September 12, 2017 marked the three year anniversary of our
dear sister Dorothy Ettling’s passing.
Fondly known and remembered as Dot, she was a woman of great faith,
conviction, passion, and joy. Her work
for social justice and women’s equality in the world continues to live on
through Women’s Global Connection which she co-founded with Sr. Neomi Hayes,
and the Ettling Center for Civic Leadership at the University of Incarnate
Word, which re-named itself in her honor as a commitment to keep her spirit
alive in the work for a more just and equitable world. We share with you this month reflections on
Sr. Dot’s life from these two CCVI Ministries.
From the Ettling
Center for Civic Leadership:
“Dorothy Helen Ettling was born in 1940 in St. Louis,
Missouri, one of two daughters of Marie and Winn Ettling. She attended
Incarnate Word Academy where she became acquainted with the Sisters teaching
there and entered the Congregation upon graduation from high school. Her
exceptional leadership skills were easily recognized and she earned her MSW
from the Worden School of Social Work at Our Lady of the Lake University, San
Antonio. After a noteworthy career as a social worker, Sr. Dot (as her friends
called her) was encouraged to continue studies, and she earned the PhD in
Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo
Alto, California.
Sr. Dorothy believed strongly in the power of Consecrated
Religious Life and served as General Superior of her Congregation from 1984 to
1990. As a member of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) Board,
she dedicated her remarkable talent to the envisioning of religious life after the
Second Vatican Council. She facilitated this process in many religious
Congregations in the U.S. and Canada. While recognized as a woman of great
accomplishment, Sr. Dot was continually honing a quiet, contemplative style
that inspired confidence. She manifested a unique ability to gather people in
communities dedicated to systemic change.
While Sr. Dot was anchored at UIW as a Professor of
Organizational Leadership in the Dreeben School of Education, her creative
energy knew no boundaries. Her latest project was bringing the Center for Civic
Leadership (CCL) from idea to reality. A partnership between UIW and CHRISTUS
Health, the Center is dedicated to promoting the common good for those in most
need. Sr. Dot believed that the mission of the CCL is a legacy of UIW, CHRISTUS
Health and the Sisters.
Sr. Dot's legacy, passion, and energy will be forever missed
but will continue to progress via the work of many faculty, students and staff
at The University of the Incarnate Word including the Ettling Center for Civic
Leadership & Sustainability and the Cardinal Community Leaders Program.”
From Women’s Global
Connection:
Dot's many published works and writings on the topic of
sustainable and relational women's empowerment continue to speak to so many.
Today we wanted to share some of her words that were foundational as she and
Sister Neomi Hayes built WGC into the thriving San Antonio-based nonprofit that
it is today.
Dot on cross-cultural learning...
"Creating the environment for mutual learning can be
troublesome and time consuming. It raises questions of ethics and power
relationships that must be faced in order to preserve integrity in the
education or research process. When we recognize the bonds between theory,
research and experience, we have to abandon the conventional attitudes of
disinterest and disembodiment. We find that we are unceasingly formed as well
as informed by our engagement." - Leadership for Action: Wedding Adult
Education and Social Change, 2001
Dot on taking volunteers on service-learning immersion
trips...
"We have found an interest in building a global
solidarity and in working for the empowerment of women worldwide. We have seen
the goodwill of many who have professional expertise to offer and who want to
be connected." - WGC Global Ambassadors Concept Paper
Dot on becoming a true global citizen...
"At its core, the (WGC) mission is about transforming
us from VIEWERS of a disconnected and conflicted international reality, to
PARTICIPANTS in creating a more interconnected and responsive global
community." - WGC Global Ambassadors Concept Paper
And you can watch a moving video tribute to Sr. Dot created
by Women’s Global Connection here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xr03m3q1fw0y2t6/WGC_Dot.mp4?dl=0
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