Martyr Of The Amazon

The inspiring story of an American nun who died defending the poor and God’s creation.

“I strongly identify with the journey of Sister Dorothy Stang: from teaching kids in school, to recognizing Jesus in the poor, to embracing a faith that does justice-wherever that may lead. Sr. Dorothy gave her life for the gospel. Her witness on behalf of God’s creation and the poor could not offer a more timely challenge and inspiration.” -Sr. Helen Prejean, author, Dead Man Walking

. . . The hired gunmen who confronted Sister Dorothy asked her if she was carrying a weapon. She produced her Bible and began to read from the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice . . . Blessed are the peacemakers . . . .” And then they shot her.

The murder in 2005 of an American nun, Sister Dorothy Stang, focused the world’s attention on the plight of poor farmers in the Brazilian Amazon and their struggles against rapacious developers. Sister Dorothy had worked in Brazil for forty years. From a conventional nun in the pre-Vatican II era, she had developed a keen social conscience and, increasingly, a deep, mystical commitment to the integrity of Creation. These ideals combined in her advocacy for the rights of the poor and her defense of the imperiled rain forest. They also earned her the enmity of land-grabbing ranchers who repeatedly threatened her. “All I ask,” she wrote, “is God’s grace to help me keep on this journey, fighting for the people to have a more egalitarian life and that we learn to respect God’s creation.”