DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Sister Irene Munoz papers, 1973-2006 | 2006-07-15 Ottumwa Courier Article: ""A Golden Anniversary for Sister Irene""

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Sister Irene Munoz papers, 1973-2006

2006-07-15 Ottumwa Courier Article: ""A Golden Anniversary for Sister Irene""

[[handwriting]]Munoz
papers/oh[[end handwriting]]

A golden anniversary for Sister Irene Munoz

BY LORENA PEREZ
COURIER STAFF WRITER

OTTUMWA -- Sunday marked a special Golden Anniversary for one Ottumwa woman.
Many of her friends shared a reception to celebrate the work of Sister Irene Munoz.
Munoz celebrated 50 years of professed religious life.
She has been a member of the Humilities of Mary for 50 years. She also is a pastoral minister, a registered nurse, a chaplain, and a social justice activist known and respected by many throughout Iowa.
"She's very famous," says Father Bernie Weir, "I've known about her for many years, I can't remember when I met her."
She started her religious life in her early 20s.
Irene Munoz is the daughter of Tomas and Genoveva Munoz. She is one of nine brothers and sisters. Born in West Des Moines, her upbringing was of a very Mexican and very religious descent.
Her mother was "very spiritual, very religious," says Sister Munoz. Her mother taught the children Spanish and made them say the rosary every  night. The sign of the cross was made before doing anything including going outside and taking a bath. At the time, sister Munoz says she used to tell her mother that she knew her faith was big, but not to overdo it.
"My mother taught us," says Sister Munoz, but she remembers that one day when they asked her to say the rosary, she was only saying half of it. "I felt so embarrassed ... I though I knew it all.
Sister Munoz, was the third in her family to enter the convent.Two older sister, Trinidad and Maria Luisa, had already joined.
Her older sister, Trinidad, joined motivated by their Parish's Priest and she laughs when she tells about how her sister, Maria Luisa, went to drop off a friend who wanted to become a nun at a convent and the superior mother came out and said to her, "Young lady, you belong here." She recalls her sister coming home and telling her parents that she needed to go because they had told her that she belonged there.
Then her laughter stops. "It was very painful, very hard on the family. Those were times when if you became part of the religious life, you were considered 'dead' to the world."
She remembers that nobody reacted when she left because they had gotten used to the fact of her other sisters being there. After the Second Vatican, her sister Trinidad left and got married. Her older sister, Maria Luisa, is still a nun in Denver, Colo.
"I wanted to be a nurse," she says. At 16 years old, while she was studying, she was sent to a nursing home to take care of the elderly. There she met a nurse's aide by the name of Jessica. "She was Hispanic like me," Sister says. She remembers how even back then, there was a big distinction between the rich and the poor, but Jessica treated everyone the same way.
"It was Jessica that taught me how to take care of people and how to feed them, how to clean them. She did it with so much love and compassion that I used to say 'I want to be like you, Jessica.' She was my role model."
During the reign of Pope John XXIII, around 1961, many things changed in the church. Before that time, once a woman decided to become a nun, it was for life. The habits had to be worn at all times and they were not allowed to do anything without permission,including visiting their relatives.
"We were only allowed to visit our family every three years", says Sister Munoz in a quiet and serious tone. Then, her mood changes. With much enthusiasm she tells, "everything changed after the Second Vatican, the church opened up. Pope John [XXIII] made many changes. The communities modify their habits and the sisters were encouraged to mix more with the people, to live among them and to help them."
She tells of how scared many nuns were when they went from living a rutinary life to learning how to live a social life.
She says she was very timid and it is difficult to see Sister Munoz as scared. It wasn't until she joined the Farm Workers Organization in 1968, that she started speaking up after seeing many injustices being made.
