​The Book of Dorothy

How the Play Came to Be (and a great big "Thank You")

 

A few years ago, I was on the subway reading a National Geographic article about deforestation in the Amazon when I came across a couple of paragraphs describing how a 73-year-old nun was murdered trying to defend the poor and the forest.  It was a short description but I was fascinated.  Here was a woman unwavering in her commitment to help others, who gave her whole life to helping the poor so that they could, as she would say, “enjoy the beauties of this magnificent world that I’ve had the chance to live in.”  I, being a slightly more selfish person, couldn’t quite grasp how someone could give of themselves like that and the next thing I know, I’m on a plane flying to Sister Dorothy’s convent in Reading, Ohio, to find out more about this Angel of the Amazon.

 

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur welcomed me to their provincial headquarters on Mt. Notre Dame, the site where Sister Dorothy began her ecclesiastical life.  I made two visits, the first in 2008 and again in 2010, during which the Sisters patiently put me up and graciously let me read through Dorothy’s letters, watch dvd’s, listen to recordings and sit with them to try to understand who was Sister Dorothy.   I learned a great deal about the events and about Dorothy but I also learned a lot about these amazing women.  Not only were they giving and welcoming and dedicated to serving the poor, they were also, as a surprise to me, fun and flirty and feisty.  I think I discovered more about "Dot" being with her Sisters than through anything else and for that I am truly grateful.

 

On my second trip to Reading, I headed up to Dayton, Ohio, to spend time with Dorothy’s younger sister, Barbara, and her family; who, like Dorothy’s, is large and loving.  They sat with me for a couple of hours, sharing more about this incredible, but as the they would remind me, very human person.   And then Barbara took me to the home where they grew up, telling stories of their childhoods, of getting into mischief, of mom and dad Stang and all that came before.  To hear these stories, it's no surprise to me that Dorothy did what she did.  She seemed to know who she was and what she wanted to do with her life at a very early age. 

 

Returning to New York, I sifted through what I had collected and eventually a play evolved and now I'd like to share her story with those who will listen. 

 

I am grateful to everyone for their time and generosity, including her brother David Stang, and I hope that The Book of Dorothy does this woman and her “family” proud.  Hope in the face of overwhelming opposition is exactly what Sister Dorothy provided those she was helping.  I am in awe of that kind of strength and want to share that with others.