Sister Rosemary Lynch was born on March 18, 1917, in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended St. Mary’s parish schools in Phoenix.[1] She continued with Franciscan influence and joined the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity in 1932, later affirming her vows in 1934.[2] The early years of her work consisted of teaching in a secondary school in Los Angeles, and later, in 1952, she became a principal for a school in Montana.[3] She knew eight languages.[4]
In 1960, she was elected to the central administration of the Franciscan sisters. During her years in Rome as a congregation representative, she helped in the Second Vatican Council.[5] During this period, she traveled to Indonesia, Mexico, and Africa. She later mentioned that those experiences pushed her to attempt nonviolent social change.[6] So when she returned to the United States in 1977, she joined a new community in Las Vegas by other Franciscan groups, and co-founded the Nevada Desert Experience and Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service.[2] One of her protests was the first “Lenten Desert Experience” in Nevada.[5]
Sister Rosemary Lynch died on January 9, 2011, after suffering several injuries from a car crash while walking with Sister Klaryta Antoszewska.[5] She continued her work right up to her death while not as a staff position but as a “Pace e Bene Elder"[4]
References
edit- ^ "Sister Rosemary Lynch Photograph Collection | UNLV Special Collections Portal". University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University Libraries Special Collections and Archives. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
- ^ a b Franciscan Sisters. (2011). A celebration of life in memory of Sister Rosemary Lynch OSF for the... Nevada Desert Experience. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from http://www.nevadadesertexperience.org/history/Rosemary_Memorial_Booklet_2page_rduced.pdf
- ^ Review, Catholic (2012-01-19). "Franciscan nun who fought nuclear testing dies from injuries suffered in accident". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
- ^ a b Franciscan Sisters. (2011). A celebration of life in memory of Sister Rosemary Lynch OSF for the... Nevada Desert Expierence. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from http://www.nevadadesertexperience.org/history/Rosemary_Memorial_Booklet_2page_rduced.pdf
- ^ a b c Valley, Jackie (2011-01-11). "Sister Rosemary Lynch, 93, founder of group against violence, dies after car hits her". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
- ^ Ryan, Zoe (Jan 14, 2011). "Sr. Rosemary Lynch, teacher of nonviolence, dies". www.ncronline.org. National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
