Sister Cathy Buster impresses young audience at Human Rights Day program

Sister Cathy Buster made quite an impression on her audience with her presentation at Terre Haute’s Human Rights Day program on April 10 at Indiana State University.

Sister Cathy spoke about the Casa San Juan Bosco project in Arcadia, Fla., that will provide quality housing for migrant farm families left stranded by Hurricane Charley in 2004. Working with Catholic Charities Housing in Venice, Fla., Sister Cathy led the effort to re-establish housing for people left homeless after the devastating storm.

About 90 people attended her workshop session, most of whom were high school students and college students. Recently received reports from some of the students offered feedback about Sister Cathy’s message. By the way, the Casa San Juan Bosco project is the largest Green Certified Community in Florida. (Her PowerPoint can be seen here.)

One student wrote, “I think it’s great that non for profits (sic) groups such as this one does so much. Making the community ecological with all the green material going into it makes it a lot better too. Not only does the community get new houses, neighborhood and great living area, they also get the tools to keep the area ecologically safe. It’s amazing how much a non for profit group can do. The other for profit businesses should look to this as an example and come forward to do a community project like this for all the people in need.”

Another wrote, “It surprised me how after hurricane Charley hit that the farmers who lived in the trailers used blankets and cardboard shelters to stay in after their homes were destroyed. It was also shocking to me that the people of the trailer parks would charge the farmers and their families $35 per head per day even though the parks were in bad shape long before the hurricane hit. Sister Cathy Buster simply is an amazing woman for coming up with the new energy efficient and only green community in Florida.”

Still another wrote, “I think what Sister Cathy Buster is doing for these people who have nothing is great. She first off is helping the farm workers by providing them with a safe place to live but also helping them adapt to a normal American lifestyle with various skills they will learn in some of those classes.”

The Sisters of Providence have been a partner in planning the annual Human Rights Day program for many years. It is the largest and best such program in Indiana, attracting national and international speakers. Annual  themes are usually chosen from articles in the United Nations Charter.

Sister Cathy is a native of Chicago. She has been a Sister of Providence for 56 years. She currently serves as vice president of Catholic Charities Housing.