Sister Munoz is a member of the Human Rights Committee, Healthy Communities, Diverse Group and Hispanic Ministry Meeting of the Dioceses. She had to stop various others because of lack of time.
By circumstances, by destiny, by faith, she was destined to work with immigrants. She left the country at a time when many migrant farm workers were arriving to become a missionary in Ecuador. There, her faith was tested when she saw the poor conditions that people lived under. She says she even questioned if God existed.
Months later, her father was diagnosed with throat cancer and she returned home.
While back in the United States, she became a great asset to the immigration population.
She remembers how they were called the "good nuns" that came to pray for the immigrant people and how after confronting several farmers for the inhumane treatment they were giving their workers, they were called "those damn nuns."
It was a maturing time for her as she confronted the reality of the living conditions for migrant workers. She helped push for the Migrant Health & Housing Law and the child Labor Law.
When working with the farm workers, she met Juan Cadena, a social labor activist who wasn't afraid to speak up about anything. In part, that gave her courage to speak up for what she believed in.
During a time when names like Juan were changed to John and Spanish was not being taught so that kids could better integrate themselves within the American culture, "I think that this was God's way of telling me that I needed to work with my people," she says.
Sister Munoz is also a Pastoral Minister, something that she is very proud of. Before the only things that women could do at the altar was clean it.
That was another change of the Second Vatican that favored women within the religious community. With that energy and will to help, it would not be a surprise seeing Sister Irene as the first female priest of the church would permit.
"I like learning from people," she says. "You can learn a lot from the people even from the poorest person. You just need to have an open mind and listen."
After working with immigrant people for years and before coming to Ottumwa, she studied to be a chaplain, to work with the sick and the dying. "I really liked doing that and I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing that. I was Chaplain Munoz," she says proudly.
Soon, Iowa was getting a big influx of Hispanic people and sister Munoz received job offers from around the state.
She credits two Ottumwans, Mary Ann Reiter and Millie Rodgers, who asked Father Robert Striegel to make some preparations to welcome the newcomers. The Excel company had announced it was bringing in out of town workers. A group of people along with Mayor Dale Uehling were forming committees to have a smooth transition for everyone.
Reiter met Sister Munoz back in 1970 when she was a volunteer at a health clinic established by the church for the farm migrant workers. They have been friends since then, together they had created many services for the people and at the time were visiting once a month. 
Reiter says the position was tailored around sister Irene.
She is always cheerful, always sees the best in everybody, and she's very generous of her time." Reiter adds, "She had been coaching us for a year before accepting the position."
After that, the word got around. Maybe the only Spanish word they knew how to say at the time was "Madre - Mother," Sister Munoz says. "On the day I arrived there was a whole line of people waiting for the 'Madre.'"
She worked non-stop for months, with no days off, serving as a nun and as the town interpreter until the church ordered her to take a day off and work only 40 hours a week. But that gave her time to teach religious education to young and old and to serve more in the community. Her position with the multicultural ministries of Ottumwa is financed by St. Patrick and St. Mary of the Visitation, but works out of St. Mary's.
Sister Munoz helps the newcomers with their initial integration into the community. She is so good at it that some people have said it makes people too dependent on her.
when asked about who would take over her position if she decided to leave, she says, "It doesn't have to be a nun. This is a job for anyone who wants to help people."
On her first day on the job, she had a line of people waiting for help.
With 50 years dedicated to God and his people, there is much more to say about her.
But today ... she has a line of people waiting for her.

