Sister Norma Pocasangre

Location – Maryknoll sisters Center, NY

Norma Pocasangre was born December 4, 1974 in Ciudad Barrios, San Miguel, El Salvador to Dorotea (Umanzor) and Rolando Pocasangre. Norma was an only child. She graduated from Inst. Migueleno de Comercio, San Miguel, El Salvador in 1992. In 1998 Norma earned a Bachelor of Science-Business Administration from Universidad de Oriente, San Miguel, El Salvador. After graduation, she worked for a non-governmental organization in Morazon, El Salvador, promoting micro-finance projects.

Inspired by the Maryknollers who worked in El Salvador and by Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, who were martyred in her country, Norma felt called to mission to peoples of other countries as a Maryknoll Sister.

Norma entered Maryknoll September 7, 2003 at the Sisters Center in NY. She made her First Vows August 14, 2005 in NY and Final Vows October 27, 2012 in Hong Kong.

Sister Norma was assigned to the Hong Kong/China/Macau Region on June 1, 2006 and spent her first two years studying the Cantonese language. She also had some opportunities to interact with people who speak Cantonese in Southern China.

In November, 2008, Sister Norma joined another Maryknoll Sister in Hung Shui Kiu, New Territories, Hong Kong and discerned possibilities for pastoral work. She was invited to be a Pastoral Sister in Saints Cosmas & Damian Parish in Tsuen Wan. Her focus was youth and parish outreach as well as teaching a class in Spanish. She also helped prepare a bi-lingual Liturgy in Spanish and Chinese monthly in Rosary Chapel to encourage the Spanish community and others to gather on a regular basis in Hung Shui Kiu where she lived. Their children were bi-lingual. Sister Norma renewed her vows in Hong Kong on June 5, 2011.

Sister returned to NY in 2012 and was assigned to the Vocation Office at the Center in NY. In 2014 she was assigned to Monrovia from where she continued her Vocation ministry until 2019 when she returned to NY.