By her contagious confidence, Pat McSweeney made you aware of a greatness you could realize or "what loving yourself you could accomplish," said friend and fellow advocate for peace and justice, Frances Jeffries. Jill Stein, M.D. former presidential candidate of the Green Party USA said of Pat "She was my teacher and leader and good friend--from the days of relocalization and Peak Oil back decades ago--Pat inspired me on and taught me about Catholic Liberation in the Americas. She knew everybody and connected us. She was a Tree of Life. She coached me on what to wear saying 'You need to embody your hope in your attire.' To this day I think if Pat would approve."
Celebrating the Transform Now Plowshares accepting an award from Massachusetts Peace Action
Back row: Pat McSweeney, with plowshares Sr. Megan Rice and Michael Walli (not pictured Greg Bourtje-Obed)Fran Jeffries met Pat during the protests against the Iraq War. While they had different networks, different approaches, they supported each other. "She would talk about --Fran--you would do this,' not could do it--'you would do this' and you believed it. One time Fran revealed her concern whether she could carry out an activity. "She was astounded. 'I don't know what you're talking about' she said. It never occurred to her that you had any doubt."
Shirley, retired faculty at Bridgewater University, agreed she held confidences but spread ideas and inspiration.
On no official roster as a house of hospitality, her wide network knew her home to be a place to offer those in need. A man who had exchanged home repairs was sipping a glass of wine outside as we arrived.
Another, David, who lived as a guest of Pats in recent years, recalled both her enjoyment of cooking or having a margarita at the local mediterranean restuarant, as well as her weekly participation via zoom in a prayer and study meeting with Ray McGovern. Recently McCovern read a poem from Avide, an Iranian poet, "Sweet Little Girls of Minab"
“Sweet little girls of Minab, were you fasting, hungry, thirsty when the tomahawk blew you to smithereens, burning you to ashes?
Jack Gilroy, one of several Veterans For Peace members present, described receiving letters from Pat McSweeney while he was a prisoner of conscience for the movement to close the school of the Americas. Judge Faircloth, on seeing he was a teacher, sentenced him to 'Diesel Therapy'. County Jail was no joke, a loud din, and the only comfort would be the mail from a supporter--who was this? He would be shackled arriving at a third Federal Prison and there would be another letter from Pat--only after he was released they met. Pat recently supported Jack's "Reap What You Sow" about a woman drone pilot in conflict with an activist daughter who attends Fordham University and raises questions critiquing Just War Theory.
Suzanne Belote recalled Pat's correspondence with Fr. Roy Bourgois, a leader of the movement to close the School of the Americas, and advocate for women priests, after he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church. She drove Sr. Megan (MEE-gan), a prisoner of conscience for the school of the Americas movement, on her visits to New England as a peace and nuclear disarmament educator following the plowshare trial and serving eighteen months of a three-year-sentence.
Pat McSweeney was cherished in the New England peace community with memories tracing back over thirty years from activists including Plowshare John Schuchardt of the Peace House in Ipswich; Cole Harrison, former Executive Director of Massachusetts Peace Action; Kathy Boylan of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House in Washington, DC, Anne Barrett Doyle from Bishop Accountability; Venerable Kato, Sister Claire and Tow Bee of the New England Peace Pagoda.
Schuchardt recalled in the trial preparation for the AVCO plowshares gathering defense witnesses for damaging computer equipment in Massachusetts. Venerable Kato whom he knew from the 1976 walk from San Francisco to the Pentagon suggested Hibakusha (atomic survivor) from Hiroshima, Setsuko Thurlow who had moved to Toronto. Setsuko was denied permission to testify by the Judge who said that the bombing was too long ago, but she shouted out "People are still dying." She later accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the International Coalition Against Nuclear Weapons. The organizing to provided court support and action promotion was a role Pat McSweeney would later play for the Transform Now Plowshares.
Nancy Groom, a Quaker reminised meeting Pat at the Cambridge Quaker House thirty years before at a talk by Michael Clare about the need for nonviolence not gun violence. Groom read a letter of appreciation aloud from filmmaker David Rothauser known for Hibakusha, Our Life to Live (2010) and The Diary of Sacco and Vanzetti (2004) describing Pat McSweeney as a far-sighted angel.
Suzanne Belote and Brayton Shanley of the Agape Community led all in attendance to circle, clasping hands in a song. involved in offering hospitality for the annual prayer walks for a new spring and seven word chant of Buddhist monks--Venerable Kato described as "the sound of the universe"-- which they led with drums.







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