María Elena Méndez Ochoa
María Elena Méndez Ochoa, from La Joya, Mexico, entered the Congregation of Guadalupan Missionaries of the Holy Spirit at the age of 19. When she finished her formation she was sent to the United States in 1993 to work in Hispanic ministry at the parish and diocesan level in Florida, Colorado, California, Pennsylvania and Mississippi. Currently, she ministers at Catholic Social Services in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama. With a graduate degree in theology and ministry, she is now pursuing a master's degree in integrative studies.