2015 -- H 5148

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LC000683

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF SISTER ANN C. KEEFE

     Introduced By: Representatives Diaz, Slater, Williams, Lombardi, and Almeida

     Date Introduced: January 20, 2015

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that this House has learned of the passing of Sister

Ann C. Keefe, of the Sisters of St. Joseph, a dedicated and beloved community activist who

advocated for peace and social justice; and

     WHEREAS, Ann was born into the large and loving family of Patricia Gorman Keefe

and James Thomas Keefe. Her early years instilled her with a great empathy and compassion for

helping those who are most vulnerable in our society and molded her into a woman who could

bend without breaking, provoke without preaching, and offer love with no limits; and

     WHEREAS, Upon graduation from high school, Sr. Ann entered the Sisters of St. Joseph

and pronounced her vows. She attended Our Lady of the Elms College, received her Master of

Social Work from Fordham, and began working as a teacher and social worker, and for the past

three decades, as parish minister at Saint Michael's Church, Providence; and

     WHEREAS, With indomitable energy and a "no excuses" philosophy, Sr. Ann has taken

on a panoply of the most challenging issues facing our state as well as some of Providence's

toughest neighborhoods. Using her "charisma, smarts and talent for arm-twisting," Sr. Ann has

stood tall for peace, civil rights, immigrants, workers' rights, and equality; and

     WHEREAS, Sr. Ann was involved in many community programs and projects. She was

co-founder of numerous organizations including the Institute for the Study and Practice of

Nonviolence, Providence CityArts, Taming Asthma, The Good Friday Walk for Hunger and

Homelessness, AIDS Care Ocean State, and Open Doors. In addition, she helped establish, run,

guide and champion a host of other organizations including the Community Boating Center, the

Sophia Academy, the Family Life Advocacy Center, Witness for Peace, the Southside

Community Land Trust and the Providence Community Library. She also served on many local

committees and was the Chair of the Providence Human Relations Commission; and

     WHEREAS, An inspiration to all, Sr. Ann had been honored with a plethora of awards

and titles including being inducted into the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall of Fame in

2011, and receiving the Eagle Award from the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, to name

just a few; and

     WHEREAS, Sr. Ann was a consummate humanitarian who opened eyes and hearts and

left our state and this world a far better place because of her life’s endeavors. She enriched the

lives of all who knew her and she will be dearly missed; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby expresses our deepest sympathies on the passing of Sr. Ann C.

Keefe; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Eileen Keefe Swopes, James Thomas Keefe,

Mary Keefe Blanchet, Michael Keefe, John Keefe, Brian Keefe, Katherine Keefe, and Angela

Leslie-Keefe.

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