Mother Superior Maria Joaquina Lozano, front row, far left, leader of The Crusader Missionaries of the Church, came to visit three sisters from the religious order who are living in Columbus Junction and working as catechists. As part of the trip, the women religious met with diocesan officials Dec. 4 at St. Vincent Center in Davenport. Pictured are, back row, from left, Miguel Moreno, director of multicultural ministry; Sister Veronica Argumedo, Sister Maria Martinez, Deacon Kent Ferris, social action director; front row, Mother Superior Maria, Bishop Dennis Walsh, Sister Cilenia Rojas and Sister María Mejía.
By Dan Russo
The Catholic Messenger
COLUMBUS JUNCTION — The leader of a women’s religious order with an international reach traveled to the Diocese of Davenport recently to visit a group of sisters who are serving Spanish speaking Catholics at two local parishes.
Mother Superior Maria Joaquina Lozano of the Misioneras Cruzadas de la Iglesia (The Crusader Missionaries of the Church), connected with three members of the order currently living at St. Joseph Parish-Columbus Junction. The trio work as catechists at that parish and also provide service at St. Joseph Parish-West Liberty. They are in the second year of a five-year term of service made possible through the U.S.-Latin American Sisters Exchange Program, a partnership between Catholic Extension and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Sisters María de los Ángeles Gumara Mejía Chacón of Mexico, María de los Ángeles Martínez Quinteros of El Salvador and Verónica Elizabeth Argumedo Munguía, also of El Salvador, were, serving elsewhere before coming to Iowa in the fall of 2023.
As part of the exchange, Bishop Thomas Zinkula, former head of the Davenport Diocese, and Father Rudolph Juarez, vicar for Hispanic Ministry, visited Guatemala in August 2023, staying at the sisters’ provincial house.
Mother Superior Lozano’s activities included a meeting with Bishop Dennis Walsh at his office in Davenport.
The religious order the sisters belong to was founded by St. Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa, a native of Madrid, Spain, who educated, evangelized and worked to alleviate poverty in several countries