[[photo caption]]Melissa Carlo/The Courier
Sister Irene Munoz stands in front of a stained-glass window in the choir loft of St. Mary's of the Visitation. The scene in the window depicts the visitation.[[end caption]]

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[[handwriting]]Munoz papers/oh[[end handwriting]] A golden anniversary for Sister Irene Munoz BY LORENA PEREZ COURIER STAFF WRITER OTTUMWA -- Sunday marked a special Golden Anniversary for one Ottumwa woman. Many of her friends shared a reception to celebrate the work of Sister Irene Munoz. Munoz celebrated 50 years of professed religious life. She has been a member of the Humilities of Mary for 50 years. She also is a pastoral minister, a registered nurse, a chaplain, and a social justice activist known and respected by many throughout Iowa. "She's very famous," says Father Bernie Weir, "I've known about her for many years, I can't remember when I met her." She started her religious life in her early 20s. Irene Munoz is the daughter of Tomas and Genoveva Munoz. She is one of nine brothers and sisters. Born in West Des Moines, her upbringing was of a very Mexican and very religious descent. Her mother was "very spiritual, very religious," says Sister Munoz. Her mother taught the children Spanish and made them say the rosary every night. The sign of the cross was made before doing anything including going outside and taking a bath. At the time, sister Munoz says she used to tell her mother that she knew her faith was big, but not to overdo it. "My mother taught us," says Sister Munoz, but she remembers that one day when they asked her to say the rosary, she was only saying half of it. "I felt so embarrassed ... I though I knew it all. Sister Munoz, was the third in her family to enter the convent.Two older sister, Trinidad and Maria Luisa, had already joined. Her older sister, Trinidad, joined motivated by their Parish's Priest and she laughs when she tells about how her sister, Maria Luisa, went to drop off a friend who wanted to become a nun at a convent and the superior mother came out and said to her, "Young lady, you belong here." She recalls her sister coming home and telling her parents that she needed to go because they had told her that she belonged there. Then her laughter stops. "It was very painful, very hard on the family. Those were times when if you became part of the religious life, you were considered 'dead' to the world." She remembers that nobody reacted when she left because they had gotten used to the fact of her other sisters being there. After the Second Vatican, her sister Trinidad left and got married. Her older sister, Maria Luisa, is still a nun in Denver, Colo. "I wanted to be a nurse," she says. At 16 years old, while she was studying, she was sent to a nursing home to take care of the elderly. There she met a nurse's aide by the name of Jessica. "She was Hispanic like me," Sister says. She remembers how even back then, there was a big distinction between the rich and the poor, but Jessica treated everyone the same way. "It was Jessica that taught me how to take care of people and how to feed them, how to clean them. She did it with so much love and compassion that I used to say 'I want to be like you, Jessica.' She was my role model." During the reign of Pope John XXIII, around 1961, many things changed in the church. Before that time, once a woman decided to become a nun, it was for life. The habits had to be worn at all times and they were not allowed to do anything without permission,including visiting their relatives. "We were only allowed to visit our family every three years", says Sister Munoz in a quiet and serious tone. Then, her mood changes. With much enthusiasm she tells, "everything changed after the Second Vatican, the church opened up. Pope John [XXIII] made many changes. The communities modify their habits and the sisters were encouraged to mix more with the people, to live among them and to help them." She tells of how scared many nuns were when they went from living a rutinary life to learning how to live a social life. She says she was very timid and it is difficult to see Sister Munoz as scared. It wasn't until she joined the Farm Workers Organization in 1968, that she started speaking up after seeing many injustices being made. Sister Munoz is a member of the Human Rights Committee, Healthy Communities, Diverse Group and Hispanic Ministry Meeting of the Dioceses. She had to stop various others because of lack of time. By circumstances, by destiny, by faith, she was destined to work with immigrants. She left the country at a time when many migrant farm workers were arriving to become a missionary in Ecuador. There, her faith was tested when she saw the poor conditions that people lived under. She says she even questioned if God existed. Months later, her father was diagnosed with throat cancer and she returned home. While back in the United States, she became a great asset to the immigration population. She remembers how they were called the "good nuns" that came to pray for the immigrant people and how after confronting several farmers for the inhumane treatment they were giving their workers, they were called "those damn nuns." It was a maturing time for her as she confronted the reality of the living conditions for migrant workers. She helped push for the Migrant Health & Housing Law and the child Labor Law. When working with the farm workers, she met Juan Cadena, a social labor activist who wasn't afraid to speak up about anything. In part, that gave her courage to speak up for what she believed in. During a time when names like Juan were changed to John and Spanish was not being taught so that kids could better integrate themselves within the American culture, "I think that this was God's way of telling me that I needed to work with my people," she says. Sister Munoz is also a Pastoral Minister, something that she is very proud of. Before the only things that women could do at the altar was clean it. That was another change of the Second Vatican that favored women within the religious community. With that energy and will to help, it would not be a surprise seeing Sister Irene as the first female priest of the church would permit. "I like learning from people," she says. "You can learn a lot from the people even from the poorest person. You just need to have an open mind and listen." After working with immigrant people for years and before coming to Ottumwa, she studied to be a chaplain, to work with the sick and the dying. "I really liked doing that and I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing that. I was Chaplain Munoz," she says proudly. Soon, Iowa was getting a big influx of Hispanic people and sister Munoz received job offers from around the state. She credits two Ottumwans, Mary Ann Reiter and Millie Rodgers, who asked Father Robert Striegel to make some preparations to welcome the newcomers. The Excel company had announced it was bringing in out of town workers. A group of people along with Mayor Dale Uehling were forming committees to have a smooth transition for everyone. Reiter met Sister Munoz back in 1970 when she was a volunteer at a health clinic established by the church for the farm migrant workers. They have been friends since then, together they had created many services for the people and at the time were visiting once a month. Reiter says the position was tailored around sister Irene. She is always cheerful, always sees the best in everybody, and she's very generous of her time." Reiter adds, "She had been coaching us for a year before accepting the position." After that, the word got around. Maybe the only Spanish word they knew how to say at the time was "Madre - Mother," Sister Munoz says. "On the day I arrived there was a whole line of people waiting for the 'Madre.'" She worked non-stop for months, with no days off, serving as a nun and as the town interpreter until the church ordered her to take a day off and work only 40 hours a week. But that gave her time to teach religious education to young and old and to serve more in the community. Her position with the multicultural ministries of Ottumwa is financed by St. Patrick and St. Mary of the Visitation, but works out of St. Mary's. Sister Munoz helps the newcomers with their initial integration into the community. She is so good at it that some people have said it makes people too dependent on her. when asked about who would take over her position if she decided to leave, she says, "It doesn't have to be a nun. This is a job for anyone who wants to help people." On her first day on the job, she had a line of people waiting for help. With 50 years dedicated to God and his people, there is much more to say about her. But today ... she has a line of people waiting for her. [[photo caption]]Melissa Carlo/The Courier Sister Irene Munoz stands in front of a stained-glass window in the choir loft of St. Mary's of the Visitation. The scene in the window depicts the visitation.[[end caption]]