by Joan Tirak
Pax Christi Michigan State Coordinator
I am so humbled because this really is a recognition that so many others deserve as well for helping to keep PCM alive over the years:
- All who served as State Council Members – working behind the scenes, organizing peace walks, protests, vigils, helping organize annual retreats and conferences, serving on council committees – working tirelessly to build membership, bring more young adults into our PCM community, and keep PCM financially solvent;
- All who worked on Local Planning Committees for our annual conferences these past many years;
- All members of local PC groups who organized peace actions and stood up to the Powers That Be;
- All who donated your time and treasure to our peace efforts;
- All who raised your children in PC – planting seeds of peace, hope and commitment to action in their souls;
- All who have truly ‘spent themselves’ working for peace and are now coping with illness of any kind;
- All who were arrested witnessing for peace – courageously speaking Truth to Power;
- All who have volunteered with mailings, conferences, retreats, vigils, protests and other events;
- All those who have networked with us from other organizations or who have been in any way a part of our PCM community;
- Finally, the Communion of Saints – those who came before us and taught us how to live the Peace of Christ….whose pictures line the top of my computer desk as an Altar of Remembrance…whose names are embedded in my heart…and with whom I daily entrust my work to our loving God on behalf of the Beloved Community.
To ALL of you – I am humbly grateful. Thank you.
This was not an easy decision after 29 years – but I can truly say I gave it all that I could. Now it’s time for a new graced person to help lead Pax Christi Michigan through the next 29 years! My love and gratitude to you all. May you be blessed over and over again with the grace you most need to keep on keeping on. And as our friend Peter Dougherty assures us, “We will get there….heaven knows how we will get there…we know we will.” All began to sing softly…just loud enough to fill the moment with deep peace and love.