María de Lourdes López Munguía is a Franciscan Missionary of Mary from Mexico who now lives in Tunisia. She is a psychologist (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México) and entered religious life in 2001. She has spent time in Managua for her formation as a novice, in Chile as a young religious, and in the United States. She has shared her life with people recuperating from drug addiction, ministering at the Hogar de Cristo in Chile; with at-risk children in Chile; with indigenous people in Mexico; with inmates in Mexico and Chile; with women who have suffered domestic violence; and with immigrant children in the United States.
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The gift of building our identities
In every mission on which we are sent as women religious, our own identity receives and gives something to make all of us more human, more "sister" to each other.
My grace of being a companion
The space of spiritual direction and accompaniment is so profound! In it I have the grace to touch the sacred space of the people I accompany. I was fortunate to be there for the visit of Pope Francis in Chile — and specifically, in the women's prison in Santiago.
A morning in Chile, after the forest fires
Spending time with the people of Chile in the wake of the destruction left behind by immense forest fires, I experience God's presence and the internal strength of the Chilean people.
Walking with Juan and Sara changed my consecration
Thinking about the experience of sharing my life with immigrant children in detention in the United States deeply touches my heart. My time with them was short, only three years, but very profound. Through them, God gave me so much, changed me so much.