Sister JoAnn Persch, advocate for migrants and refugees, dies at 91
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Sister JoAnn Persch, known to be an advocate for migrants and refugees in the Chicago area has died, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas announced.
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Sister Persch began her ministry in education, teaching at various Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
She was 91.
In 2007, Sister Persch and Sister Pat Murphy held weekly prayer vigils outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Broadview. Together they attended the prayer vigils every Friday morning.
Sister Patricia Murphy died earlier this summer. She was 96.
In 2018, they took their cause to the U.S. Capital after literally getting a call to do so.
"Because of their relentless advocacy on behalf of migrants and refugees, the two sisters were affectionately nicknamed 'Rabble' and 'Rouser' by friends and fellow advocates in the faith community," the Sisters of Mercy said in a statement.
In 2022, they helped start an organization that assists refugee families in finding shelter.
Sister JoAnn Persch was born in Milwaukee on June 27, 1934. She died on November 14, 2025.
Last month, she spoke with the I-Team after a lawsuit was filed against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security over "abusive and cruel" conditions at the Broadview ICE facility.
