Héros pour l’environnement

This missionary defended the poor, illiterate peasants of the Amazon rainforest the greed and profit-seeking of landowners in the state of Pará. Arriving in Brazil in 1966, this American sister settled in Anapu in 1983. Her commitment to, and influence on, the local people bore fruit: she founded farmers' unions, supported education by building schools and agricultural techniques, and above all sowed hope for the dignity of all. On February 12, 2005, while walking to a meeting, she was assassinated with her Bible in hand, because of her actions against deforestation.

Pope Francis launched the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Querida Amazonia on February 12, 2020, the day commemorating 15 years since the murder of Sister Irmã Dorothy, as a tribute to the courage of this nun.