Sister Norma Pimentel turns pain into art along Texas border

CHICAGO - Sister Norma Pimentel serves as a nun in the Diocese of Brownsville, situated along the southern border of Texas.

By the end of 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol had recorded nearly 250,000 migrant encounters at this southern border.

Having witnessed the struggles of families leaving behind their familiar lives in search of a brighter future, Sister Norma has channeled their pain into her artwork.

"We see, the pain and the suffering that they been carrying for all their journeys," said Sister Norma.             

Her paintings, inspired by the stories she has heard, garnered attention from the Archdiocese of Chicago, where she exhibited her art at Holy Name Cathedral Monday night.

Among her creations is a depiction of a young boy she encountered in 2014, a painting that was later gifted to the pope.

Sister Norma has been honored for all of her charitable work with migrants.

In 2020, she was named one of Time Magazine's most influential people and the nation's most active Catholic leaders along the border.