Sister Dorothy Gartland (formerly Sister Margaret Eugene)

Sister Dorothy Gartland, formerly Sister Margaret Eugene, passed away on Thursday, December 25, at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. She was 96-years-old and had been a Sister of Providence for 78 years.

Commentary

By Sister Denise Wilkinson, SP

Dorothy Jean Gartland, daughter of Eugene and Margaret Maney Gartland, came into the world on October 29, 1929 – the day the U. S. stock market crashed and the Great Depression began.  A worldwide event.

Dorothy Jean Gartland died a few minutes after midnight Christmas day of 2025. A cosmic event – the birth of Emmanuel, God with us.

Is it possible to imagine that these two bookend events shaped Dorothy’s 96 years of life?  I think so.

Is it possible to imagine that when Dorothy entered eternal life on Christmas day she found herself embraced by the God who sent the Prince of Peace; embraced by the God of justice and compassion? I think so.

As Providence would have it, the second Scripture reading of the liturgy of Christmas day was this passage from the prophet Isaiah:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in land of deep darkness on them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest …

For the yoke of their burden, and the bar that rests across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the God of hosts will do this.

Dorothy was born in St. Joseph, MO. She was fourth in a lineup of eight children – three brothers – Eugene, William, John; and four sisters – Margaret, Theresa (whom we SPs knew as Sister Eugene Therese), Jennie and Mary Ann.  Her brothers Will, John and sister Mary Ann survive her. The Gartland family was a close family (still are) and a family firmly rooted in their Catholic faith.

Dorothy, growing up during the Depression, experienced what life is like when “the people walk in darkness, live in the land of deep darkness.”  The Depression certainly impacted the Gartland family. Dorothy also noticed how financial insecurity affected not only her family but her friends and neighbors. Perhaps this is when she got her first inkling of how unjust systems can wreak havoc in ordinary people’s lives as well as the turmoil created nationally and internationally.

Light shone on them when Mr. Gartland found work at the Nabisco Company in Chicago, requiring the family’s move to the Windy City.

It was here that Dorothy first met the Sisters of Providence at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. Then enrolled as a student at Providence High School.

Her sister Theresa, a year ahead of Dorothy in school, entered the Sisters of Providence after completing high school. At the same time, Dorothy had secretly, quietly been considering becoming a sister; but when Theresa had announced her decision to enter the Sisters of Providence, Dorothy felt great relief. “Now I don’t have to,” said she.

Obviously, she changed her mind and came to the Congregation in February 1948.

A story Dorothy loved to tell was her train ride down to St. Mary of the Woods. Once on the train, Dorothy spied a girl she recognized. She had been two years ahead of Dorothy at Providence High School. The girl was beautiful; was wearing a fur coat and her hair was done perfectly. ‘’What a snob,” Dorothy thought to herself. On the other hand, Dorothy was dressed in a cloth coat; her hair was in pincurls so her hair would be curly when she arrived at the Woods and she was wearing a babushka. What could be worse? The fur coat girl, as most of us know, was Laurette Bellamy. She and Dorothy became lifelong, fast friends. Dorothy often used this to prove opposites attract.

So began her 78 years of mission and ministry as a Sister of Providence. Dorothy professed final vows in 1955. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from St. Mary of the Woods College and her Master of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Indiana University.

For 24 years, Dorothy taught in schools in Indiana and Illinois, mostly primary grades. However, in a six-year span, in two different schools, she taught grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 while also serving as principal!

Dorothy often said that her years at St. Joseph Parish in Hammond IN were one of her happiest – perhaps because she taught only one grade – 7^th – while simultaneously taking on the duties of a principal.

Evidently, Dorothy’s students loved her as much as she loved them. The St. Joseph students, Class of 1966, kept in frequent touch with her. They sent her a birthday card every year for many years – this past October included. One of her former students, himself having spent 45 years in higher education, had these words to describe Dorothy: “Sister Dorothy was a teacher’s teacher. There are good teachers and there are great teachers and then there is Sister Dorothy. We were more than blessed to have her as our teacher and our mentor. She was a disciplinarian, hard as nails, but with a fairness and a nurturing/caring heart of gold.” In her teaching it seems as if Dorothy walked in the footsteps of the Wonderful Counselor referred to in the Isaiah reading.

A fun fact to know and tell. St. Joseph convent was across the street from St. Margaret Hospital. During the famous blizzard of 1967, the Sisters would cross the street to help alleviate the staff shortages the weather caused. Dorothy most often wound up in the laundry department.

In 1974 Dorothy began a ministry with which we are all familiar. The Congregation posted a job opening at the newly established 8th Day Center.  A staff person position was available and the Congregation appointed Dorothy to fill it. In this way, she and her very good friend, Father Chuck Dahm, became co-founders of the 8th Day Center. During the 12 years she served at 8th Day she had two job titles: Social Concerns Director and Social Justice Minister.  As is often the case with job titles, they describe nothing of what the person does.

Dorothy and the staff worked on a myriad of social justice issues: from food insecurity; immigration; demanding accountability for the disappeared of Guatemala; all forms of aggression the US directed against countries in Central America. The list goes on and on.

Yet it is her November 1984 protest at the gates of the Great Lakes Naval Yard that created the biggest stir in her 8th Day ministry. The intent of the peaceful protest was to draw attention to U.S. military intervention in Central America and the nuclear arms race.

Twenty-two protesters linked arms and sat in the intersection of Sheridan Road and 22nd Street near the gates of the naval base. When they wouldn’t leave, several were arrested and charged with mob action and resisting arrest.  While many of the protestors were released, 7 had to stand trial – our Dorothy among them.

