose.
Sister María Minerva Morales Manuel | Missionary Sisters of Charity of Mary Immaculate
After finishing her degree and her missionary stint in Arkansas, Sister Minerva was sent by her congregation to work in a psychiatric hospital in Mexico with people who have profound mental illness. It is not easy work, especially with people who have a range of illnesses that deprive them of being grounded in reality. When asked where she sees God in the midst of seemingly bleak circumstances, she said she “finds the presence of God in the suffering people she serves and is committed to honoring their human dignity.”
Sister Alejandra Austria García | Servants of the Immaculate Child
Sister Alejandra is working in Mexico at a home for abused and abandoned children. They were street children with no supervision, performing on the streets just to earn money to eat. She said, “if we can help even one of these children come to know that they are loved, my work will have been worth it.” Now in the safety of her care, she is helping them grow up in a stable environment.
Sister Deyanira González Alvarado | Missionary Sisters of Charity of Mary Immaculate
Sister Deyanira had been serving families in Arkansas until 2024. After graduating from the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program, she was sent to the deeply impoverished state of Chiapas, Mexico, where she went from riding in cars to various parish activities to riding by horseback to missions in Chiapas. She developed a deep relationship with the families in the region. Sister Deyanira said that when she came to the U.S., Catholic Extension Society taught her to be a bridge-builder wherever she goes. She says it is the special “charism” (gift) that was given to her during this program.
In spite of all that these sisters are facing in their new assignments, their constant refrain is one of pure gratitude. They are so thankful for all the knowledge, skills and confidence they gained during their five years with Catholic Extension Society, serving in the United States, which they believe has prepared them for this next level of difficulty and leadership in their ministry as global peace-builders.
As much as we insist that we should be the grateful ones, on account of their sacrifice and total giving of themselves to the service of the poor and suffering, they still cannot help but say thank you.
As Sister Felipa Santos Tapia, a 2024 graduate of the program and member of the Missionary Daughters of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima said,
Thank you for who I am, what I have, and what I received.”
Renewing the face of the earth
In the first pages of scripture in the creation narrative, we learn about a God that brings order to chaos. God’s divine spirit hovers over the waters, bringing order, tranquility, beauty and goodness in all that is created.
But the work of creation is not finished—God calls us to be co-creators. And through the power of His resurrected Son, we are sent as disciples to renew the face of the earth.
That is exactly what the sisters are doing. They have taken the skills they learned about human psychology, health, community-building and project management and brought their education to the service of God’s people in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.
After their meetings the sisters celebrated Mass where they sang the song “Alma Missionera,” or “Missionary Soul,” with the fitting lyrics, “Lord, take my new life….I’m willing to do whatever you want. No matter what it is. You are calling me to serve. Take me where people need your words…”
If there ever will be peace on earth, as Pope Leo XIV has said, it will truly begin with sisters like these.
The U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program is made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. Please consider supporting our mission!
