Nun who works in prison ministry a guest at State of the Union

Published: 2005-02-04

ARLINGTON, Va. (CNS) -- Sister Constancia Parcasio, a Missionary Sister of Our Lady of La Salette, was one of about two dozen people chosen by the White House to sit with first lady Laura Bush for President George W. Bush's State of the Union address Feb. 2. Sister Connie, as she is known, is the director of prison ministry for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Arlington. She was invited to the president's speech before a joint session of Congress as a representative of a faith-based group and as an acknowledgment of her work with prison inmates in a diocesan program that takes a Catholic presence to 28 jails. Sister Connie, a Filipino, said she was honored to attend the address. "Whatever good will come out from my being elevated to so high a pedestal is for God alone to measure," she said. "But I was happy to be made a symbol and witness for those who believe in the existence of God. I guess my veil has served its purpose once again."

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