In December 2004, a Catholic Worker Peace Team travelled to Sudan and visited four huge camps for “internally displaced people” in southern Darfur. Their observations confirmed the charge that the Sudanese government is guilty of genocide.
The CWPT members:
Brenna Cussen, 26, is a member of the Saint Peter Claver Catholic Worker community in South Bend, Indiana. She works with the Catholic Peace Fellowship to spread Church teaching on war and conscience and offers direct support and counseling to soldiers. She holds a master’s degree from the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame and a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross. Brenna was a member of the 2004 Catholic Worker Peace Team to Israel/Palestine. She was arrested for civil disobedience at the Sudanese embassy in February 2005.
Christopher J. Douçot, 36, is a founding member of the St. Martin de Porres Catholic Worker community in Hartford, Connecticut. He is married to Jackie Allen. They have two children: Micah (11) and Ammon (10). Chris holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross. He has participated in or led more than ten peace campaigns in Bosnia and Iraq. He was a member of the 2001 Catholic Worker Peace Team to Israel/Palestine. Chris returned to Darfur in April 2005.
Chris Douçot and Grace Ritter in Sudan with African chiefs and Arab sheiks
Grace Ritter, 23, is a member of the Ithaca Catholic Worker community in Ithaca, New York. She has travelled to Chiapas (Mexico) and Colombia to learn more about U.S. economic and military exploitation in Latin America. She recently spent a month in Bethlehem, volunteering in a refugee camp and studying Arabic. She was a member of the 2002 and 2004 Catholic Worker Peace Teams to Israel/Palestine.
Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, 46, is a founding member of the Saints Francis & Thérèse Catholic Worker community in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is married to the award-winning journalist Claire Schaeffer-Duffy. They have four children: Justin (19), Grace (16), Patrick (13), and Aiden (10). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from the College of the Holy Cross. He has participated in peace campaigns in Nicaragua, Bosnia, Israel/Palestine, India, and Iraq. He was a member of Catholic Worker Peace Teams to Israel/Palestine in 2001, 2002, and 2004. He was arrested for civil disobedience at the Sudanese embassy in February 2005.