Holy Cross Ministries in Utah welcomes new sister

Intermountain Catholic

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Sister Verónica Fajardo arrived recently to Utah to be part of the immigration office of the Holy Cross Ministries. IC photo/Laura Vallejo

SALT LAKE CITY – Barely a month ago, Holy Cross Sister Veronica Fajardo arrived in Utah to work in the migrant ministry of the Holy Cross Sisters.

This is not the first time that Sr. Veronica has visited Utah. Back in 2005, when she was still working and studying to make her vows, she visited Utah for five months and had the opportunity to work in the immigration department.

"My ministry has always been the education; when we are in the process to become sisters we have to have three months of experience in another ministry different of our own area," which is how she started learning about the diocese’s immigration ministry, she explained.

During her first visit Sr. Veronica also helped in the after-school programs. One of the other sisters asked her if she wanted to become an immigration lawyer, and the only answer she had in her head was, "but I am a teacher!’

"It would never have crossed through my mind," Sr. Veronica said.

But the seed was planted, although it took a while to bear fruit.

"I saw the necessity that people have and realized all the joy that this type of ministry has," she said. "I liked it a lot."

Born and raised for the first eight years of her life in Nicaragua, Sr. Veronica moved with her family to the United States when her country was going to war. After deciding to enter to the Holy Cross Ministries, she was in North Carolina and after that she was sent to Africa as part of her ministry.

"My studies were in education, and in North Carolina I was teaching 5th grade," she said.

Holy Cross Ministries offers sisters an exposure to a multicultural environment, which is how Sr. Veronica was invited to Ghana in Africa to teach 1st and 2nd grades.

After her return to the United States, she made her perpetual vows on July 16, 2011.

"In Ghana my thoughts about what was going to be my next ministry became stronger," Sr. Veronica said. "The ministry that I wanted to work for was the immigration one. ‘I am a migrant, too,’ I thought."

Holy Cross Ministries plans to have a department in the U.S. that specializes in immigration, and that department is located in the offices in Utah.

"The plan now is to keep learning," said Sr. Veronica, who arrived in Utah on Sept. 4 and is being mentored by Holy Cross Sister Kathleen Moroney and Rocio Gonzalez, who teaches her everything about how the Holy Cross immigration department works.

"I’m still learning about all the processes and how the immigration law works, but I really want to help all the people," said Sr. Veronica.

Her plans are to keep on doing what she is doing now and maybe, in the near future, study law.

"I am in a process in which I want to decide if this is for sure what I want to do," said Sr. Veronica, who is going to be in Utah for at least one year.