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Each year, Emmanuel College hosts the Sr. Dorothy Stang Lecture as part of its annual Founder’s Week. But this year, approaching the 20th anniversary of Sr. Dorothy’s death, the lecture’s timing was even more profound – particularly for a small group of Emmanuel students who saw Sr. Dorothy honored in January.
From February 2nd to the 8th, Emmanuel celebrated Founder’s Week, a tradition which commemorates the founders of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) by St. Julie Billiart in 1804 and the founding of Emmanuel College in 1919.
The Dorothy Stang lecture celebrates the life and legacy of Sr. Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN, who worked as a climate activist in favor of land rights for the poor and sustainable development in the Brazilian Amazon. This year’s lecture falls just a week before the 20th anniversary of Sr. Dorothy’s death on February 12th, and follows a recent student and faculty trip to Rome, during which Sr. Dorothy was honored as a modern-day martyr of the Americas.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I feel blessed to have gotten the chance to go,” said Chelsea Thorpe ’28, one of seven students who made the Rome trip in January.
Thorpe, a first-year at Emmanuel majoring in Elementary Education with a Theology & Religious Studies concentration, almost didn’t end up on the trip – but did so thanks to Professor of Theology, Brianne Jacobs, Ph.D., who advocated to Thorpe and Thorpe’s parents that she should take the opportunity.
“I love that about Emmanuel – things like that wouldn’t happen elsewhere,” Thorpe said. “The trip was super faith assuring. To see it [Rome] was very important to me, and kind of signified that I am on the right path with the right major.”
While in Rome, the students, from a variety of disciplines and interests within the College, attended the ceremony honoring Sr. Dorothy at the Basilica of San Bartolomeo and an academic conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University which focused on women’s leadership in the climate movement.
“As someone who is passionate about the environment, I instantly connected with Sr. Dorothy and her work,” said Alison Hrivnak ’27. Hrivnak said she was incredibly thankful for the opportunity to take the trip and have the guidance of faculty members while there, like Emmanuel Chaplain Fr. Federico Cinocca, S.T.D., who grew up in Italy.
“Sr. Dorothy’s persistence in protecting the rainforest has been a huge inspiration for me to get involved in my own community,” Hrivnak said. After returning for the semester, Hrivnak is now working away at a project to introduce composting on a floor of one of Emmanuel’s residence halls.
The group also had the opportunity to meet and have discussions with Sr. Dorothy’s family as well as other Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. They also volunteered at a soup kitchen ran by the Community of St. Egidio, which was Thorpe’s favorite experience of the trip.
It was different than a typical soup kitchen in the United States, Thorpe explained, because rather than “serving” the food, the students were there volunteering solidarity, love and friendship to those in need. Thorpe said she had some inspiring and meaningful conversations there, despite the language barrier.
Thorpe, Hrivnak and all seven students in attendance in Rome were incredibly thankful for the opportunity to explore the city during the Jubilee Holy Year and become inspired by the courageous work of Sr. Dorothy.
With the financial support of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and Emmanuel’s Institute of Mediterranean Studies, the accepted applicants were able to make the trip with a majority of the costs covered as well.
On February 5th, they reflected on their biggest takeaways from the trip and presented their experiences to all who attended. Gabriel Eduarte ’26, said Sr. Dorothy’s impact was so profound to bring people from all over Italy and the world to honor her, while Andro Alkahwande ’25 was impressed by how Sr. Dorothy inspired communities to lead themselves.
Professor of Theology Laurie Johnston, Ph.D., who organized the ceremony for Sr. Dorothy in January, noted the significance of her legacy. “She [Sr. Dorothy] is exactly the modern martyr that San Bartolomeo was created to remember – I’ve been dreaming about this kind of a ceremony for a very long time,” Dr. Johnston said.
The Founder’s Day Mass and the Founder’s Day Panel, “Tracing 175 Years of Goodness,” on the global and local impact of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, were rescheduled due to weather, and are set to take place on Thursday, March 27th at 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. respectively.