Photo by Andrew Nelson

ATLANTA—Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, found herself crying as hundreds of detained immigrant youngsters pressed in on her, grasping her dress. 

“Those big eyes, they were just looking, and they were all gray,” said Sister Norma. “Their hair was gray. Their skin was gray. Their clothing was gray from the mud when they crossed the (Rio Grande). And they were all crying.” 

A judge had given her access to the overflowing detention center filled with young people, but she had to persuade law enforcement officials to allow her into a cell to pray. 

Together, she led the youngsters jammed into the space in prayer: “God help us.”  

After wading into the cell, Sister Norma said she left grounded in her conviction not to stay silent in defending the lives of immigrants.  

“We must take every day, do our part, every single one of us. It’s the power of God, the force of God that moves us forward, that gives us the courage, even when we’re afraid,” she said. 

Sister Norma Pimentel was once dubbed Pope Francis’ favorite religious sister after he acknowledged her humanitarian work in a 2015 virtual audience.  

The sister was the St. Catherine of Siena Lecture speaker at the Aquinas Center for Theology at Emory University on April 14, where she challenged believers to stand with the marginalized. Some 130 attended the lecture, while more than 60 viewers watched it online. 

In addition to her talk, Sister Norma also spent time with university students, sharing lunch with students from Candler School of Theology’s Catholic Studies program, the Aquinas Center Fellows and La Mesa Academy for Theological Studies. 

“What do we stand for? This is my question to you,” she said. “Are you willing to speak up and do your part? All of us, so that we can truly live out the Gospel values that call us to welcome the stranger.” 

A member of the Missionaries of Jesus since 1978, Sister Norma Pimentel has served as the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) for close to 20 years. She was named one of TIME magazine’s 2026 Women of the Year. 

Grounded in Franciscan spirituality, she starts every morning with an hour of silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Growing up on both sides of the Texas and Mexican border, she began working with refugees in 1980s.  

About a decade ago, facing an influx of immigrants, Sister Norma established a welcoming center—The Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen—for those in need of rest. The peak year was 2019 when thousands came through the doors. By 2024, the center had welcomed more than half a million families and immigrants, who had been released from federal custody. The CCRGVsaid the work required daily coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the city and local community volunteers. 

Amid recent federal funding cuts and fewer asylum seekers, Sister Norma and the organizations pivoted to support the elderly, food insecure and unhoused populations in the area. 

In her hour-long talk at the Atlanta university, Sister Norma shared the story of a visiting businesswoman strongly opposed to the center’s work. But the sister invited the woman to meet the families and children sheltering there. After hearing their life’s story, the woman turned to her and said, “I am 100% in favor of what you’re doing.” 

For Sister Norma, the lesson is the power of the “culture of encounter.” When people get close to see a human face, their heartschange, she said. 

“That’s what changes everything. Something happens in us,” she said. “We encounter God in the process of finding ourselves close to somebody that really needs our help, and a transformation happens.” 

Sister Norma Pimentel said she simply is living Gospel values, not trying to debate with others. She said her focus is doing the work, not letting negativity turn her aside. It is fruitless to waste energy hating people because in the end that “hatred, more than hurting (them), is hurting you.”   

Officials enforcing the law, such as Border Patrol agents and others, are people working in difficult situations, overwhelmed by the situation and required by law to act, which can lead to suffering, she said.  

However, she said all must be reminded of the humanity of migrants and families. People walking with Jesus, said Sister Norma,must “continue being yourself and being good” so officials acting harshly see a better way.