Martha Hennessy

Martha Hennessy (born 1955) is an American Catholic peace activist[1] and member of the Catholic Worker Movement co-founded by her grandmother, Dorothy Day.[2][3][4][5]

Not to be confused with Martha Hennessey.
Hennessy in 2016.

Life and work

Hennessy grew up Weathersfield, Vermont. She is the seventh child of David Hennessy and Tamar Day Hennessy, the only child of Dorothy Day. Her sister is the author Kate Hennessy.

She worked for 30 years as an occupational therapist at the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, White River Junction Healthcare System, in White River Junction.

She lives on her family farm in Vermont and Maryhouse Catholic Worker in New York City.[6]

In 1979, Hennessy was arrested with many other demonstrators while attempting to occupy the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant under construction in Seabrook, New Hampshire.[6]

Since then, she has been arrested while demonstrating against the prison at Guantanamo Bay, the United States government's use of drones in war, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Yemen.

Hennessy is married to Steven Melanson, a carpenter and photographer. They have been married for 40 years. She is a grandmother of eight.[6]

In 2020 Hennessy was interviewed[7] about her life, anti-war activism and grandmother, Dorothy Day who co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement with Peter Maurin in 1933.

Kings Bay Plowshares

On April 4, 2018, she took part in the Kings Bay Plowshares action.[8]

She was placed under house arrest in late May 2018 with an electronic monitoring bracelet strapped to her left ankle.[6]

On November 13, 2020, she was sentenced to 10 months in prison for her part in breaking into Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia to protest its stockpile of nuclear weapons.[9][10][11]

References
  1. Roden, Renée. "Meet Modern Peace Activist Martha Hennessy". Grotto. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  2. "Catholic Worker confronts new era". National Catholic Reporter. March 2, 2020.
  3. "Longtime Anti-Nuclear Activists Face Prison, Again, After Breaking Into Naval Base". NPR.org.
  4. "Granddaughter of Catholic Worker Movement founder Dorothy Day, Martha Hennessy to speak at Misericordia". Times Leader. September 18, 2015.
  5. Gonzalez, David (June 21, 2015). "Invoking the Radical Spirit of Dorothy Day to Fight a Church Closing (Published 2015)". The New York Times.
  6. "Jim Kenyon: Despite House Arrest, Vt. Activist's Faith, Beliefs Remain Unshakeable". Valley News. July 9, 2018.
  7. Helali, Christopher Joseph (Winter 2020). "'The Only Logic of Trident is Omnicide': Christopher Helali interviews Peace Activist Martha Hennessy". Left Turn. 2 (1): 27–43.
  8. "Explainer: Who are the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, the Catholics convicted of protesting nuclear weapons?". America Magazine. 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  9. "Dorothy Day's Vermont granddaughter off to prison for nuclear break-in". VTDigger. November 23, 2020.
  10. Swain, Elise (16 November 2020). "Anti-Nuclear Pacifists Get Federal Prison Terms for Nonviolent Protest". The Intercept.
  11. Margaronis, Maria (November 25, 2020). "Free the Plowshares 7!" – via www.thenation.com. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
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