Compiled by Johnny Zokovitch
Each month, “On The Line” features news items and announcements from around the nation featuring Pax Christi members, local groups, regions and partners. These are gleaned from articles in local newspapers, websites, magazines, and elsewhere.
QUICK NOTES FROM NATIONAL: We just realized that there was an error on the National Council election ballot that went out late last week. Sr. Rose Marie Tresp, RSM, was misidentified as African American. She is Caucasian. We posted this correction on the website yesterday. Also, yesterday Pax Christi USA signed onto a letter regarding the upcoming UN gathering on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We invite all local group and regional leaders to add their names to the letter as well. You can find the letter by clicking here. And the Spring 2014 newsletter, The Peace Current, is being printed now and will be to you in the mail in a week or two. To see the PDF version on the website, go to http://paxchristiusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/spring2014newsletter-web.pdf. If you did not receive the ballot and do not receive the newsletter in the next two weeks, it means that your membership dues are not up-to-date. You can renew quick and easy on the website here: http://paxchristiusa.org/join-u/
MARCH WAS A BUSY MONTH FOR PAX CHRISTI METRO NEW YORK: (from Rosemarie Pace) What a great and busy month March was for PCMNY! The month began with about 50 members and friends on our annual retreat at St. Joseph’s Renewal Center in Brentwood, Long Island. Sr. Kathleen Deignan led us on the theme of “Pax Christi/Pax Terra.” You can read more about it in the Spring issue of Kerux to be posted later in April. One week later, on March 8th, PCMNY, as a member of the Council of Ecclesial Movements in the Archdiocese of New York, participated in a retreat day at Maryknoll. This time the theme was “The Movement Moment: Rebuild the Church by Making Disciples.”… Read more at http://www.nypaxchristi.org/KeruxLive.html
PAX CHRISTI SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HOSTS ANNUAL ASSEMBLY: (from Sharon Halsey Hoover) On March 22, 2014 Pax Christi Southern California held their annual assembly. The theme this year was “A Call to Nonviolence: A Year with Pope Francis.” The day opened with students from the Bishop Alemany High School Pax Christi Chapter who lead us in prayer and song. Tom Smolich, SJ, gave the keynote, “Pope Francis as Peacemaker.” There were workshops on Juvenile Justice, Immigration Reform, and Nonviolence. In the afternoon the film “Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars” was shown and this was followed by a Q & A with Robert Greenwald, director of the film. Fr. Tom Smolich celebrated the closing liturgy.
PAX CHRISTI NORTHEASTERN PA HOSTS PEACE ACTIVIST: (from the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader) Pax Christi of NEPA will host a presentation by Cathy Breen on Monday, April 28 in the Cognetti Room at St. Joseph’s Center, Dunmore. Breen’s topic will be “Iraq: The War We Left Behind,” which will explain the situation in Iraq 10 years after the U.S. invasion and war. Breen, who lives and works at the New York City Catholic Worker House, first went to Iraq in the fall of 2002 with the group Voices in the Wilderness as part of the Iraq Peace Team. She stayed through the U.S. invasion and through the “Shock and Awe” campaign. Over the last six years, she spent periods of time in both Jordan and Syria with Iraqi refugees as a witness to the realities they face and advocate for their resettlement. She returned to Iraq in 2012 where she has been serving as a voice for the civilian population. Read more at http://timesleader.com/news/news/1311997/War-zone-advocate-to-speak-in-Dunmore
PAX CHRISTI MASSACHUSETTS GROUPS ACTIVE: (from Pat Ferrone) Central MA Pax Christi will help with the formation of a Pax Christi Prison Group at MCI Shirley, a medium security prison. Fifteen men will be participating. Western MA Pax Christi has completed the study of “From Violence to Wholeness” created by Pace e Bene. St. Susanna Parish Pax Christi hosted the fall assembly with PCUSA Teacher of Peace Fr. John Rausch and planned an audio-visual program on MLK using Mahalia Jackson’s version of “We Shall Overcome” with Powerpoint images projected on the screen above the altar. This was used as a Post-Communion reflection, so the entire congregation viewed it. Pax Christi Boston works on Boston University’s Bio-lab issues and is present at other witnesses. For instance, Cornelia Sullivan (and I) have been participating in a vigil outside the Japanese Consulate in Boston, since October, over our concern about the Fukushima-Daiichi explosion and the lack of transparency.
Upcoming or Ongoing Events:
April 14 – Global Day of Action on Military Spending, http://www.gdams.org/, consider supporting PC International’s campaign as part of your efforts: http://archive.paxchristi.net/MISC/2014-0085-en-gl-HS.pdf
April 14-18 – Holy Week Pilgrimage with the Norfolk Catholic Worker and Hampton Roads Pax Christi that will stop at 14 area military bases in the Hampton Roads, VA area, the most militarized place on the planet; contact Steve at williamsbaggarly@gmail.com for more info
April 15 – Tax Day, learn more about War Tax Resistance, http://www.nwtrcc.org/
April 18 – Good Friday Way of the Cross prayers and action, nationwide: http://paxchristiusa.org/programs/lent-2014/good-friday-way-of-the-cross/
April 20 – Easter
April 22 – Earth Day, check out resources from the Catholic Climate Covenant, of which Pax Christi USA is a partner, http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/
May 3 – Regional Dialogue with Pax Christi Metro D.C.-Baltimore, http://paxchristiusa.org/programs/regional-dialogues-2012-13/
May 3 – The Challenge of Peace anniversary, http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/war-and-peace/nuclear-weapons/upload/statement-the-challenge-of-peace-1983-05-03.pdf and http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs172/1011223557022/archive/1113426767802.html
May 11 – Mother’s Day, http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs172/1011223557022/archive/1113370275293.html
May 15 – International Conscientious Objection Day, http://paxchristiusa.org/programs/conscientious-objection/
June – Torture Awareness Month, http://www.tassc.org and http://www.nrcat.org/
Quicklinks:
Former Pax Christi USA Development Director Jo Clarke wrote an article and contributed photos on the work of the Erie Benedictines to Maria Shriver’s The Shriver Report … Pax Christi Phoenix members attended the Border Mass at the U.S.-Mexican border earlier this month … Pax Christi Maine member Bill Slavick was instrumental in creating resources for the website http://www.popefrancis365.org, marking the first year of Pope Francis’s pontificate … Pax Christi Maryknoll (NY) member Beth Begley was quoted in this article in NCR about her parish’s efforts at environmentally-sound practices … Pax Christi Memphis hosted John Dear on his recent book tour. He was featured in a live interview on a local TV station … Pax Christi Metro New York gave out their Young Peacebuilder Award for teens to Shayla Machado … Pax Christi Southwest Florida hosts a blog where they post reflections and more … ChristFaithPower is a blog by Pax Christi member Joseph Mahon … Pax Christi Sioux Falls (SD) members gathered at the site of a recent homicide to reclaim in from the violence that occurred there … Read Pax Christi Joliet (IL) member William Ruhaak’s article about paying taxes for war on the PCUSA website … Pax Christi Minnesota member Steve Clemens was arrested for an action in Iowa last month … Pax Christi International awarded Jesuit Refugee Service-Syria with the 2014 Peace Award … Pax Christi International’s April 2014 newsletter is online … See more local and regional updates in the Spring 2014 edition of The Peace Current …
- Send your news items, announcements, photos and links to stories about Pax Christi groups or members to jzokovitch@paxchristiusa.org.