FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, D.C.—Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace and justice movement (www.paxchristiusa.org), will lead a prayer service outside the White House as part of the Lenten Witness for Peace and Justice, a campaign organized by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and co-sponsored by other faith-based peace and justice groups. The service will take place on Friday, March 2, from noon to 1:00 p.m.
“Lent is a time of fasting, of internal and collective discernment,” stated Pax Christi USA Executive Director Sr. Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN. “We’re calling all people to attend to being peacemakers during this season, to find alternatives to war, and to be conscious of the economic injustices that impact many of us, here at home and abroad, particularly minority communities.”
In the Christian tradition, Lent is a time for both personal and societal repentance. Catholic peace activists participating in the ongoing Lenten witness see this season as a time for radical conversion, renewal and transformation.
“Living under the brutal occupation of the Roman empire, Jesus declared that ‘the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel,’” stated Taylor Reese, Pax Christi USA Program Associate. “Living in the U.S. empire, which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described as ‘the greatest purveyor of violence in the world,’ we need to heed Jesus’ proclamation now more than ever.”
The March 2 service is open to the public. Additional peace groups will be leading future services at the White House each Friday during Lent.
For more info, contact:
- Taylor Reese, Pax Christi USA: taylor.pcusa@gmail.com, 202-635-2741
- Art Laffin of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker: artlaffin@hotmail.com, 202-360-6416.
Some great quotes in here, and so right on! Thanks for doing this important and courageous work! My prayers and spirit are with you, even if my body is not.