The New Wine Press vol 26 no 1 September 2017 | Page 16

Precious Blood Volunteers
Leah Landry, John Lee, Hector Avitia, and Lota Ofodile
completed their Volunteer Orientation in August
at Creighton University in May. She will be serving at
Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago
and living in community with the Dayton Precious
Blood sisters who live and serve in Chicago. Her term
of service will run from September 2017 to June 2018.
Martin Echtler
Martin Echtler grew up in Bernbeuren, Germany,
a village in rural Bavaria near the Austrian border.
He currently resides in Munich, Germany. He will
be serving for six months in Kansas City at St. James
Place living in community at Gaspar Mission House.
He has received a Master of Science and a Bachelor
of Science in human resource education & manage-
ment along with Catholic theology studies from
Ludwig-Maximillians University in Munich. He also
has degrees in business management. Martin worked
for several years in the banking industry in Germany
before returning to school.
Alia Sisson
Alia Sisson was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio.
She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political
Science from the University of Dayton in 2013. Alia
graduated from the Ohio State University Moritz
College of Law with her Juris Doctorate in 2016. She
plans to serve the poor and practice public interest law
as her vocation. She was recognized for completing
over 200 hours of pro bono student legal service. In her
free time, she loves to sing and play guitar. Alia will be
serving from September to at least June of 2018 at Legal
Aid of Western Missouri working with their domestic
violence division. 
14 • The New Wine Press • September 2017
pbmr, continued from page 12
I experienced all this at the age of 23 by partici-
pating in the life of
pbmr. I experienced
the strength of suffer-
ing and realized that
it is an extraordinary
wealth. I experienced
joy, which has its
roots in the pain,
which makes it only
more beautiful and
true. I experienced
love despite weak-
ness. I experienced a
life of reconciliation,
which will not be
forgotten until the end of my life. 
Peace & Justice, continued from page 6
to speak for those who struggle to find their voice. In
the words of the prophet Amos, we must use this right
to “Let justice surge like water, and goodness like an
unfailing stream.”
The challenges are great, but so is our strength if we
work together and stand as one. 