Clare Workneh and Fikre Workneh, 2012 February 10, inclusive

Clare Workneh was born to white American Catholic parents in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Floral Park, New York. Upon graduation from Our Lady of Mercy High School, Clare became a nun with the Maryknoll Sisters in Ossining, New York. She left the order after eight years and worked for the United Methodist Board of Social Ministries.

Fikre Workneh was born to Ethiopian parents and raised in Gojjam, Ethiopia. He was a minister in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and served as a missionary in the Caribbean before immigrating to the United States. He attended the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in New York City and worked for the National Institute of Mental Health.