"I'm 56 years old but in my heart I'm 15," said Lopez, a Vincentian Family sister from Colombia who has been a missionary for the past 15 years in more than 23 countries in South America and West Africa.
Lopez also runs spiritual and recreational activities for children and their families. She has made the historic Hispanic church on the Lower East Side a warm, dignified and welcoming environment for newcomers, and a source of pride for the Catholic Charities agency.
"We left Venezuela because we had no food and work, we didn't know how to survive anymore," Villamizar said.
With the help of a team of multilingual case assistants and volunteers, Lopez manages the reception desk by welcoming new arrivals, sharing resources and handouts with incoming immigrants, making phone calls on their behalf to clarify some information regarding immigration court dates.
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