Silos and A Biography On Sister Dorothy Kazel
End of Life
In 1960 Dorothy Kazel joined the congregation of the Ursuline sisters in Cleveland Ohio. In the 1960s as part of Vatican II and pope, John XXIII's decree Dorothy was sent to El Salvador. In remote villages she and her sisters helped the poor in any and every way possible. They also celebrated mass locallyt and spread the word of God. The government of El Salvador who was being supported by the United States wanted the agricultural land used by the poor and farmers of said villages. Dorothy and her sisters spoke out against this and for it they were brutally raped and murdered on the very same land.
Early Life
Dorothy Kazel was born on June 30th 1939 into Cleveland's Lithuanian community where she grew and prospered. Both of here parents are first generation Americans. Her childhood was one full of love and the joy of a close knit family that never missed a birthday or holiday together. Also her family cherished the tradititions of the homeland, such as Lithuanian feast days and attending mass regularly at St. Georges. Dorothy was a stunningly beautiful and popular child in grade school. She ratained the same qualities and demeanor into high school. The exception to this glowing, popular, and cool demeanor is that she was not an exceptional student. Dorothy's first boyfriend, Russell Smith, later became a U.S Marine after they started dating in her sophmore year of High School. They corresponded while Russell was overseas but later stopped seeing each other. Dorothy lived the normal child and teenage life of the era.
Cold War
The Nike program was a missle defense system that lasted from the late 1940s until the late 1960s. Its primary function was to shoot down Russian nuclear bombers, although later variations could intercept ballistic missle re-entry vehicles. In Cuyahoga County alone their were seven missile sites surrounding the city of Cleveland. In 1957 while juggling school, work, and social activities Dorothy met Donald Kollenburn. She was still corresponding with her boyfriend Russ when she ended that relationship to start one with Donald. In 1959 after dating for two years Donald and Dorothy got engaged and were set to get married on August 6, 1960. During the interim period between getting engaged and getting married Donald and Dorothy became much closer although Dorothy privately began to consider joining a convent. Dorothy began to attend several retreats. It was after meeting Don's parents in California that she attended a retreat for engaged women that Dorothy decide to become an Ursuline sister. Her journey of mission work may have never began if it weren't for the men forged by the Cold War such as Russell Smith and especially Donald Kollenburn.
By Cullen Redmond
Works Cited
“NIKE MISSILE BASES: Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: Case Western Reserve University.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University, May 22, 2018. https://case.edu/ech/articles/n/nike-missile-bases.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Nike Missile.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., July 15, 2013. https://www.britannica.com/technology/Nike-missile.
Glavac, Cynthia. In the Fullness of Life: a Biography of Dorothy Kazel, O.S.U. Denville, NJ: Dimension Books, 1996.