Sunday, October 01, 2006

About Teresa

My name is Teresa. Like Sia and Giang, I also come from a large family and have 11 siblings. I grew up in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, U.S.A. As a young adult, I served as a Lieutenant in the U. S. Army, and learned quickly that I wanted to pursue another way of life. I believed there had to be better ways to resolve conflict than using violence. I moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1989 where I worked at El Puente (a youth center for peace and justice) and at Providence House (a residence for women and children). In 1996, I became a Maryknoll Sister.

As a Maryknoll sister, I worked in East Timor as a Secondary School Director, during the five years following the UN referendum for independence. With the teachers, the students and the support of Catholic Relief Services, we established a peace program in the school, training teachers and students in communication and conflict transformation skills. Having seen and experienced the trauma so many people suffer through injustice and conflict, and after examining my own life experience, I believe we hold the answers to finding peace in our world. Building relationships and sharing our stories helps create a web of resiliency, support and strength, which can enable people to thrive and find ways to live together in just and peaceful ways.

Friday, September 22, 2006

About Giang

My name is Giang. I was born into a tight knit family in Saigon, Viet Nam, as the 9th child out of 11. My parents often said that God showered our family with so many blessings, and the most important was that we were able to make it across the open sea to the U.S. during the Viet Nam war. Years later, I was working for NASA's Mission Control in Houston, Texas, when God called me to become a Maryknoll Sister in 1996.

It is my personal experience of having been a refugee that draws me to work with people who are displaced due to economic or political violence. My experiences help me to identify with marginalized people and be in solidarity with them. In my previous mission in Taiwan, I worked with abused women caught in the mail-order bride industry. Now, I am a part of the Maryknoll Sisters Peace-Building Team in Africa. I will serve and be in relationships with people who are working for a better quality of life, for themselves and their children.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

About Sia

My name is Sia. I have four brothers and six sisters, and I am number six of eleven children. I joined the Maryknoll Sisters in May 2003. I am from the Northern part of Tanzania. I am with the Maryknoll Sisters Peace Team, which means we are all working together to bring the reign of peace and justice in this world. Living in harmony with all creation is what people are longing for, and this has been my dream and vision. It is my hope that one day peace will prevail on this Earth.