It was there she began organizing parents to demand better education for their children. She came to New York in 1984 and worked at a women's shelter before joining St. Barbara's Roman Catholic Church in Bushwick. She was part of a delegation from Witness for Peace, a church-backed group that monitored rebel activities, when she traveled to Nicaragua in 1985. The rebels attacked while she and other people were on a boat crossing the San Juan River to Costa Rica, and they were held for 24 hours. To Sister Maire, the increasing criticism of her role in protests against the District 32 school board is a good sign.
Nobody likes to have the cage rattled.