Sr. Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC: Preaching and Listening

Messy Jesus Business

Episode 76 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Email | RSS | More Even with your presence, you preach" -Sr. Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh FSPA chats with Sister Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC. Sister Xiomara tells Julia about growing up in the Dominican Republic and becoming a fashion designer before being called to join the Adrian Dominican sisters. "They showed me poverty in my own country," says Sister Xiomara. "When I saw these intelligent, beautiful, well educated women giving their life for people they didn't know, it blew my mind." Her experience with the centrality of Dominican preaching helped Sister Xiomara in her years as a chaplain. "A chaplain is a call to be a compassionate and sacred and loving presence of God...when we are visiting a person who is suffering, we are meeting the person when the person is the most vulnerable. So how can we go and preach to them with our words? By listening." Sr. Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC ABOUT THE GUEST Sister Xiomara (See-o-mara) Méndez Hernández, OP, BCC, an Adrian Dominican Sister, is originally from the Dominican Republic. She is the Executive Director of Dominican Sisters Conference – DSC. Previously, she ministered for 10 years as a Hospital Chaplain at Loyola University Health System in the Chicago area; St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada; and more recently at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, FL where she was the Spiritual Care Manager. She has had diverse ministerial experiences in the areas of preaching, catechesis, directing retreats, Spanish-English Medical interpreting, liturgical dancing, performance, and high fashion teaching. Sister Xiomara holds a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Studies from Catholic Theological Union – CTU in Chicago, Licentiate on Industrial Arts with a Major on Fashion Design, and is a Board Certified Chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains – NACC. Before she became a religious sister, she was a fashion designer in her native country. She currently lives in Miami, Florida. MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans. Email us at [email protected] BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness