Gregoria Ortega

Gregoria Ortega is a Mexican American activist and religious sister. She is best known for her support of students in an Abilene school walkout and her co-creation of the religious organization for Hispanic sisters and lay women in the Catholic Church, Las Hermanas. She continues to work as an activist today.

Biography Ortega was raised in El Paso, Texas and attended Bowie High School. When she was very young, her father impressed on her that being a sister was an important job, saying, "They are women who dedicate their entire lives to the Church and to God." She became a sister at 18 when she joined the Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters, also known as Victorynoll. After taking vows, she served in San Angelo and Eagle Pass, Texas. She encouraged her students to learn about peaceful civil rights protests which led to a nine-day walkout which Ortega supported.

Without support from her superiors, alone, "she faced down police officers, judges, school principals and school boards." Ortega's life was threatened for her involvement. Because of her involvement, she was expelled from the diocese.

Ortega met Gloria Gallardo through a friend, Father Edmundo Rodriguez, and the two of them worked together to form Las Hermanas in 1971. The group eventually grew to have around 900 sisters who were members, and met annually. Later, Ortega and Sister Carmelita Espinoza were involved in the creation of El Centro Guadalupano, which served Mexican parishioners and was created between 1985 and 1986 in Spokane.