Katrina Martha Van Alstyne Welles Swanson on the eve of her death when Hurricane Katrina (a hurricane bearing her name) hit the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, shedding light on injustice here in America. One of the “Philadelphia Eleven,” Katrina and her father helped organize the 1974 irregular ordination of the first eleven women priests in The Episcopal Church USA. Katrina’s seventeen-year bi-lingual ministry as rector of St. John’s Parish in Union City, New Jersey, was an uphill struggle filled with love. She celebrated the Eucharist bilingually in Spanish and English and founded and led a bilingual afterschool program for over a hundred children ages 5 to 18. She served on the board of a hospital and a homeless shelter. Katrina retired to Manset, Maine in 1996. After being diagnosed with inoperable colonic cancer Katrina was cared for by hospice team at home in Manset during her sixteen-month illness. She looked forward to the other side of death. Katrina’s Dream utilizes a website featuring news, commentary, art, poetry, and social media. It is an effort to draw more deeply into exploring their beliefs and reflect upon contemporary life in a context informed by faith. Giving visibility and respect to women’s perspectives and actions in the work and struggle for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation.
