Mary Liston Liepold, OFS is a DC native with Midwestern roots, a professed Secular Franciscan, a great-grandmother, an on-the-cheap foodie, and a passionate reader. She holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from Catholic University. Before her very active retirement she enjoyed a two-stage career as mom/daycare mom, then editor/writer/fundraiser for nonprofits, including the National Science Teachers Association, the American Catholic Lay Network, and two women’s organizations, Peace Links and Peace X Peace. Her longest stint was 15 years at the Child Welfare League of America, where she developed and edited the magazine Children’s Voice. She prays and works stubbornly for peace on and with the earth and for healing from racism, sexism, ableism, hetero-normativism, and all the other forms of violence that afflict our common home. In FMS service, by the grace of God, she looks forward to putting her whole self in, seeing the world from outside the U.S., and becoming a more contemplative activist.
