Elizabeth McAlister

Elizabeth McAlister
McAlister under arrest at a protest in 2001.
Born	Maureen McAlister (1939-11-17)November 17, 1939 Montclair, New Jersey, United States
Alma mater	Marymount College, Tarrytown, Hunter College
Occupation	Former nun, peace activist
Known for	Harrisburg Seven, Jonah House
Spouse(s)	Philip Berrigan
Children	Frida, Jerry and Kate Berrigan
Relatives	Daniel Berrigan, S.J.

Elizabeth "Liz" McAlister (born November 17, 1939) is an American peace activist and former nun of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.

Liz McAlister was born Maureen McAlister to Irish immigrant parents in Montclair, New Jersey. She and her twin sister Katherine had a sheltered upbringing and attended Lacordaire Academy. Following graduation, the sisters attended Marymount College, Tarrytown. During her sophomore year at Marymount College, McAlister, still Maureen, entered the novitiate of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (R.S.H.M.). In June 1961, she became Sister Elizabeth McAlister, R.S.H.M. McAlister continued her studies at Hunter College, graduating with a Master's degree in art. She then returned to teach art history at Marymount College in 1963.

While an instructor at Marymount College, McAlister got involved with peace demonstrations and prayer vigils against the Vietnam War. Through this community, McAlister met Philip Berrigan S.S.J., who came to speak and demonstrate in Tarrytown, New York. According to McAlister's daughter, Frida Berrigan, the two met "at a funeral in 1966," although there are accounts that Berrigan and McAlister moved in the same circles from 1964, on. In early 1969, Phil Berrigan and McAlister married by “mutual consent.” At this time, Berrigan was awaiting sentencing for pouring blood on draft files in the US Customs House in Baltimore.

While Berrigan was in federal prison for his involvement in the Catonsville Nine, McAlister and Berrigan communicated via a fellow inmate, Boyd Douglas, who was allowed furlough for work release. Douglas was an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and turned over the contents of Berrigan and McAlister's letters to the authorities. These letters, which included nascent plans to kidnap Henry Kissinger, led to the prosecution of McAlister, Berrigan, and five others, known as the Harrisburg Seven.