--- description: Well known as the late Pope Francis’ “favorite nun,” Pimentel’s shelter provides up to three meals a day to hundreds of people per week. title: Sister Norma Pimentel Is Undaunted in Her Mission to Serve the Impoverished image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a83e974741cdd31/69b0485e785ca07268cd5c91/Norma-Pimentel_Gabriel-V.-Cardenas%E2%80%94The-New-York-Times-Redux.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Feb 26, 2026 # Sister Norma Pimentel Is Undaunted in Her Mission to Serve the Impoverished by [Nadia Suleman](/author/nadia-suleman/) ## Nadia Suleman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Norma Pimentel Norma PimentelGabriel V. Cardenas—The New York Times/Redux As executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) since 2004, Sister Norma Pimentel has helped transform the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas, into a place of refuge that has served [more than 100,000 migrants](https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2020/5888284/sister-norma-pimentel/ "undefined"), providing them with food, shelter, and essentials like clothing and hygiene products. But last year, with a national crackdown on immigration, the number of asylum seekers entering the center fell to nearly zero. Rather than closing the facility, Pimentel, 72, shifted its focus to aiding community members who are elderly, hungry, or experiencing homelessness; according to [2024 U.S. Census data](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/mcallencitytexas/PST040224#:~:text=Table%5Ftitle:%20Table%20Table%5Fcontent:%20header:%20%7C%20Population%20%7C,poverty%2C%20percent%20%7C%20:%20%EE%A1%80%EE%A0%BF%2020.0%25%20%7C "undefined"), 1 in 5 McAllen residents lives in poverty. In November, the Department of Homeland Security suspended federal funding to CCRGV, alleging the nonprofit violated the terms of its government grant by providing services to migrants beyond the federal 45-day limit in past years. (In [its response](https://catholiccharitiesrgv.org/elementor%5Flibrarydefault-single-post-design/ "undefined"), CCRGV affirmed its commitment to complying with federal grant requirements.) In the face of this challenge, Pimentel notes, faith institutions, nonprofits, and neighbors have donated to ensure the organization can continue its work. “The Valley is a very poor area,” she says, quoting executive board member Bishop Daniel E. Flores. “But yet it is an area with a big heart: un gran corazón.” Pimentel, known as the late Pope Francis’ “favorite nun,” aims to bring “light in the midst of darkness.” The respite center continues to provide up to three meals a day to [hundreds of people per week](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/us/politics/sister-norma-pimentel-shelter-texas "undefined"), plus natural­ disaster and emergency relief and short-term rent and utility assistance. “In the Valley, somos familia,” she says. “We are family because ... no matter who we are, we come together and we respond together.” Sister Norma Pimentel‘s Mission to Serve the Impoverished ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/women-of-the-year/7377896/sister-norma-pimentel-2026/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/women-of-the-year/7377896/sister-norma-pimentel-2026/"},"headline":"Sister Norma Pimentel Is Undaunted in Her Mission to Serve the Impoverished","datePublished":"2026-02-26T12:35:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-26T16:43:21.470Z","description":"Well known as the late Pope Francis’ “favorite nun,” Pimentel’s shelter provides up to three meals a day to hundreds of people per week.","url":"https://time.com/collections/women-of-the-year/7377896/sister-norma-pimentel-2026/","keywords":["Women of the Year","list","franchise","Magazine","sponsorshipblock"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a83e974741cdd31/69b0485e785ca07268cd5c91/Norma-Pimentel_Gabriel-V.-Cardenas%E2%80%94The-New-York-Times-Redux.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nadia Suleman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nadia-suleman/"}],"creator":"Nadia Suleman","articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a83e974741cdd31/69b0485e785ca07268cd5c91/Norma-Pimentel_Gabriel-V.-Cardenas%E2%80%94The-New-York-Times-Redux.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/women-of-the-year/","name":"Women of the Year"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/women-of-the-year/7377896/sister-norma-pimentel-2026/","name":"Sister Norma Pimentel Is Undaunted in Her Mission to Serve the Impoverished"}}]}] ```