Florida Catholic | Sister Gail Grimes

RELIGIOUS PROFILES

Anti-immigrant sentiment among Catholics saddens farmworker advocate

Sister Gail Grimes, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is featured in this installment of Religious Profiles, an occasional series of profiles on priests, brothers and sisters of the Diocese of Orlando.

BETTY ANN WEBER | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 12.21.07

SISTER GAIL GRIMES, SND
Community:
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Born:
May 4, 1938, Philadelphia, PA
Family:
Sister Grimes is the oldest of four children — two girls and two boys. There’s a 22–year difference between Sister Grimes and her youngest sibling.
Honors:
Award of Recognition from the Farmworker Association of Florida; Amnesty International award locally; Women of Justice award from Network in 1977; honorary doctorate from
Rollins College.

FC: What did you do before becoming a sister?

A: I entered the Sisters of Notre Dame right after I graduated from high school, when I had just turned 17.

FC: When did you know you wanted to be a nun?

A: Periodically, I had thought about it during high school, but I had brushed it aside. By the end of my junior year in high school, I had pretty well decided that was what I should do.

FC: Why did you become a nun? Was it an easy decision?

A: I felt that becoming a sister was what God wanted me to do. However, it was a difficult decision to make. My brothers were very young at the time (2 and 9 years of age) and I knew that I would miss them and my family very much. In those days we could not go home to visit, and they could come only once a month. I also knew that not getting married and having children would be hard for me. Also, my father was not too happy about his only girl at the time going into the convent.

FC: What would you have done if you had not become a nun?

A: I probably would have gone on to college if we could have afforded it financially or gone to work, married and had a family as most of my friends did.

FC: What is your greatest disappointment?

A: One of my greatest disappointments is that the situation of low-income people, minorities and immigrants in this country is far worse now than when I began working here more than 30 years ago. The overt racism, and anti-immigrant attitudes that people feel so free to express is so contrary to our faith and to all religions, and yet “good church people” still feel that it is OK to believe and express these attitudes. Financially, we are becoming what we have critiqued in other countries — a country of “haves and have-nots,” and we don’t have the moral or political will to change that. That is what really disappoints me.

FC: What is your greatest joy?

A: When I see people learn how to handle their own situations and become skilled to help others in the community learn as well, I feel great joy. I also am thrilled when I see young people who are put down by other kids, friends, teachers and sometimes family members become their own persons and develop into articulate, sensitive, caring individuals. Another thing that touches me greatly is the generosity of poor people, who never say no to sharing with someone else in a difficult situation and who often share not out of their abundance, but out of their own very limited resources. This truly is what the Gospel calls us to be, and I still struggle to learn this lesson well.

FC: What is your description of the ideal sister?

A: That is a hard question, because I don’t think I have ever really thought about it in that way before. I guess for me it would be someone who first and foremost cares for people; listens to them and supports them; helps them find their own strengths within themselves, in God and with others; is willing to acknowledge her own weaknesses and failures; is willing to learn from others, especially from the poor; and who struggles to become a woman of faith and the Gospel.

FC: What stereotypes do people have about sisters that should be discarded?

A: Often in the past, and maybe now, too, I don’t know, people put nuns on a pedestal, tried to make us not human like everyone else. We are as much a part of the human race as everyone else and have the same faults and failings. Another thing many of us get tired of hearing is the negative experiences some people unfortunately had with some few sisters. It is nice to hear the good experiences instead.

FC: Who was most surprised by your vocation?

A: My father was not very happy that I wanted to enter the convent. He felt I was too young, and did not really know what I wanted. But, after many months of struggle, he finally said yes. Many of my neighbors and friends and some teachers were also very surprised since, in their eyes, I enjoyed life too much. That is another stereotype that could be removed — that nuns don’t enjoy life.

FC: What ministries do you most enjoy working with?

A: I have always enjoyed teaching others in various ways and sharing what I have learned with others. During my early years, I enjoyed teaching in school settings. However, my greatest joys have come over these last 30-plus years in helping people develop themselves and others with whom they work; learn the skills they need to organize themselves; operate an organization and programs within the organization; and learn all the skills needed to secure funding and maintain a financially sound organization. It is also great to see young people “find their voice” and become more secure in life.

FC: What is your pet project: Can you tell us about it?

A: Right now, working to insure that the Hope CommUnity Center is stable and secure is my No. 1 priority. Having this new building is a big move for us, having moved, over the years, from four other rental locations, beginning with our garage. However, it is also a big commitment as ownership brings more responsibilities with it. It is so wonderful to have a place that the community feels is theirs; where we know that we have space to carry out the programs and we don’t have to cancel an event because we couldn’t find a place to hold the event; and where we can create a welcoming, warm and energetic environment for learning.

FC: What do you do on your days off?

A: In the warm weather, I love to swim. I love to read, see movies and just enjoy the quiet outdoors. I also like to get together with friends and family, enjoy cultural experiences and travel.

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RELIGIOUS PROFILES

Anti-immigrant sentiment among Catholics saddens farmworker advocate

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