Volunteers plant trees to honor slain Dayton nun

About 100 people spent the day planting trees in honor of Dorothy Stang.

The Dayton nun spent much of her life working for human rights in Brazil, before she was killed in 2005.

Her sister said Stang was dedicated to teaching about sustainable development.

“My sister was really in love with mother earth and the people on it and she felt like we were all one. It was very important to her,” said Barbara Stang Richardson.

Today, volunteers, including University of Dayton and Chaminade-Julienne High School students, planted hardwood trees and native button bushes in the Great Miami Mitigation Bank in Trotwood.

Stang began her ministry work in Brazil in 1966 with the Pastoral Land Commission to defend the rights of rural workers and peasants through land reform.