Speaking for the Voiceless
Through community service work at just the right age, a first-generation American learned the importance of being a woman for others
By Kristine Mackey
In 2021 Ruth Lopez McCarthy was appointed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to serve as Senior Immigration Fellow in the Illinois Department of Human Services. She has steered her career, post-law school, toward supporting immigrants and asylum-seekers—members of the world’s diverse diaspora. Her passion for this work began with her own upbringing as a first-generation daughter in a tightly knit Colombian-Peruvian-American family in Chicago.
Her parents emphasized hard work, traditional Catholic family values, and the importance of a good education. They sent their four children to Saint Ignatius College Prep, and Lopez McCarthy says when she arrived she immediately noticed intersection of her family’s values and those instilled by the Jesuits and their lay partners. She graduated in 1999 with a head full of knowledge and a heart full of compassion.
“My religion teacher was Fr. Patrick McGrath, SJ, and I feel my social justice passion has roots in that class,” she says. “He was an amazing teacher, priest and leader.” The service component of Lopez McCarthy’s Jesuit education allowed her access to people in need of a helping hand—in communities she wouldn’t have otherwise encountered. The experience challenged her to ask questions and think deeply. “Being a woman for others is an important motto for me, and I cherish my time at Saint Ignatius.”
While Lopez McCarthy has received many awards in her field, 2020 was a special year for her. She received the Latina Lawyer of the Year award from the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, and the Champion for Children Award from the Angel Harvey Family Health Center of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago. Shortly after that, she received the International Award of Merit from her law school alma mater, Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Ruth Lopez McCarthy
BEING A WOMAN FOR OTHERS IS AN IMPORTANT MOTTO FOR ME, AND I CHERISH MY TIME AT SAINT IGNATIUS.
A former student-athlete at Saint Ignatius, Lopez McCarthy no longer likes to keep score. Rather, she asks herself daily: “What am I grateful for today? Am I honoring my parents? Am I the best mom I can be to my three young boys? Have I made a difference today in the world of immigration justice?” She also asks: “How can I be better?” It’s an Ignatian-style examen of sorts.
She’s not the only one who knows that Catholics need to open their hearts to those suffering and seeking a better life. Pope Francis recently said that Catholics have the chance to grow in their faith by welcoming people different from themselves. “In encountering the diversity of foreigners, migrants and refugees, and in the intercultural dialogue that can emerge from this encounter, we have an opportunity to grow as Church and to enrich one another,”
Kristine Mackey is the VP for advancement and communications for the USA Midwest Province Jesuits.
he said. None of that can happen without the immigration system and advocates like Lopez McCarthy who speak for those without a voice.
