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.