Two Missionary Sisters Visit Diocese from Colombia
by Benjamin Shane Evans | August 25, 2026
In early September, Corpus Christi Parish in Council Bluffs will welcome two Missionary Servant Sisters of the Divine Spirit from its sister parish in Colombia.
Srs. Maria Cielo Patino and Cindy Rodriguez will arrive the evening of Thursday, September 10, from their motherhouse in La Ceja, Colombia. There, the Missionary Sister Servants of the Divine Spirit serve as a charismatic congregation founded in May 1983 by Bishop Alfonso Uribe Jaramillo. The congregation has an active presence across nine countries in North America, South America, and Europe, according to the Hermanas Misioneras Siervas Del Divino Espiritu website.
Peggy McClellan, a member of the Sister Parish Committee at Corpus Christi, said the sisters’ visit aims to strengthen relationships with the parish by sharing their story, which has been the goal since the start of the relationship in 2016.
“We wanted to deepen the relationship,” McClellan said. “We wanted to build prayer for each other. Let us know how we can pray for you, and we’ll let you know what our parish is doing. And how you can pray for us.”
McClellan said the sisters’ time in the Diocese will be full and will include many liturgically based events and visits at several parishes. These events include an evening of reflection with the Guadalupe Pilgrim Mother icon at Corpus Christi on Friday, September 11, which begins with a 6pm Mass in Spanish; a Mass and evening of reflection by the sisters at St. Patrick’s on Thursday, September 17; and a Mass and reflection at Our Lady of the Americas in Des Moines on Friday, September 18.
The sisters will also visit St. Albert Catholic School in Council Bluffs to speak to students, spend time with many diocesan families in their homes, and visit residents at the Fox Run independent living facility, as well as meet with the Diocese’s Hispanic ministry offices at the Pastoral Center in Des Moines.
Additionally, Sr. Cielo will celebrate her birthday during the visit.
The genesis of this sisterhood
According to McClellan, the sister parish relationship began in 2016, when Corpus Christi Parish desired a sister-parish connection. The Missionary Sisters were suggested and the newly formed sister parish committee participated in a “come and see” trip to Colombia in early 2017.
McClellan said she experienced both the motherhouse house in La Ceja and its outreach efforts in the northern Colombia city of Riohacha.
“For me, personally, it was just such a joy to finally meet [the sisters] face-to-face,” she said. “They showed us the different communities where they have distributed the items that our donations purchased.”
The partnership was formalized in 2018 with a “memorandum of understanding” signed by the sisters, the parish, and bishops from both dioceses.
Additionally, two sisters came to the United States in 2023, which Peggy said further “cemented” the relationship by allowing Corpus Christi parishioners to meet them in person.
“The relationship continues to grow,” McClellan said. “It’s not getting lax or waning in any way at all.”