In an unusual legal move, the judge assigned to the case allowed the use of what’s called the “necessity defense.” The protesters admitted to most of the actions they were charged with, but argued they were not guilty because they believed their actions were necessary to prevent greater damages. After a weeklong jury trial, the jury deliberated one hour and found all seven protesters not guilty as charged.

When asked why she participated in the protest, Dorothy offered this candid response. “I remember stewing about it, wondering if I could really go through with it. I got myself to the point of saying I had to do it. It was minimal compared to the suffering of the Central American people…If sitting down at the gate of the base would give someone else the courage to, at the very least, make a phone call, it was worth it. It came down to did I really mean what I was saying?”

When Dorothy retired from 8th Day in 1986, the Congregation’s newspaper (Community) ran an article in one of its regular features – ironically titled “targeting ministries.” Thank God and thanks in part to Dorothy, we’ve gotten more attuned to using non-violent language. The article’s headline read Dorothy’s Star Shines Brightly.

In the article, several sisters offered testimonies to Dorothy’s work; but they emphasized more the way she did her work, the way she went about her quest for justice – with conviction, firmness, fairness and quietly.

One very touching tribute came from Mother Mary Pius, General Superior of the Sisters of Providence at the time. Her words take us right back to Dorothy’s mom and dad and her siblings.

Mother Mary Pius wrote of Dorothy’s involvement in the Center. “One does not suddenly acquire all that is necessary to be part of a project like 8th Day Center. Sister Dorothy’s apprenticeship began, I believe, in her home with a loving, giving family. The spiritual base was there when she entered community, and she built a strong, spiritual structure on that base. “

After leaving 8th Day, Dorothy spent the next 22 years in the ministries that had shaped her life – education and social justice advocacy. Some examples are: ESL teacher; After School Learning Program; Work on behalf of the Disappeared of Guatemala; FINDING – a Guatemalean Solidarity group; Teacher and Coordinator of Volunteers for The Afterschool Homework Program; member of the Interfaith Accompaniment Network.

Leaving the staff of 8th Day Center wasn’t the end of Dorothy’s court appearances. Called to serve jury duty, she filled out the required survey.  A question asked was “have you been arrested for committing a crime?” Dorothy wrote “no.”  The judge called Dorothy into his office. He had seen her record and knew she had been arrested. “Why did you respond ‘no’?  Her response: “You asked me if I had been arrested for committing a crime.  It wasn’t a crime. I was exercising my constitutional right to protest.”

If we were to write a sequel to the 1986 article, we could use the same headline: Dorothy’s star shines brightly. It shone brightly up to the day of her death.

What follows are words from her family, SPs and other friends of Dorothy.

Dorothy:

• listened to everyone and had a talent for drawing people out; taking an interest in each person
• listened so well she never interrupted the speaker
• loved all of us and all of us loved her
• let us know she had two families – our family and SPs; she loved them equally
• her eyes sparkled when she was telling stories about her family and when talking about faith and justice
• loved to dance – especially the jitterbug
• simple life style
• stubborn at times – e.g. her resistance to moving to the Woods
• full of gratitude
• beacon of light
• a connector – could bring people together and keep them together
• not only talked about justice but worked to bring it about.

Some light remembrances: whenever asked how she was Dorothy was likely to quip “finer than frog hairs.”  In recounting what happened when she fell at a protest, she explained “I broke all my wrists.”

Very recently, Dorothy shared these words with a small group of us: “I’ve lived a good life. I have no regrets. I did the best I could.”

Sister Dorothy Gartland, thank you for living a good life. You lived in ways that diminished darkness for so many; lived in ways that increased our joy. You brought us along with you so that together we might life the yoke of burdens from the shoulders of others. You gave us more than a glimpse of what happens when we embrace with passion that Emmanuel is truly and always with us. You lived your life with strong passion and quiet joy. For all this we thank you. Thank you, Sister Dorothy Gartland. We will miss your presence among us.

Funeral Information

Funeral services for Sister Dorothy took place on Monday, January 12, and Tuesday, January 13, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

A Wake took place from 3:30-4:30 p.m., Monday, January 12. An additional Wake took place from 10-11 a.m., on Tuesday, January 13. Mass of Christian Burial was at 11 a.m., on Tuesday, January 13.

Memorial contributions may be made in honor of Sister Dorothy to the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

We welcome you to share your memories of Sister Dorothy in the comment section below.

Sister Dorothy Gartland (formerly Sister Margaret Eugene)

Complete Ministry

In Washington, D.C.: Teacher, St. Ann (1950-53).

In Illinois: Teacher, Immaculate Conception, Chicago (1953-55); Teacher, St. Leo, Chicago (1955-57); Teacher, St. Mel, Chicago (1969-74); Social Concerns Director, 8th Day Center for Peace and Justice, Chicago (1974-76); Social Justice Minister, 8th Day Center for Peace and Justice (1976-86); Teacher, Maternity BVM, Chicago (1986-2007); Work on behalf of Disappeared of Guatemala, Chicago (1987-90); Guatemalan Solidary Group: “FINDING,” Chicago (1990-97); Youth Services Coordinator, Providence Family Services, Chicago (1997-2007); Volunteer, After School Homework Program, Providence Family Services (2007-18); Interfaith Post-Detention Accompaniment Network, Chicago (2013-18).

In Indiana: Teacher, St. Malachy, Brownsburg (1957-59); Teacher/Principal, Assumption, Evansville (1959-63); Teacher/Principal, St. Joseph, Hammond (1963-68); Teacher, St. Joseph, Hammond (1968-69); Residential Services, Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (2018-23); Prayer for Justice Issues, Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (2024-25).