Week of events honors sister Dorothy, killed in the Amazon 20 years ago

By Fabyo Cruz – From Cenarium

BELÉM (PA) – This week, a series of activities in Pará honors the American missionary Sister Dorothy Stang, who was murdered 20 years ago in Anapu, in the Transamazonian region (BR-230). The program, organized by the Dorothy Committee in partnership with social movements, universities, and religious organizations, reinforces the memory of the missionary and her fight in defense of the forest peoples and the Amazon.

On Tuesday, the 12th, the date marking two decades since Sister Dorothy’s assassination, an interfaith act was held at Sanctuary Square, in the Nazaré neighborhood, in downtown Belém. The event brought together representatives of different faiths, social movements, human rights organizations, and higher education institutions such as the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) and the State University of Pará (Uepa).

During the ceremony, a special edition of the newspaper Resistência, published by the Pará Society for the Defense of Human Rights (SDDH), was launched, highlighting Dorothy’s trajectory and the continuation of her struggle.

For Dorothy Committee coordinator Alcidema Coelho, the tributes also aim to denounce the current situation of land conflicts in the Amazon. “The situation in Anapu is still very delicate. Other workers have been murdered in the region. Violence against human rights defenders continues to grow, with 143 currently under threat in Pará. Dorothy’s struggle remains relevant,” she stated.

Film Debate

This Thursday, the 13th, a film debate will be held in Belém to remember Dorothy Stang’s legacy with the screening of the film Life, Struggle, and Martyrdom of Dorothy Stang. The event will take place at the Emmaus Movement, in the Benguí neighborhood, with sessions at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM. The screening of films about the missionary’s journey aims to promote reflections on her defense of rural workers and the Amazon rainforest. The program, organized by the Dorothy Committee, Emmaus Movement, and Cinefront, will run until February 15. Check out the schedule:

Who Was Sister Dorothy

Dorothy Mae Stang was born in the United States and dedicated more than 30 years of her life to defending the peoples of the Amazon. In Pará, she led the creation of the Sustainable Development Project Esperança (PDS Esperança), a settlement focused on family farming and environmental preservation.

A member of the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), Dorothy encouraged workers to organize so they could learn about and fight for their rights. Due to her activism against large landowners and illegal loggers, she received numerous death threats. Even so, she never ceased to stand alongside the peasants.

Before being murdered, Dorothy had already warned about the destruction of the forest and the need to preserve the Amazon. “I will not run away or abandon the struggle of these farmers who are unprotected in the middle of the forest. They have the sacred right to a better life on land where they can live and produce with dignity without devastating it,” the missionary stated.

Two decades after her assassination, her fight remains alive among the forest peoples and those who defend the Amazon.

Edited by Adrisa de Góes

Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves