In February 2005, I sat down at my kitchen table as I did every day with the morning Enquirer and a cup of coffee. I opened the front page of the paper and a small headline in the very lower left corner caught my eye: "American Nun Murdered in Brasil".
I knew immediately who it was.
In June of 1991, myself and two other individuals from the Cincinnati area traveled to the Amazon to spend a few weeks with Sister Dorothy.
The trip was arranged by the Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. A friend of mine, Ruth Holtel, worked in the Mission Office. Of course, I had no idea who Sister Dorothy was other than she was an SNDdeN and was originally from Dayton.
We flew to Belém, then to Altamira where we were greeted by Sister Dorothy and the catechists that lived with her (three young women...I have their names in the letters as well....). Over the next 10 days or so, the story of Sister Dorothy unfolded before us. We spent most of our time traversing the rainforest and visiting the communities where Sister Dorothy ministered. The story of their struggle and the destruction of the rainforest unfolded before us over those days. Sister Dorothy's love and commitment to those people was evident.
We noticed the sign at her home "Centro Nazare" was riddled with bullet holes. She shared the stories of intimidation, not only of her and her companions, but that experienced by the communities of people struggling to make a living throughout the rainforest. At one point, as we were sitting around her kitchen table, we asked about the death threats..."Dorothy, what do you do??" She paused, picked up her Bible off the table, held it up and said, "I just tell them....This is my weapon." When I heard the story of her martyrdom, that when confronted by the gunmen, she opened her Bible and began reading the Beatitudes....My mind went back to that discussion at her kitchen table and the hair stood up on the back of my neck.
Sister Dorothy gave her life in defense of the poor and God's creation in the rainforest. But let there be no doubt...she was absolutely CONVINCED that her life and ministry in Brasil was the result of her response to the call of the Gospel. She said to us, "I must follow the Gospel. I CAN DO NO OTHER."
Now that she is a martyr and a Saint (yes, the church must catch up!!)...I also think of those stories that reflected her humanity and humor....If you recall, she loved baseball. We talked about the Reds (remember they had just won the 1990 World Series) and she wanted to know my opinion of whether they might repeat!! One day, at the end of a very long, tiring, and hot day, we came to a crossroads where there was a small store that also served food! We were starving. She saw the electric lights and said, "They'll have refrigeration! Which means cold beer!!" :)
After I returned to Cincinnati, in just a few days I received a letter from her that she had written from the airport after dropping us off to fly home....She wrote, "We're sitting here in the airport recalling all the wonderful things we did during your visit....We're on our second beer and feeling no pain!!" :) I read that letter now and it makes me chuckle as i think of her now surrounded by all the Saints in Heaven!!
After that trip, we stayed in touch with Sister Dorothy, including arranging some events when she visited Ohio sometime after that (If I recall correctly, she came to be treated for macular degeneration).
I have several photos from that trip as well as letters that Sister Dorothy wrote to me.
May we all find some small way to change our lives for the good of the poor and the good of the earth.... under the inspiration of Sister Dorothy.
Jim Savage