Remembering Sr. Joan Krimm, SNDdeN

By Samantha Searls, Program Director

When I joined the staff of Ignite Peace (formerly IJPC) in 2017, one of my responsibilities was working with the IJPC Sisters Against Human Trafficking and supporting their work educating the community and advocating for change. The chair of the committee at the time was Sister Joan Krimm of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and she was very excited to welcome me to the team. She was one of the first people to teach me about the issue of human trafficking and was eager to share the curriculum the sisters had put together.

Sr. Joan passed away on June 20, 2025 at the age of 95 and in her 76th year of religious life. I knew her to be a great educator, a passionate advocate, and a no-nonsense leader. She had this matter-of-fact way of speaking that was clear and confident, a quality I’ve tried to emulate in my own professional life.

Sr. Joan and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur co-founded IJPC alongside other women religious over 40 years ago. Sr. Joan led the Justice and Peace Committee for her order, and served on IJPC’s board for many years. In a video we captured for our 35th anniversary project, she talks about going to court with two immigrants who lived in Sanctuary with the Quakers, standing up against war, and having the ear of local politicians. Sr. Joan was highly influenced by the teachings of Gandhi and spent a decade in Brazil seeing how the United States was oppressing people. 

In 2009, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur took a public stance on human trafficking and Sr. Joan got to work with her Justice and Peace Committee. They asked IJPC to send letters to other congregations and formed the Sisters Against Human Trafficking – originally led by Sr. Therese DelGenio, SNDdeN. The group learned about trafficking and eventually compiled a curriculum for both parochial and public schools. They also supported labor trafficking survivors Harold and Dancy D’Souza, whom they met through their partnership with End Slavery Cincinnati. They helped Harold and Dancy get their Green Card back after it was taken by their trafficker, and invited them to tell their story at educational events. 

In 2013, Sr. Joan’s anti-human trafficking work was highlighted in an in-depth article from the Cincinnati Enquirer. I am honored to have known her, and to have learned from her.

Sr. Joan Krimm’s Funeral Mass can be viewed via livestream on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 beginning at 2:45PM on the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur’s website.