By Devin Watkins
“Their stories have to be lifted for everyone to understand what is truly happening in the world, and these sisters do it out of their heart and compassion for others.”
Linda Hilton, Chair of the Hilton Foundation’s Board of Directors, shared that conviction in an interview about the work of Catholic sisters around the globe.
She spoke to Vatican News on the sidelines of a conference entitled “Weaving Communion through Communication,” organized by the Dicastery for Communication (our parent entity).
The event brought together around 80 Catholic sisters to explore how they can communicate their work to elevate the voices of others. It was sponsored by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which was founded by the hotel entrepreneur in 1944.
Hilton shared that she and other members of the foundation’s board were moved to tears when hearing about the work of Sr Norma Pimentel, MJ, who works with migrants on the US-Mexico border in Texas.
“Knowing about what’s happening there through their applications (for funding) was eye opening to me,” said Hilton.
Like Sr Pimentel, who spoke at the conference on Thursday, there are hundreds of thousands of other religious sisters who serve Christ in people from all facets of society, often in silence but always with love.
In his will bequeathing a large portion of his estate to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the hotel entrepreneur asked that Catholic sisters should always represent the largest investment in the Foundation’s portfolio.
“In our vision, it states: love one another, for that is the whole law,” quoted Hilton, his granddaughter. “The peoples of the world deserve to be loved and encouraged, never to be abandoned, to wander alone in poverty.”
She said the Hilton Foundation’s board seeks to respond to the evolving needs of the world.
