Resumption of nuclear testing would be wrong

When I read the Star’s December 7th article about the possible resumption of nuclear testing in the U.S., it took me back to 1989. It was the year of my 25th anniversary in my Franciscan community, and I was praying for a sign for some significant way to celebrate my Jubilee year. An answer came almost immediately through a flyer arriving in the mail that advertised a Franciscan retreat at a Catholic Church in Las Vegas that would be followed by an optional opportunity to protest at the nuclear test site outside the city. I signed up.

The retreat was very moving. It was led by Franciscan Father Richard Rohr, a well-known, highly respected writer and retreat leader. The chief of the Shoshone tribe came to speak to us. He explained that the nuclear testing was being done on Shoshone land which had been taken by the U.S. government for that purpose. He issued us written invitations to come and pray on the land. We were also told about the years of above-ground testing that had been done until cancer in Nevada, Utah and Colorado was found to be linked to the testing. Then it was moved underground. The ongoing danger was the aging underground waste containers which could prove to be disastrous for the area.

We were also shown a photo of a cloud formation from the time of the above-ground testing. It was in the shape of a wolf’s head. There is a beloved story in the Franciscan tradition of a wolf who was tamed by St. Francis when it was terrorizing the village of Gubio in Italy. To this day, a statue of Francis and the wolf stands in the village square. We were being called during this retreat to go into the desert to tame the wolf.

The retreat ended with our trip to the test site where Fr. Rohr led us in celebrating Mass at the entrance. At the end, we would be invited to walk in silence to step over the line and be arrested for trespassing. Our response was optional. As the Mass progressed, I struggled to decide what to do. We were singing Rory Cooney’s liturgical hymn “Do Not Fear to Hope” when I knew I had to join this action. As the Mass ended and a long line of sheriff’s deputies’ cars appeared coming over the hill on the horizon, I had tears in my eyes.

The whole event was very orchestrated and had happened many times with previous groups. We linked arms, about five abreast, and walked in silence to the property line. Officers greeted us with the warning that if we crossed over, we would be arrested. We, in turn, presented our invitation from the Shoshone nation to come pray on their land. We stepped over, were handcuffed with zip ties, and placed in an outdoor pen, one for women and one for men, holding about 100 people each. There we prayed for more than an hour as people were taken one at a time to a deputy’s car to be processed and given a date for a future court appearance which might or might not be canceled. When I was released, I asked the deputy to not clip my zip ties. I could easily slip out of them and wanted to use them for “show and tell” with my Salpointe students when I returned to Tucson. The court appearance was eventually canceled, so I didn’t have to return to Nevada, but the experience has always stayed with me. In 1992, the U.S. conducted its last nuclear test. Once again, I am praying those are not resumed.