Misty Garriga - Class of 1996

I am proud to be the sixth graduate of BCHS in my family. After graduation, I attended Lamar University and received a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2001, specializing in Math. I taught for three years as a middle school Math teacher at Mauriceville Middle School then three years at Bridge City Middle School. After these six years, I finally flew the nest and moved to Round Rock, TX. I taught high school Math at Stony Point High School for four years, mainly Algebra and Geometry. It was during these four years that I found my true calling in life. 

I had known from a young age that I longed to have a life of service. I was very involved in my parish at St. Henry Catholic Church in Bridge City, serving in the religious education program, adult formation classes, youth ministry, and ministries during our weekend Masses. Being available to others brought me much joy. It was during my move to Round Rock that I realized that the relationship I was seeking was a life of community. When I first started helping at church as a seventh grader in a religious education class, I told the adult who I was helping that one day I’d be a nun…and that is what happened.

In August 2012, I joined the Catholic Sisters of Divine Providence in San Antonio, TX, as a novice into religious life. After studying for two years, I made my first profession on July 5, 2014. I became a Director of Religious Education at a parish in San Antonio for the next four years while I completed my Masters of Spirituality at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. 

In religious life, we make our first vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience, but we then renew them each year until we take our perpetual profession, our forever Yes. I professed forever the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience on May 12, 2018, at St. Henry Catholic Church, my home parish. This does not mean I have a limited version of life. These vows allow me the freedom to be able to love and serve all that I meet with the support of a community of other Sisters who have also dedicated their lives to service and love of Christ with the same zeal and enthusiasm for our faith. 

About six months prior to my final vows, my dad became sick and was in hospice. I asked my religious congregation if I could try to find a ministry closer to home to help care for Dad in his final days. With much support, I was able to move from San Antonio and find a position with the Diocese of Beaumont (the ‘headquarters’ for the Catholic Church here in Southeast Texas) as a multi-parish coordinator. From August 2018 to Jan 2020, I worked with about 20 different Catholic parishes with their youth and adult religious education programs. I helped with consultation, planning retreats, training on new curriculum, teacher training, and much more. My love of teaching and spirituality was able to come together for this ministry, and I really enjoyed working with the parishes.

In August of 2019, a new bishop was appointed to our diocese as shepherd of the Church. When he settled into his new role, he asked if I’d be open to prison ministry. I had some experience of working with the homeless and incarcerated during my formation in San Antonio, and so I was open to this new journey. Since January 2020, I have been the Director of Criminal Justice Ministry for the Diocese of Beaumont. In our diocese boundaries, we have ten state prison units with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. We also have the Federal Complex in Beaumont. My responsibilities include coordinating ministries, Catholic Masses, Bible Studies, retreats, re-entry efforts for the incarcerated, and more to all of these units. Texas Death Row is also housed in the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, which is also in our diocese. I have visited Death Row and ministered to those Catholics who were to be executed. 

The Gospel of Matthew 25: 31-46 is what drives my ministry. So often, we hear of people who serve at soup kitchens, donate clothing, visit the sick, but not so much about those who visit the imprisoned. Prison is an uncomfortable and messy place, but some of the most valuable lessons and growth I’ve had has been working with the incarcerated. Life experience can dictate how you see the incarcerated. One major lesson I’ve learned is that no matter if we’re on the inside or outside of those prison walls, we’re all sinners, yet we’re all valued in the eyes of God. I’ve seen how so many of the incarcerated are truly free in their relationship with God behind the bars, and how many of us are imprisoned in our own hearts in the free world. I’ve seen the trust, surrender, and humility of those who walk to their execution as well as those who have given their lives to Christ in baptism behind bars. Out of all the ministries I’ve had, this ministry has been the most challenging and draining, yet it has been the most life-giving for me as well. For whatever reason, God has called me to work with the imprisoned and the volunteers who also serve them. To walk with them is to touch my own messiness, sinfulness, and abandonment to God’s guidance. It’s a constant invitation to live a life of gratitude.

As a member of a congregation of Sisters, I value being part of something greater than I am alone. I’m not only a graduate of Bridge City, but I’m also part of a deep legacy of trusting God to guide my life as a Sister of Divine Providence. Many thanks to all the communities in my life who have formed me into the woman I am today: my family, my friends, my Church, and my Sisters.