Tom Harkin: “On January 25, all who work and struggle for social and economic justice, who dedicate themselves to peace and ending…”

“On January 25, all who work and struggle for social and economic justice, who dedicate themselves to peace and ending war, lost a wonderful friend in Sister Dorothy Marie Hennessey. The world lost a true Christian soul who, in her own quiet, humble way, fought relentlessly for peace and social justice. Sister Dorothy lived 94 years, 67 of them as a member of the Sisters of St. Frances. She was the eldest of 15 brothers and sisters who grew up on a farm near Oneida, IA, taught by their parents that the Golden Rule was not an abstraction but a way of life. She fondly always remembered that her family 'always fed and housed the tramps who came to [their] farm.' Sister Dorothy kept her theology simple and straightforward. She said: I've learned in 75 years in the convent that God is a compassionate God who loves all of us, but who also loves the poor and the people who are oppressed. But Sister Dorothy also believed, in the words of President Kennedy, that 'God's work on Earth must truly be our own.' She was the opposite of a cloistered nun. She was an activist.”