[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 69 (Monday, May 23, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H3728-H3729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE LIFE OF SISTER DOROTHY STANG

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 89) honoring the life of 
Sister Dorothy Stang.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 89

       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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the concurrent 
resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and his 
cosponsors for bringing this important resolution to the floor. I also 
wish to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) and our 
ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), for 
expediting the consideration of this resolution in our Committee on 
International Relations.
  Sister Dorothy worked in Brazil to directly help the people who are 
most in need, rural workers and peasants. She showed great personal 
courage by continuing on in her work with the Pastoral Land Commission 
despite death threats.
  Brazil and the world were shocked when Sister Dorothy was murdered on 
February 12, 2005. She was 73 years of age. It is fitting and proper 
that the United States Congress should recognize the extraordinary 
example that Sister Dorothy set for her countrymen here in the United 
States and in her adoptive country of Brazil.
  Today, we stand together to remember Sister Dorothy's extraordinary 
life. Perhaps an even more eloquent and lasting testament to Sister 
Dorothy's memory is the fact that Americans of faith are working every 
day for their fellow man in the remotest corners of the world. Many are 
to be found across our own hemisphere. Throughout their good works, 
they also honor Sister Dorothy's sacrifice.
  Mr. Speaker, I am certain my colleagues will join me in strong 
support of this concurrent resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. I want to 
congratulate the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) for his leadership in 
commemorating the life and work of Sister Dorothy Stang.
  Mr. Speaker, Sister Dorothy Stang stood firmly on the side of the 
weak and disposed in the Brazilian rainforest for over 40 years. Her 
willingness to defend the indigenous people ultimately led to her 
untimely and tragic death.
  Dorothy Stang entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur community in 
1948, and professed final vows in 1956. In 1966, she began her very 
important ministry in Brazil.
  Sister Dorothy immediately encountered injustices which made her a 
lifelong crusader for the rights of indigenous minorities and a voice 
for the

[[Page H3729]]

voiceless before the powerful Pastoral Land Commission.
  In her work, Sister Stang took on powerful land interests, and 
steadfastly defended small groups of families and their traditional 
ways of life. Sister Stang taught the local communities ways of 
sustainable development and peaceful community living.
  Because she was a thorn in the side of those powerful interests, 
Sister Dorothy received numerous death threats, but she always shrugged 
them off. She did so not carelessly or lightheartedly, but with a deep 
sense of the importance of her work and the peaceful approach to 
conflicts she had always promoted.
  With the brutal murder of Sister Stang in February, the indigenous 
communities of the rainforest have lost one of their most powerful 
voices. Indeed, Brazil has lost one of the most respected human rights 
leaders.
  We call on the Brazilian Government to bring to justice not only the 
people who pulled the trigger, but also those who devised the evil plot 
to kill her for sheer financial greed.
  Sister Dorothy Stang leaves a huge legacy which puts the burden on 
the Brazilian and U.S. Governments to protect those communities for 
whom Sister Stang gave her life.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), 
the author of this resolution.
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. 
Res. 89, and I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) and offer 
very warm thanks to the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) and to 
the ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), for 
their leadership and support on this resolution which honors the life 
and the work of Sister Dorothy Stang.
  I would also like to acknowledge Sister Dorothy's family, her sister, 
Marguerite, and her family from Fairfax, Virginia, and her brother, 
David Stang from Denver, Colorado.
  Sister Dorothy was an American Catholic nun with the Order of Sisters 
of Notre Dame de Namur. She was originally from Ohio, but had moved to 
Brazil nearly 40 years ago with four other sisters of Notre Dame in 
response to a request from then-Pope John XXIII who asked religious 
communities around the world to serve in Latin America.
  She worked in earnest to profess the order's mission, to educate and 
stand with the poor. Sister Dorothy also worked with the Pastoral Land 
Commission, an organization of the Catholic Church that fights for the 
rights of rural workers and peasants. Sister Dorothy's selfless way of 
life brought comfort and hope to an area of the world wrought with 
corruption and despair. She was committed to social justice, and worked 
tirelessly to help poor farmers with sustainable development 
techniques, minister and teach the men of the village to be faith 
leaders, and help in the building of houses and school rooms.
  Sister Dorothy taught the women of Brazil to sew and to sell clothing 
to finance the building of a dam to provide electricity to their 
community. She pioneered 21 community centers. These centers taught 
agriculture, health care, education, and spirituality.
  Although she was a profound leader and was loved by many, her fate 
did not parallel her life's work. Sister Dorothy was brutally murdered 
on February 12 of this year after receiving several death threats from 
loggers and landowners. Knowing of this grave danger, Sister Dorothy 
wrote, ``I do not 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.''
  She then went on to say, ``I am grateful to Notre Dame for not asking 
me to leave. This shows we are aware of the needs of the poor. The 
Sisters have said they are worried about any safety. It is not my 
safety, but that of the people which matters.''
  At the time of her death, Sister Dorothy had just traveled to drop 
off cloth and food to families whose homes had been burned by ranchers 
and loggers. She was approached by two gunmen, and knowing her fate, 
reached into her cloth bag, took out her Bible and began reading the 
Beatitudes, ``Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the 
children of God.''
  Sister Dorothy Stang is a true martyr. She lived and died teaching 
and fighting for peace and justice among a people who were poor and 
disenfranchised. She lifted up the oppressed and taught people about 
their rights as human beings. She was named ``Woman of the Year'' by 
the state of Para for her work in the Amazon, and in 2004 she received 
the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Brazilian Bar Association 
for her work in the region.
  Sister Dorothy's dream was to have an area of land set aside by the 
federal government of Brazil as a federal reserve where the poor 
families and landless peasants would be safe, where they could farm 
their land, build their own income-producing businesses, and above all, 
where they could live in peace and dignity without threats to their 
lives.
  Sister Dorothy reminds us all to be courageous and to work for what 
we believe in. We must all be champions of our principles and causes, 
and that our religion is not merely a set of beliefs, but a series of 
actions. She gave her life to protect the downtrodden and forgotten. 
While her brutal murder shows the great challenges we face in the 
pursuit of social justice, her life shows the awesome power one human 
being has to change the world.
  I hope that this simple act of commemoration will not be the end of 
Sister Stang's story, but the very beginning. That Congress will use 
this opportunity to demonstrate its concern for inequality and poverty 
all over the world by making available the resources needed to combat 
these social ills.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, President Kennedy once said in a speech at 
Amherst College, honoring Robert Frost, that ``A nation reveals itself 
not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men 
it remembers.''
  Today we honor a fearless, selfless defender of peace, a champion in 
sustainable development, a person affectionately known as ``Irma 
Doroty,'' and ``Angel of the Amazon,'' a brave martyr, Sister Dorothy 
Stang.

                              {time}  1630

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California). The 
question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 89.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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