Missionary Benedictine Sisters

We want to dedicate this e-newsletter to Sr.

Margaret Garcia who died September 22nd.

Sr. Margaret was a real “missionaries

missionary.” She was tireless in her

dedication to the people she served, first to the

Native American people of Winnebago and

then to the Latino people who immigrated to

Nebraska beginning in the mid 1990’s. The

Sisters of Immaculata Monastery always said

that Sr. Margaret would die “with her boots

on” and she did too! Only the week before she

died she helped organize the Latino food for

the parish festival in Norfolk!

You could very often see Sr. Margaret

navigating the long hallways of the monastery

with her cane and sometimes a walker as her

mobility became more impaired. Usually she

was pushing a cart loaded with donations for

the poor which she would distribute as needed.

When she wasn’t distributing, she was

organizing another of her fundraisers. Her big

event was the annual

Kermes…a Mexican

festival that is held

on the monastery

grounds and for which she prepared months in

advance.

We will never know the full extent of her

dedication and sacrifice, as she was not one to

blow her own horn, but one thing we do

know…her monastic community will miss her

and the poor of our area will mourn her. She

died surrounded by her Sisters and many

grateful members of the Latino community.

If you feel called to help in our ministry to the

local Latino community by giving a financial

donation as a memorial to the work of Sr.

Margaret, your donation would be much

appreciated.

In Memorium

Mission on the Move

It is now possible to donate

directly to the Missionary

Benedictine Sisters online, to

learn more, click here:

http://www.norfolk-osb.org/

support/

SUPPORT US

Feast of All Souls, 2012

New winds are Blowing in Our

Missionary Service

“…and whoever gives even a cup of cold

water to one of these little ones in the name of

a disciple, truly I tell you, none of these will

lose their reward.” Mt. 10:42

She walked three nights through the Sonoran

desert, walked at night because at night the

sun does not burn and the dark does not let the

figures be seen in the desert. She was afraid;

the sound of the rattlesnakes surrounded her

during the journey making her hesitate at

every step. However, no sacrifice was too

great, and no trial too painful when she knew

that at the end she would meet with her

husband and two children again. Who could

blame her for wanting to escape from a life

that would not allow her to simply put

something on the table for her children every

day? The risks and dangers are justified if the

goal is a land that offers better opportunities

for your loved ones.

This is the story of one of the families that I,

Sister Veronica Prieto, have had the pleasure

and the honor to serve.

I admire many values of the Latin American

culture. One of them is the great importance

given to the family and to the elderly, who are

respected and venerated as guardians of family

traditions and values. Their religiosity is not

fundamentally based on a relationship with the

institutional Church, but rather in relationships

that live among the families that create the

community. For example, when a family is in

need, a "second" offering is collected for them

at Mass, or a fundraiser is held in the street

after Mass.

The life of the Latin American family is

strongly rooted in the Catholic faith. In this

faith the sacred is intertwined with everyday

life. That is why the sacramentals, the colors,

the smells and the sounds of our celebrations

acquire such importance since they are

sensitive expressions of the sacred.

I serve the Latin American community

through the Missionary Group, which is

composed of teenagers. We visit the homes of

Latino families in Norfolk and in Madison.

We pray with families, read the Gospel and

are available to listen to their needs and inten-

tions. Another very interesting project is the

Biblical Seminar. It is a study of the Sacred

Scripture in a weekly course for 9 months,

with the idea of encouraging students to delve

deeply into God’s Word. I also offer other

types of assistance such as, helping the people

who need to translate correspondence, fill out

applications and interpret documents.

My greatest desire is to make the love of God

present in all the families which the Lord has

placed in my life; I would like to be able to

empower them to assume positions of

leadership in our parish community for the

benefit of all Latin Americans in Norfolk and

surrounding areas. Your cooperation, prayers

and support are very important in order to

achieve these aims, which are my own, but are

first of all are close to God’s heart.

Sister Veronica Prieto is a Missionary Benedictine

Sister from Argentina who is currently assigned as a

missionary to the United States. The focus of her

ministry is to the Latino community.

300 North 18th Street

Norfolk, NE 68701

(402) 371-3438 / http://www.norfolk-osb.org/

Missionary Benedictine Sisters