Dorothy "Dot" Stang, SNDdeN
Giving Her Life
in the Struggle for Justice in Brazil
Inspired by Loving, Compassionate Parents
A Dream Come True A Life of Commitment
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“I have learned that faith sustains you and I have also learned that three things are difficult:
Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN, 1931–2005 |
Dorothy was born on June 7, 1931, in Dayton, Ohio. She was fourth in our family of nine children born to Edna and Henry Stang. These two God-loving people were her inspiration.
Our father grew up on a farm and at an early age moved to the big city where he eventually graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in chemical engineering. He served his country in World Wars I and II as an Army Officer. We learned the importance of an education and of service. All nine of us are college graduates.
We lived on a one-acre lot just outside of town, and half of the lot was Dad's garden. It was his pride and joy. 
Since he was an environmentalist, his garden never saw artificial fertilizer. Instead, he used horse manure and compost. Of course, we kids didn't appreciate this because it produced a bumper crop of weeds. At an early age, we learned respect for the land.
Our mother was a humble and hardworking woman. We recall the hours she spent being in charge of the Saint Rita Fall Festival and the annual Saint Joseph’s Orphans Home picnic. She also was involved in parish and school activities and was president of the Julienne High School PTA while I [Marguerite] was a student there.
Our home was a place where family and friends could share a warm meal and a place to stay for a period of time as needed. Dorothy learned compassion early on.
Dorothy was educated by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at Saint Rita Elementary and at Julienne High School. They emphasized the importance of social justice; caring for those who were poor was paramount. At age 17, after Dot's junior year, she entered the convent. In no time, she was off to Chicago to teach in a Notre Dame elementary school.
A few years later she was offered an opportunity to teach in Arizona. This was the beginning of her dream come true, mission work. Her parish community consisted of Native Americans, migrant workers and newly migrated Easterners. Her weeks were spent working with migrant families and her summers devoted to college studies.
In 1966, she willingly moved to northeast Brazil along with three other Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. There they began base Catholic communities dedicated to Scripture sharing, as well as community and leadership development for men and women, with an emphasis on human dignity.
Every few years, Dorothy moved further into the interior as the Brazilian government opened more large tracts of land for the peasants to settle. Each move was pure joy and a challenge since it gave Sister Dot another opportunity to spread the Good News. Throughout, powerful ranchers, illegal loggers and wealthy landowners threatened her life.
Dorothy was awarded Brazilian citizenship in July 2004. Then, in December, Dot received a Human Rights Award from the Brazilian Organization of Lawyers. My brother, David, and I traveled to Belem to represent the Stang family. We were very aware of the unrest in the villages near Anapu where she was living. Villagers were being harassed, their homes burnt down, and some were even murdered by these ruthless, greedy people. Our sister remained calm and focused.
According to Pope John Paul II, when he addressed the 50th session of the United Nations on October 5, 1995, “We cannot stand idly by when thousands of human beings are dying of hunger. Nor can we remain indifferent when the rights of the human spirit are trampled upon.” 
Dorothy was unable to stand idly by when her people were being persecuted. She fought to protect their rights.
Dorothy fought to protect the rainforest as well as the people. She realized that the rainforest was vital to the future of the poor farmers. She told us that once the trees are gone, the land becomes dried up and useless for farming. She taught the farmers sustainable development, which was good for the forest and also provided crops for the farmers.
She often wore the t-shirt that said, “A morte da foresta e o fim da nossa vida.” (The death of the forest will be the end of our lives.) Dorothy realized that the forest was important to everyone on Earth for our future survival. She knew that the land needed to be protected from those who only care about money and who are destroying the rainforest at an alarming rate.
Dorothy said that if we could all only make do with a little less, maybe the rainforest would not have to be destroyed. If we use only what we need, instead of what we want, maybe the rainforest will survive, along with the many animals that depend on the forest for their lives. All of this -- the forest, the animals, the people -- is God's creation and Dorothy loved it all deeply. She loved so deeply that she was willing to give her life. She is an inspiration to all of us to turn away from trying to accumulate material things and to preserve the Earth and all of God's creation.
