SISTERS
CHILDREN make butterflies for an art project with Sister Theresa Jones, F.M.A. The sisters’ approach was to provide a chance for summer camp fun to let the children relax and slowly begin to process and pray about the losses they have experienced.
Sisters help Uvalde move from trauma to trust
by Sister Eilis McCulloh, H.M. Photos courtesy of Catholic Extension, catholicextension.org
Sister Eilis McCulloh, H.M. is a Sister of the Humility of Mary and currently serves as the grassroots education and organizing specialist at NETWORK Lobby.
Catholic sisters have come together in Uvalde, Texas to give hurting children and families a chance to play, pray, and make sense of the world after a devastating massacre.
P
RIOR TO MAY 24, 2022, when a lone gunman massacred 21 people at Robb Elementary School, most of the country had never heard of Uvalde, Texas. Despite living only a few hours away, Sister Regina Hlavac, D.C. also had not. Two days prior to the mass killing she drove through the small town on her way to and from a retreat in Del Rio, Texas. She commented to another sister in the car, “This is such a quaint, beautiful, and peaceful town that I’ll have to return to visit.” That return happened sooner than expected. Once Uvalde was thrust into the national spotlight and it was apparent that the town’s loss was beyond measure, Hlavac felt impelled to return to Uvalde and serve among the people. “Uvalde is in my backyard. I just knew I had to do something!
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