Inside Story

Catholic peace activist Philip Berrigan died in December, only a few months after he was diagnosed with cancer. His funeral fell on the opening day of Sojourners biannual board meeting, so a contingent of board members missed the beginning sessions in order to pay their respects in Baltimore. Phil's family invited those who attended the funeral to bring banners, puppets, and other protest signs and join them in a snowy procession from Jonah House, the community that Phil and Elizabeth McAlister founded, to the church where the service was held. Cumulatively, Phil spent more than a decade in prison for various acts of civil disobedience, so it is appropriate that his transition was made with a communal statement of loving resistance to the powers of violence and injustice. We are honored to have in this issue the eulogy given by Phil and Elizabeth's daughters, Frida and Kate. Kate has appeared in Sojourners before, as one of the people interviewed for "A Passionate Education," an article in our January-February 2002 issue about growing up with activist parents. Frida, Kate, and their brother Jerry are all in their own ways continuing the peace and justice work of their parents, and, as with their father's funeral procession, invite everyone else to come along. -The Editors