[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 89 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 89


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2005

        Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
               Honoring the life of Sister Dorothy Stang.

Whereas Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Dorothy Stang, moved to the Amazon 22 
        years ago to help poor farmers build independent futures for their 
        families, and was murdered on Saturday, February 12, 2005, at the age of 
        73, in Anapu, Para, a section of Brazil's Amazon rain forest;
Whereas, 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;
Whereas her death came less than a week after meeting with the human rights 
        officials of Brazil about threats to local farmers from some loggers and 
        landowners;
Whereas, after receiving several death threats, Sister Dorothy recently 
        commented, ``I don't want to flee, nor do I want to abandon the battle 
        of these farmers who live without any protection in the forest. They 
        have the sacrosanct right to aspire to a better life on land where they 
        can live and work with dignity while respecting the environment.'';
Whereas Sister Dorothy was born in Dayton, Ohio, entered the Sisters of Notre 
        Dame de Namur community in 1948, and professed final vows in 1956;
Whereas, from 1951 to 1966, Sister Dorothy taught elementary classes at St. 
        Victor School in Calumet City, Illinois, St. Alexander School in Villa 
        Park, Illinois, and Most Holy Trinity School in Phoenix, Arizona, and 
        began her ministry in Brazil in 1966, in Coroata in the state of 
        Maranhao;
Whereas, last June, Sister Dorothy was named ``Woman of the Year'' by the state 
        of Para for her work in the Amazon region, in December 2004, she 
        received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Brazilian Bar 
        Association for her work helping the local rural workers, and earlier 
        this year, she received an ``Honorary Citizenship of the State'' award 
        from the state of Para; and
Whereas Sister Dorothy lived her life according to the mission of the Sisters of 
        Notre Dame: making known God's goodness and love of the poor through a 
        Gospel way of life, community, and prayer, while continuing a strong 
        educational tradition and taking a stand with the poor people especially 
        women and children, in the most abandoned places, and committing her one 
        and only life to work with others to create justice and peace for all: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress hereby honors the life and work of Sister Dorothy 
Stang.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 23, 2005.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.