http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/heraldtribune/obituary.aspx?n=carol-ann-breyer&pid=172609444
We will miss you, Carol Ann, our dear Sister, friend, minister and advocate for justice and equality for all especially the oppressed on the margins of church and society. As we mourn your loss and celebrate your life, we touch the face of Divine Compassion in the community of creation.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
We will miss you, Carol Ann, our dear Sister, friend, minister and advocate for justice and equality for all especially the oppressed on the margins of church and society. As we mourn your loss and celebrate your life, we touch the face of Divine Compassion in the community of creation.
Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP
Carol Ann
Breyer
February 26,
1934 – September 12, 2014
On September 12, Carol Ann died in
her sleep in Savannah , GA , at a motel stopover enroute to a retreat in West Virginia . She was
born in Rochester ,
NY , to Caroline Gleichauf and
Charles Strobel. She had two older sisters, Jean Kinzel (deceased) and Marilyn
Murray. She is survived by Lee Breyer, her husband of 45 years, her sister
Marilyn, three nephews and two nieces.
Carol Ann Breyer lighting candles at Easter Vigil at MMOJ Easter Vigil Liturgy |
After the family moved to Baltimore , MD , she
attended Mount St. Agnes High School and, on graduation, she went to the College
of Notre Dame of Maryland . During her college years, she
joined the Sisters of Mercy in Baltimore and
continued her undergraduate education at Mount St. Agnes College She earned her
graduate degree at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana . She continued
post grad studies at the University of
Maryland and received her doctorate
from Walden
University in Educational
Administration. Her religious assignments took her to Savannah , GA , Mobile , AL , and Washington , DC as well as
Baltimore .
In 1969, Carol Ann and Lee settled
in the Washington ,
DC area. There she was very active
in the civil rights movement, working in the national office of the US Catholic
Bishops in its Peace and Justice Office, learning much from the then newly
established Public Broadcasting Service, and was employed by Prince George ’s Community
College to help establish its continuing education program for adults. The
couple was heavily involved in developing a number of small intentional
communities dedicated to a renewal in the Catholic Church.
Carol Ann Breyer and MMOJ Community at Inclusive Liturgy |
In 1979, she and Lee moved to
Tallahassee , FL ,
where she worked at the Florida Department of Education, focusing on the
establishment of the state’s community college system and also with Florida State University as a program evaluator. It
was there that she became very familiar with the problems of people” living on
the streets” (through the local homeless coalition) and with those behind bars
(at the local state prison).
Carol Ann took her compassion for
justice and her commitment to nonviolence with her to Ellenton , FL in 2000. There she and Lee built
Mercy-on-the- Manatee, a house that won awards for energy conservation (the FPL
BuildSmart Gold Award) and environmental sensitivity (the Florida Native Plant
Society’s Landscaping Award). Her passion for care of the environment caused
her to be a very active volunteer in the Florida Master Gardener Program and the
Sierra Club in Manatee County . Carol Ann was heavily involved in
peace and justice issues her entire life and so she became the Florida State
Coordinator of Pax Christi, the national Catholic Peace Movement, and was also
instrumental in the creation and establishment of the Diocese of Venice
Environmental Justice Commission. Shortly afterwards, she was active in the
Earth Charter; South West Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice; Pace e Bene,
the movement for a nonviolent culture of peace; as well as a member of Call to
Action, a progressive organization in the Catholic tradition. Her interest in
such groups involved both church and social reform issues and brought her to the
Mary, Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community.
Among her proudest achievements was
her role on The President’s Committee on the Employment of People with
Disabilities and the subsequent federal legislation extending justice to a
previously neglected population. In all her activities, her signature quality
was her advocacy for social justice for those living on the edges of church and
society…with no exceptions.
-- over
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A memorial service will be held on
Saturday, October 4, 4:00 pm, at St. Andrew United Church of Christ,
6908 Beneva Road ,
Sarasota , FL ,
34238 . This will be
followed by refreshments and storytelling in Stewart Hall
In lieu of flowers, memorial
donations may be made to:
Mary, Mother of
Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community, 6908 Beneva Road , Sarasota , FL
34238
Pax Christi-USA,
415 Michigan Avenue NE – Suite 240, Washington, DC
20017-4503
Mercy Sisters of
the Americas (South Central Community),
101 Mercy Drive ,
Belmont , NC
28012
Or a charity of your
choosing.
1 comment:
What a wonderful record of a full, loving life!!
Many will miss the face of Jesus that she always brought to them!!
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