North of Donna, Texas, “colonias” (poor settlements) are devoid of basic living necessities, even though some 40,000-plus people live there. Some lack indoor plumbing or water that is safe to drink. Many streets are not lit. For many households, finding food is a daily struggle.
Yet this community is bursting with potential, thanks to the presence of Catholic sisters who arrived to the area several years ago from Central America through Catholic Extension Society’s U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program. Three religious sisters of the Lumen Christi Missionary Catechists started their ministry in May 2021 by visiting thousands of homes throughout the “colonia,” to listen to the people and understand their hopes and dreams for their families.
As part of Catholic Extension Society’s program, Sisters Doris del Carmen Santos Zavala, Maria Jesus Martinez Perez, and Maria de la Paz Morales Maldonado, pictured below from left to right, were able to earn master’s degrees in health care and human services in May 2024 from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. The skills and knowledge they’ve acquired in the classroom have accelerated their work in the field immensely as they continue to serve poor communities in South Texas.
“The program has given us the tools to help families in a comprehensive way, through psychological support and spiritual accompaniment,” said Sister Maria Jesus. “It has truly been a wealth for us.”
“The classes have helped me, and I am able to put that knowledge into practice here,” added Sister Maria de la Paz. “I’m now able to accompany and minister to the people with a better skill set.” Part of what they learned in the classroom is that to succeed, they must build community and find other leaders and partners who will join them on their mission—and that is exactly what they did.
Building a community of friendship
Thanks to the sisters’ relentless efforts to reach so many people and households, the Diocese of Brownsville began developing plans for a community center in Donna on a donated, 15-acre plot of land.
The vision is to create a place where local families can go for company with one another, worship, health screenings, prenatal care, counseling and children’s academic tutoring. They will also be able to access laundry machines and clean drinking water for their homes. An organic garden will be planted to help feed the community.
Two portable buildings were built in 2022 with Catholic Extension Society’s support and currently serve as the site for these new services, while a larger, 10,000-square-foot building is set to begin construction. The diocese hopes to eventually build a church here in honor of St. Francis, who loved the poor. Mass is currently celebrated once a month at the plaza under a tent outside.
The new center will be called “Plaza Amistad.” In Spanish, “plaza” is “a place of encounter” and “amistad” means “friendship.”
The dream is closer to becoming a reality thanks to a recent pledge of $1 million by an anonymous donor to Catholic Extension Society, who wants to help see this dream— a place of encounter with the marginalized—come to fruition as soon as possible.
“They feel that the Church has come to them,” said Sister Maria Jesus. “Seeing them grow as a community has impacted me a lot. I can say that I’m growing with the people.”
She continued,
With the plaza, they feel like they have a little piece of heaven near their homes.”
The most beautiful thing
In just a short time here in the U.S., the sisters’ impact on families in this area cannot be understated.
One family, pictured below, recently arrived to Donna with three little girls. The mother was suffering from postpartum depression after the birth of her youngest daughter. But then, some sisters showed up at her door. When she talked and prayed with the sisters, she felt freed from her affliction.
“Gathering with the sisters took me out of those bad thoughts and made me think of good things,” the mother recalled tearfully. “And now my daughter is one year old. They don’t know it, but they helped me a lot.”
The people are happy to be part of this growing community of mutual care, compassion and faith. All of it began because these sisters were brave enough to come to this country, courageous enough to knock on the doors of strangers and skilled enough to know that if their efforts were to bear fruit, it would require them to find many partners and co-workers in this sprawling mission.
More than anything, the sisters have built a community that has so much to look forward to in the coming years.
Sister Maria Jesus said, “You can see it in their eyes—the people have hope.”
The U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program is made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. Please consider supporting our mission!
This story first appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of Extension magazine
