by Rosemarie Pace, Pax Christi Metro New York Coordinator
With 2012 marking Pax Christi Metro New York’s 29th year of peacemaking, PCMNY is very proud to announce this year’s honorees and to celebrate not only their accomplishments but also what they stand for. This year’s Peacemakers are exceptional in their commitment to nonviolence and their courage to speak the truth to power inspired by their faith.
On Sunday, June 3rd, Pax Christi Metro New York (PCMNY) will be paying tribute to Rabbi Michael Weisser, Bud Courtney, and Carla De Ycaza.
Back in the early 1990s, Rabbi Michael Weisser, along with his family, was living in Lincoln, Nebraska. They were part of a diverse community of people who worked together to promote interfaith and racial understanding, but they were also under threat of violence from the Grand Dragon of the White Knights of the KKK. Together, using love and compassion, they succeeded in accomplishing the unthinkable: Larry Trapp abandoned the KKK and converted to Judaism. Now the rabbi of the Free Synagogue of Flushing, Rabbi Weisser continues his outreach to people of all faiths, cultivating peace and mutual appreciation in the most diverse county in the USA.
Bud Courtney has been a member of the Catholic Worker in New York City for several years. He is also a member of the Kairos Community, which uses nonviolent direct action to resist war. More recently, he served as a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams in northern Iraq and “No More Deaths” on the Arizona/Mexico border. In all that Bud does, he incorporates the universal language of music and a commitment to nonviolence steeped in his Christian faith.
Carla DeYcaza is a remarkable young adult who founded Pax Christi at Vassar College when she was a student there and interned at PCMNY during that same time period. Currently she is a PhD candidate at the Irish Centre for Human Rights. She serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Human Rights Law and is an adjunct lecturer at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. Carla is also a research consultant for the American Council on Africa, researching international criminal law, transitional justice and conflict resolution in Africa.
The awards ceremony will take place in Casserly Hall below St. Joseph’s Greenwich Village Church, Washington Place just off Sixth Avenue, on Sunday, June 3rd between 3 and 6 PM.
There will be delicious refreshments, beautiful music, and numerous prizes. Recommended donations: $40 per person or $125 for four through May 15th, $50 per person or $165 for four through May 25th.