Sisters from Latin America pray, sing at George Floyd Square

Thirty-eight religious sisters representing a number of Latin American countries and serving in impoverished Latino communities across the U.S. prayed and sang during a visit to George Floyd Square in Minneapolis Nov. 15. They also marked a map at the site showing where visitors are from.

The square is a memorial at the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where Floyd, an African American, was killed in a police encounter May 25, 2020, that was captured in a cellphone video and touched off protests and riots locally and across the country. One of the officers involved in his death was convicted of murder; three others await trial.

Visitors to the memorial continue to place flowers, candles, stuffed animals, written messages, artwork and other items in remembrance.

Sister Felipa Santos Tapia, a Missionary Sister of our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, and a Spanish-speaking native of Veracruz, Mexico, was one of the sisters who visited the memorial. She serves as a missionary to poor families near Lexington, Kentucky, including Hispanic men and women who lost a spouse because of illness or divorce.

She said she prayed for Floyd’s soul and felt various emotions — first, that life is important and a gift, and that people need to respect that gift. Sister Felipa said she felt moved to be a voice for the poor in the U.S. and Latin America, and felt courage and energy to help them. She thought about the last day of her life, what she would leave for the world, and opened her heart to give 100 percent every day.
The sisters are part of a distance learning program at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, a Lasallian institution founded on the spiritual and educational insights of St. John Baptiste de La Salle, including a drive to social justice.

Leon Dixon, vice president of inclusion and human dignity at St. Mary’s, said it was “quite moving” to be with the sisters as they prayed. “While on their way to a week-long residency on our Winona campus as part of their studies, they took time to stop, pray, express their sorrow and share a moment with people in the community,” Dixon said. “As a Lasallian Catholic university, we are reminded daily of the dignity of each person.”

Thirty-five of the sisters are enrolled in bachelor’s and master’s degree distance programs in health and human services at St. Mary’s, part of the university’s partnership with Catholic Extension Society. Eight other sisters in the degree programs also flew to Minnesota Nov. 16 to join the others in Winona.

Catholic Extension partners with St. Mary’s because the university offers a strong connection to the Extension mission of supporting impoverished communities, said Erika Cedrone, senior director of mission at Catholic Extension. St. Mary’s also offers academic courses in Spanish for the sisters, Cedrone said.

The sisters’ home countries include Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. During a week-long stay on St. Mary’s Winona campus, the sisters will attend one class in person, learn more about Lasallian traditions, and visit with faculty, staff and other students.

They also plan to participate in a Mass celebrated by Father James Burns, president of St. Mary’s, and Bishop John Quinn of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Another stop for the sisters Nov. 21 is the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with Mass at the shrine.