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Longtime immigrant rights advocate Sister JoAnn Persch died on Nov. 14 at age 91.
Two weeks before her death, Persch attempted to bring Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility where for decades the Sisters of Mercy ministered to migrants and refugees. Officials denied her entry.
Persch and Sister Pat Murphy were founding members of the Su Casa Catholic Worker House in Chicago, serving refugees from Central America who were survivors of war, torture, and political persecution. From 1997 until 2002, the pair ministered at Casa Notre Dame in Chicago, a shelter for women fleeing domestic violence or recovering from addiction.
Beginning in January 2007, the two sisters attended prayer vigils every Friday morning outside the Broadview ICE facility where they encountered migrants scheduled for deportation and followed Murphy’s advice that “prayer is powerful, but you also have to put your body on the line.”
Through perseverance, Persch said she gained entry to the ICE facility during those years despite initial repeated refusals from government officials.
“Our motto is peacefully, respectfully, but never take no for an answer, so we kept working with ICE,” Persch said Nov. 1. “Finally, we got inside.”
Continued below.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
Two weeks before her death, Persch attempted to bring Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility where for decades the Sisters of Mercy ministered to migrants and refugees. Officials denied her entry.
Persch and Sister Pat Murphy were founding members of the Su Casa Catholic Worker House in Chicago, serving refugees from Central America who were survivors of war, torture, and political persecution. From 1997 until 2002, the pair ministered at Casa Notre Dame in Chicago, a shelter for women fleeing domestic violence or recovering from addiction.
Beginning in January 2007, the two sisters attended prayer vigils every Friday morning outside the Broadview ICE facility where they encountered migrants scheduled for deportation and followed Murphy’s advice that “prayer is powerful, but you also have to put your body on the line.”
Through perseverance, Persch said she gained entry to the ICE facility during those years despite initial repeated refusals from government officials.
“Our motto is peacefully, respectfully, but never take no for an answer, so we kept working with ICE,” Persch said Nov. 1. “Finally, we got inside.”
‘It was so traumatic’
Continued below.
Immigrant rights advocate Mercy Sister JoAnn Persch, 91, dies
Two weeks before her death, Sister JoAnn Persch attempted to bring Communion to detainees in Illinois. She was denied.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