Postscript
(Source: NETWORK's Connection, Nov/Dec 2005 issue, which was dedicated to Dorothy. Used with permission.)
On February 12, [2005] Dorothy was on her way to meet with a group of farmers whose homes had been burned down. As described by Paul C. Carr, in GoodWorks (Spring-Summer 2005), "While Sister Dorothy walked on toward Boa Esperança, she heard taunts from men who had stopped alongside her. The rain poured as she stopped and opened her Bible. She read to the men. They listened to two verses, stepped back and aimed their guns. Sister Dorothy raised her Bible toward them and six shots were fired at point blank range. She fell to the ground, martyred." As she died, she was reading, "Blessed are you who are poor."
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“The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur will continue her struggle for a world of justice and peace. We will continue to press for:
-- Barbara Ann English, SNDdeN, at a Memorial Mass for Dorothy at Trinity University, Washington DC. |
(Source: "The Amazing Grace of Sister Dorothy Stang," from web site of
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Edited and used with permission.)
In the days preceding her murder on February 12, 2005, Sister Dorothy was attempting to halt illegal logging where land sharks had interests but no legal rights. Authorities believe the murder was arranged by a local rancher for $19,300 (U.S.). Many believe that a consortium of loggers and ranchers had contributed to the bounty in an effort to silence Sister Dorothy. Ironically, their attempt at silence resulted in the opposite effect: an outraged world, well informed about the murder through persistent global media reports, sent Sister Dorothy's voice soaring to new heights. And a proclamation came quickly from Brazil's president, Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva, that the land in question, over 22,000 acres, would be reserved for sustainable development by the poor farmers whose cause Sister Dorothy had championed....
Sister Mary Alice McCabe, SNDdeN, who defends the rights of families who rely on the fishing trade in Ceara, Brazil, says of Sister Dorothy: “She was with the excluded migrant farmers in their constant, futile search for a piece of land to call their own. She persistently pressured the government to do its job in defending the rights of the people. She never gave up. She never lost hope.”
In the month following her murder, five men were arrested -- the two
who committed the murder, the intermediate who hired the murderers, and two ranchers. President da Silva sent 2,000 troops to the area to quell violence, while the United States sent FBI agents to Anapu to investigate the killing.
Several thousand people attended Sister Dorothy's funeral. She is buried in a grove in Anapu, her grave marked with a simple wooden cross bearing her name and dates of birth and death.
Memorial services were conducted around the world and the Brazilian Ambassador to the United States spoke at a Memorial Mass for Sister Dorothy in Baltimore. On March 9, 2005, U.S. Congress Resolution #89 was introduced, honoring the life of Sister Dorothy Stang.
Sister Mary Alice reflects: "The poor loved Dot because she was their loyal friend, she could be trusted, she believed in them, and she was tireless in her struggle against injustice."
SNDdeN Editorial Update: On December 10, 2005, a jury of seven citizens in Belem, Para, Brazil found Rayfran das Neves Sales and Clodoaldo Carlos Batista guilty of murder in the killing of Sister Dorothy. Three others await trial for this murder -- two ranchers, accused of ordering the killing, and an intermediary, who is charged with orchestrating the crime.
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You are invited to visit:
- Heitor Turrini, OSM, another Hill Connections' inspirational person working for justice in the Amazon and for its preservation
- Bishop Krautler's reflection
- SNDdeN's memorial
- NPR interview with Sister Mary Alice McCabe, SNDdeN
- Amazon Diary by Sam Clements, presentor of the film, The Student, The Nun and The Amazon
- "A Boat Named Dorothy"
Pictures -- thanks to Dorothy's family, NETWORK, and Gene Kim Graphics.