Encouraging and with a warm smile, Sister Nora Ruiz, a Sister of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, sat beside a young Venezuelan man struggling to learn how to pronounce the English alphabet.
“‘You can’t’ does not belong here. You will learn,” she reassured him, helping him sound out each letter.
The first time he recited them on his own, they celebrated. It was a milestone. Mastering the alphabet meant for him the beginning of unlocking new opportunities in America.
Sister Nora treats residents like him with kindness and love at La Posada Providencia (LPP), a serene shelter in San Benito, Texas. People fleeing from other countries arrive here exhausted and often traumatized after treacherous journeys to the United States. LPP helps them become independent, productive and proud Americans. Catholic Extension Society has supported this ministry for 10 years.
Sister Nora’s ministry here contrasts sharply with her previous life working in high-powered corporate jobs. She entered religious life just two years ago, at the age of 55.
Her remarkable life is a gift to her new community of sisters, as well as her ministry at LPP.
Searching for meaning
Born and raised in San Antonio, Sister Nora never anticipated becoming a nun in her 50s. A successful secular career defined the first half of her life. She has worked for the IRS, as vice president for an aviation company, owned a restaurant and several small businesses, and even piloted small-engine helicopters and played as a DJ.
She also worked at her uncle’s international business firm. She planned to run it one day. She traveled to destinations like Spain, pictured below, to earn her master’s degree in international business, where she learned to counsel foreign companies to expand stateside.
Each experience strengthened her adaptability.
Although she appeared to be happy and successful, Sister Nora was struggling internally and was profoundly unhappy.
She recalled,
The only person I knew to reach out to was God.”
She continued,
“And I said, ‘Oh God, now I’m asking for your help. I need your help.’ And I could feel that it was going to be okay.”
Through her faith, she regained her health.
Shortly thereafter, an unexpected opportunity arose: the role of youth minister at her local parish, St. Brigid Catholic Church in San Antonio.
She was volunteering in the ministry, but she was hesitant to take the job.
“I’m thinking, ‘I would love to, but the money. I’m making 10 times more than what I would in a church,’” she said.
“I made a deal with God—which you don’t do because you always lose,” she joked. “I said, okay, God, if you can provide a roof over my head, food for the table, and just be able to live a life that’s kind of comfortable, I’ll do it.”
When she finally made the decision to give up her high salary to serve the Church, she felt euphoric.
A life-changing trajectory
Sister Nora found great joy as she served as a youth minister at the parish for nine years.
One day, she brought a group to a youth conference, where she met members of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate. At their booth, she inquired about their work and way of life to relay back to the young women in her group.
A sister asked Sister Nora if she ever considered entering religious life.
“I have school debt. I don’t know if it’s for me,” Sister Nora replied. She had just completed her master’s degree in religious studies, on top of her international business degree. Entering at her age also seemed completely impossible.
“I was set in my ways. No way,” Sister Nora said.
However, the vocations director convinced her to at least visit the religious community. In an interview with Catholic Extension Society, she recounts feeling how “this was home”:
Sister Nora knew that she loved to help people. She had gone on many mission trips to help impoverished communities in South America. Below, she works with a young adult group in El Salvador.
However, she always regretted it when she had to leave and return to her job. She was not free to give herself completely.
After careful discernment, Sister Nora entered the religious order at the age of 55.
Embracing religious life
Sister Nora’s transition to her new life was not easy. She had to surrender her house, bank account and possessions. When she watched her car being driven away, she thought, “There goes my independence.”
However, she remained committed to her new calling and discovered a new type of freedom.
“I don’t have my car, my property, anything.”
She continues, emphasizing,
I have the freedom to be able to do something that I’ve always wanted to do, that I’ve always carried inside me that I love to do.”
“I don’t have to worry about having to go back to work so I can pay bills. I can be here as long as I want and do it freely.”
Her background was a gift to her new community of sisters, most of whom entered shortly after high school.
Sister Nora admires how forward-thinking they are. They have a vision for the future, she says. She was able to help them with technology, including teaching them how to use Zoom when the pandemic struck. She manages the finances of the house and provides insight into the challenges of the everyday families they serve in their ministries.
Below, she marches with the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Even her DJ skills have come in handy—she DJ’d at a Chicago conference for religious sisters.
Her life experience is similarly beneficial to her current ministry at LPP.
She draws from her business background to lead a class on tax filing and educates residents on the U.S. government.
She is learning new languages to better communicate with residents who come from many continents. She also plans fun activities with children, such as fishing, which is one of her passions.
She loves to hear from the residents who have successfully integrated into society. They often call the shelter to share their gratitude.
The young Venezuelan man who received ESL classes from her rapidly learned English, moved into an apartment, secured a job and car. Sister Nora was with him all the way, taking him shopping to purchase a professional wardrobe and coordinating the delivery of donated furniture. The man tearfully said goodbye to her at his new home and thanked her for welcoming him with open arms as if he were her own family.
“We treat them as human beings. We treat them the same as us with compassion,” she said. “Their dignity has been taken from them and we are here to give them that dignity back.”
Sister Nora says she is happy to continue her ministry at LPP, but she is open to going wherever the Lord takes her.
She took her temporary vows in 2022, proudly wearing a traditional Mexican dress—as a nod to her heritage.
She looks forward to taking her final vows and dedicating the rest of her life completely to God.
Sister Nora found her calling unexpectedly in her 50s after a nonlinear journey marked by many highs and lows. She looks back with no regrets.
Jesus doesn’t always choose the qualified. He qualifies the chosen.”
