Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

Selma Domingos, a single mother of three, was threatened for speaking about human dignity and survived a kidnapping before she fled Angola in search of asylum nine years ago. Now the St. Bernadette Church parishioner makes her livelihood 7,000 miles away as a speaker and author, sharing her story and offering tips to other immigrants.

“When I moved to the U.S., I felt like I’d lost part of myself, my soul, my spirit, my connection. I didn’t feel whole,” she said during a recent interview at St. Bernadette. Her Catholic faith and her parish community helped her heal, she told members of her parish this spring.

She shared her experiences at a parish event that grew from “Moving Towards Oneness,” an initiative of the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Multicultural Ministry that aims to improve race relations by building relationships among Catholic parishes and parishioners. Parishioners who completed the program now host events such as Domingos’ talk to help educate the wider parish community.

Domingos said she was a professional woman, a mother of three and an outspoken Catholic when she had to flee Angola, a former Portuguese colony on the west coast of southern Africa. It has dealt with instability and mismanagement since 2002 when it emerged from 27 years of civil war, Catholic News Service reported in 2021.

She said women are often powerless to make decisions about their lives and are led to believe they exist to serve. Thanks to her Catholic faith and the Dominican priests and religious sisters who helped form her as a child, she managed to chart a different course.

“Growing up, I worked in the church and I witnessed them (priests and sisters) talk about God, human rights and women’s rights. I came from this formation,” she said.

In 2000, when she was 20 years old, she earned a scholarship to study at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. She earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in social sciences and remained in Italy for 10 years. She returned to Angola thinking she could make a difference but quickly realized that wouldn’t be easy.

“My hope was to make a difference as a person of faith and a Catholic,” she explained.

She served as a university professor and was outspoken about her Catholic faith, human dignity, and women's rights. However, male students who were members of the military began trying to intimidate her by bringing guns into the classroom. Eventually, Domingos said she was kidnapped at gunpoint.

“ ‘You speak too much. You should be quiet,’ ” they told her during the four-hour ordeal where they drove around with “a gun to my head.”

“I had to prove myself every day," Domingos recalled. "If I didn’t have strong faith, I don’t think I would have made it."

After losing her job amid increasing threats against her life following this incident—she decided it was time for herself along with children aged then twelve ten seven move Louisville file political asylum which still awaiting decision

“It’s not easy just pack yourself leave no English background believed hope God front courage move start scratch willing listen community took helped”

Despite feeling guilt leaving behind other women struggling similar situations determined share struggles encourage others know “There still hope believe opens many doors excited life”

Domingos built business called SUN (Selma Unlimited Network) offering skills speaker authored self-published book “How Make Big USA” first series aimed guiding immigrants finding success overarching message "You have faith everything do Find light believe you can make difference"