“I Came Home with Hope”
Reflections from the 2026 Mary’s Pence Grantee Gathering By Anisa Hajimumin When Comfort Dondo, Founder and Executive Director of Phumulani: African Women Against Violence, invited me to accompany her to the 2026 Mary’s Pence Grantee Gathering, I thought I knew what awaited me. What I did not expect was to leave with a renewed sense […]
Meet Mary’s Pence: Nadine
Throughout her life, Nadine never believed she was limited because she was a woman, and it was with this attitude that she came to Mary’s Pence in 2011. She was especially attracted by our organization’s roots in Catholic Social Teaching and feminism – a combination you don’t see very often!
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What One Bequest Can Do!
Because of her bequest to Mary’s Pence earlier this year, we were able to move forward with a long-held dream: to help the women involved in our ESPERA loan pools improve the financial and marketing skills necessary to ensure the success of their small businesses.
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Violence in the Northern Triangle
A farming issue in El Salvador has been the use of genetically modified seeds. Monsanto owns the seeds, and farmers have to buy new ones for each planting season. If they should blow onto a neighboring farm, that owner can be sued.
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ESPERA Assembly in Suchitoto, El Salvador
During the assembly, the women broke into small groups based on the kinds of business they run. Together they brainstormed ideas to improve their business and different ways to create economic solidarity.
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Social Justice: A calling for Sister Patricia Ann Hurley.
She was the steady, quiet rock who created a foundation in the home office so Maureen (Mary’s Pence foundress) could do her amazing work organizing, speaking, meeting — ever tilling the fields across the country. Together they built the legacy we all inherited.
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Exploring Economic Injustices: Guest Reflections on Visiting ESPERA Groups in Mexico
I visited the home of Letty in Cuentepec, a small indigenous village in the rural outskirts of Cuernavaca. It was the feast day of St. Sebastian, the patron Saint of their town, and following their custom, each family welcomed us with an edible feast of chicken mole with all the trimmings.
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Reflections on Traveling with the Women of ESPERA
In almost every ESPERA group I visited, the women told me that they use the loan to buy raw materials – these are expensive and the ESPERA loan is often the boost the women need to get their business started.
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Lessons Learned from Feminist Leaders
Recently in the United States a backlash has grown, especially among young women, against the label, “feminist.” Some women see it as anti-male. At Mary’s Pence that’s not how we see it – we root our work in values of Catholic Social Teaching and feminism – in values of justice, collaboration, and mutuality.
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Women’s Rights are Human Rights: Fighting for Equality through Advocacy and Education
WomenNC empowers a new generation of intelligent, educated leaders fighting for women’s rights, and thus, human rights. They provide the resources, guidance, and platform for these students to develop skills in research, policy, and public speaking.
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