Sister Carmel Garcia
Concordia, Kan.
Sister Carmel Garcia entered community in 1956 from her hometown of Aragon, N.M. She presently lives in Concordia, and is the Development Director for the Sisters of St. Joseph. Her previous ministries include serving as Executive Director at El Refugio, an agency that provides services to battered women in Silver City, N.M.; Pastoral Ministry for the Diocese of Las Cruces, N.M., Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, and El Paso, Texas; and teaching primary grades in Chicago, Gladstone, Mich., Salina, Junction City and Abilene, Kan.
Sister Carmel says, “I have had marvelous opportunities as a Sister of St. Joseph to develop personally and to acquire skills that prepare me to be the community fund-raiser at a time when Community expenses exceed its revenue due to the large number of retired sisters. That is my passion right now! I am a member of the Mission Advancement Team that consists of the leadership team, communications, membership and development. The Sisters of St. Joseph exist for the charism ‘that all might be reconciled with one another and with God.’ The Mission Advancement Team has ongoing opportunities to tell the Sisters of St. Joseph story, which reflects the presence of the charism in our midst. The team also creates opportunities to invite others to join us in living our charism. Some ways to join in living the charism are through prayer, associate or vowed membership and/or supporting the work of the charism through financial contributions.”
Speaking of her earlier wrk, Sister Carmel says, “During the years I worked with victims of domestic violence, I learned to appreciate the courage of many women. I heard many stories. Each was different, yet a common thread ran through them all. The method of abuse was unique to each woman. It was her reality and her pain. Over and over, I saw women lose themselves in the abuse; they lived in a war zone in what was supposed to be the safety of their own home. They feared for their lives and the lives of their children. From the abuse they learned that they were worthless and could not survive without the abuser, and that they had to stay for the sake of their children or because of the vow they made the day they pronounced their marriage vows. Getting women to trust counselors and advocates who tried to get the women to see their gifts and potential was not an easy task. When they could trust enough in an advocate, they could eventually trust themselves. Every day I saw miracles! And every day I heard stories of terror! Being able to be a part of women’s lives has been a gift to me. The experience of people who worked in our agency with such compassion and care for women and their children equally blessed me. ”
She adds, ” I have a passion for social justice. Since 1977, I have worked or walked side-by-side with persons who are marginated, Hispanics who experience the effects of prejudice, women and children who are victims of domestic violence and child abuse, welfare recipients who are not worth livable wages, the poor who have to struggle each day to get their basic needs, people without health care who can’t afford proper medical treatment, etc. I ascribe to human values that allow for the common good. Out of my passion that all persons have rights and human dignity, I have joined boards and groups where I could speak the values that I hold. Recently, I have served on the Sisters of St. Joseph Corporate Witness Committee and am a Board Member of NETWORK.
Sister Carmel likes to sew and crochet, do stamp art, and cook (especially Mexican food). She is bilingual and bi-cultural in Spanish and English. She love spending time with two surrogate daughters, Sundi and Stephanie, and her goddaughter, Nicola. Her favorite foods are chile and chocolate!
