Maria Elena Perales

Maria Elena Perales works for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange as Director for the St. Joseph Justice Center. As director, Maria Elena leads advocacy, awareness, action efforts for the Sisters and on their behalf addressing the issues of immigration, environmental justice, homelessness, anti-racism, climate crisis, human trafficking to name a few.

She represents the congregation as her office engages and partners with other religious congregations, organizations, laity groups and community leaders at a local and national level to promote awareness, advocate, pray and act. She is a proud mother to two young adults, Stephanie and Michael, who also are engaged in nonprofit organizations.

As an immigrant from Mexico, she can relate to the hardship and anguish immigrants face today from the anti-immigrant political climate to the inequalities the COVID-19 pandemic has surfaced.