Sr. Jo'Ann de Quattro
Sister Jo'Ann De Quattro was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts and moved to Pasadena with her family when she was in grade school. Her father was of Italian descent and her mother’s family was from Ireland. In High School she started to consider becoming a nun. She had the dream of teaching in Southern Africa as a missionary and was inspired by the Sisters of Holy Name who taught her in school.
She made her final vows as a Sister of the Holy Name of Jesus and Mary in 1963. For the first 20 years of her life as an SNJM, Jo’Ann taught junior high school. She was deeply affected by the changes brought about by Vatican II and those changes combined with living in community paved the way for her to developing political bent.
While teaching in East Los Angeles, Jo‘Ann worked with the Industrial Areas Foundation Organizing Project, (UNO) learning the grassroots organizing traditions of Saul Alinsky. She was twice elected to UNO Executive Committee.
She built upon these influences when she discovered her relatives had been deeply involved in the Bread and Roses Strikes of 1912 in the town of her birth. During a sabbatical year in Boston studying, she became a feminist.
While studying at the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio Texas, she learned that the four churchwomen from the Cleveland Mission Team had been murdered in El Salvador. The direction of her ministry would be forever changed by this event. She subsequently travelled to El Salvador and met with refugees attempting to flee that war torn country.
In 1985, with Jo’Ann’s leadership, the Los Angeles City Council voted 8-6 to declare Los Angeles a sanctuary city for Central Americans fleeing political persecution and violence in their homelands.
Jo‘Ann served as the California Province Justice and Peace Coordinator while in ministry at the Peace and Justice Center of Southern California, and joined the live-in staff at the House of Ruth, ministering to indigent women and children.
Jo'Ann served as a member of her religious Community's Administrative Leadership in the California Province from 1992 -2000. She also continued as SMNJ Justice Outreach Coordinator until 2006. From 2000-2014, Jo ‘Ann served as SNJM Organizational Member on the Board of Directors of Africa Faith and Justice Network.
She continues her ministry in retirement.