Tuesday, August 29, 2000

Sister Irma Gonzalez's new superior general title is historic

Photo by Paul Iverson

Sister Irma Gonzalez, who was recently installed as superior general of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrement sisters of Corpus Christi.

Sister Irma Gonzalez was recently installed superior general of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament sisters of Corpus Christi, making her the first Hispanic in that role in the congregation's 129-year history.
   Gonzalez has much in common with Rosa Solis, who joined the order in Brownsville in 1859 and became its first nun from Texas. They may be women of different eras, but their names go down in the annals of a religious community whose roots run deep in South Texas.
   "Being the first is an honor, but it's also a great responsibility," said the 53-year-old Brownsville native, who was elected superior general by the order's sisters.
   The order established itself in Brownsville in 1853 and founded a daughter house in Corpus Christi in 1871. In 1932, the two monasteries merged.
   Gonzalez spent 28 years teaching in Catholic schools locally and in Brownsville. Her last four years of teaching she was an assistant principal at Brownsville's St. Joseph's Academy.
   Issues to tackle
   In her new role, Gonzalez aims to use her past experience nurturing the formation of young students to guide the congregation into new territory.
   That includes inviting other area congregations of the order to merge as one group of Incarnate Word sisters, taking a public stance on social justice issues and conducting a viability study of its current congregation.
   Among the social issues the group plans to take on are is international debt relief, the abolition of the death penalty and addressing the needs of the poor. Sometime in the next few months, the congregation plans to have its first-ever news conference to make public their view against the death penalty.
   Easier transition
   While the merging of communities of sisters is nothing new in other parts of the country, Gonzalez said, it is not a common practice in this area. However, seeing the practicality of such a move, steps have been taken in the past two decades to make such a transition easier.
   "I feel very strongly that this finally is a very real possibility in the near future," Gonzalez said. "All of which will lead us to finding new and creative ways to continue our ministries."