“One of the things I hear Mary say often is ‘Everyone deserves to be at the table.’ She believes that all voices matter, and that communities are better when everyone feels welcomed and are all looking out for each other.

As a Community Outreach Coordinator for the Town of Farmerville, Mary works incredibly hard to create spaces where people learn about each other. She is the visionary behind a festival celebrating Latino culture, Black History Month events, bilingual reading and education programs, and so much more. She brings people together because, as she says, ‘It’s hard to hate up close.’

Mary cares for people and their children as if they were her own family. If there’s a new family in town, she’ll give their kids rides to the library, go to their homes to volunteer translation services for those who don’t speak English, and attend back-to-school programs with students whose parents work nights. People are always reaching out to her for help and advice.

Her father, Miguel, was a Latino missionary who ministered to migrant workers and brought Spanish-speaking churches to our parish. Many people looked at him as a father figure. Once Mary moved back to Union Parish to care for her mother — and especially after both of her parents passed away — she inherited that role. People see Mary as a matriarch in the community, and they come to her for everything. She’s an angel to them and to me.”