 |
| Portrait made with pastel, paint and photoshop by Lucy Grady, age 12 |
Sister Dorothy Stang was an american-born nun and member of the congregation of Notre Dame de Namur. She was murdered in the state of Para, Brazil, in 2005. Sister Dorothy was very outspoken about protecting the rights of the poor and preventing the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Her congregation's website has a beautiful write-up of Sister Dorothy's life and work, and includes many links to current news and initiatives to help the poor and the environment in Brazil.
Here is the summary from their website:
"Sister Dorothy, 73, was born in Dayton, Ohio, one of nine children. She was raised on a farm in a traditional Catholic family. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur community in 1948 and professed final vows in 1956. From 1951 to 1966 she taught elementary classes at St. Victor School in Calumet City, IL, St. Alexander School in Villa Park, IL and Most Holy Trinity School in Phoenix, Az. She began her ministry in Brazil in 1966, in Coroata in the state of Maranhao.
A citizen of Brazil and the United States, Sister Dorothy worked with the Pastoral Land Commission, an organization of the Catholic Church that fights for the rights of rural workers and peasants, and defends land reforms in Brazil. Her death came less than a week after meeting with the country's human rights officials about threats to local farmers from loggers and landowners.
Before her murder, Sister Dorothy was named 'Woman of the Year' by the state of Para for her work in the Amazon region. She also received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Brazilian Bar Association for her work helping the local rural workers.
Since her death, Sister Dorothy has been widely honored for her life and work by the United States Congress and by a number of colleges and universities across the United States. She was posthumously awarded the 2008 United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. Books, movies, documentaries and an opera have been developed about her. And she was formally recognized by the Vatican as a modern day martyr."
Sources:
About Dorothy Stang from the Notre Dame de Damur website
http://www.theykilledsisterdorothy.com
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0215-03.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment