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.
TWO RESOURCES FOR EARTH DAY: Check out these two resources for today’s celebration of Earth Day from Pax Christi Florida member Mary Ann Holtz and the Pax Christi USA Store: http://paxchristiusa.org/2015/04/22/earth-day-two-resources-to-observe-earth-day/
PC ST. LOUIS HOSTS ANTI-RACISM TRAINING: (from Laura Kent) Thirty-five bold St. Louisans from many different neighborhoods and parishes gathered this past Saturday at the Catholic Student Center at Washington University to discuss how to address racism in the St. Louis Metropolitan area (which includes Ferguson). The workshop, “What will WE do? Anti-Racism Training and an Introduction to Organizing,” was moderated by Pax Christi’s Tom Cordaro and Cathy Woodson. Participants learned about the many forms of racism including Internalized Racist Superiority and Internalized Racist Oppression. They discussed misconceptions about what is and isn’t racism and the problem with the reticence of the white majority to address white privilege. Many personal stories and family anecdotes were shared and attendees were challenged to not let this new learning end with themselves. Read more at http://paxchristiusa.org/2015/03/28/regional-event-pax-christi-st-louis-hosts-anti-racism-training/
PC PHOENIX-TEMPE EDUCATES ON IMMIGRATION, NONVIOLENCE: (from Dave Zabor) Pax Christi Phoenix-Tempe welcomed Fr. Sean Carroll, Director of the Kino Border Initiative (a binational organization that works in the area of migration and is located in Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico), for a presentation on migrants and the work that KBI is doing. Kino is doing wonderful humanitarian work and well as education, research, and advocacy on behalf of migrants. Attendees were moved by hearing stories of families struggling to survive, often tragically separated, and enduring the abuses of government officials and police on both sides of the border. Fr. Carroll took back to Nogales cash, clothing, and supplies donated by the group. That same weekend, the PC Phoenix-Tempe group continued its tradition of offering parishioners at St. Benedict Parish in Phoenix an opportunity to take the Pax Christi Vow of Nonviolence. This is the 4th consecutive year that the parish has offered the vow, and this time approximately 300 people participated.
PC LONG ISLAND HONORS PEACEMAKERS: (from Mary Beth Moore) More than sixty guests joined to honor The National Catholic Reporter on April 11th in Manhasset, NY when the Long Island Chapter of Pax Christi presented its annual “Peacemaker Award” to NCR on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The honor cites the paper “[F]or telling painful truths, in ink, on paper and online. For reporting on nonviolence, in ways that other do not. For standing up for nuns, for abuse victims and the poor. For 50 years of prophetic words.” Mercy Sister Camille D’Arienzo, who writes a bi-monthly blog for NCR, accepted the award on behalf of Editor Dennis Coday. In remarks read by Sr. D’Arienzo, Coday noted, “The first NCR editorial against the Vietnam War came in early 1966; the editors then were prescient enough to see the futility of that war — and all others since.” Yanira Chacón-Lopez, lay minister of St. Bridget Church in Westbury, NY was also honored at the event for her work in “easing the perilous journey of immigrant families.”
PC MASSACHUSETTS MEMBER PENS OP-ED REGARDING THE DEATH PENALTY IN MARATHON BOMBER CASE: (by Kathleen Schatzberg) Last week in Boston, a federal jury convicted the surviving brother of the two men who planted bombs at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, killing three, injuring hundreds, and in the police manhunt that followed, killing a university policeman. The elder brother also died during the police pursuit. Now that same jury must decide whether to sentence the surviving brother to death or life in prison without parole. Massachusetts has not executed a convicted criminal since 1947, and a State Supreme Court ruling in 1984 effectively outlawed capital punishment in this state. This trial, however, was in federal jurisdiction, where the death penalty is allowed. A vigorous debate about capital punishment has inevitably ensued. There is no debate about the shocking heinousness of the crimes, nor about the guilt of the surviving brother who was convicted last week – his attorney admitted his guilt at the outset of the trial. But debate abounds for and against the death penalty in this case… Read the entire piece at http://www.barnstablepatriot.com/home2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38846&Itemid=32
PC ILLINOIS HOSTS NATIONAL STAFF FOR ANTI-RACISM PRESENTATION: (by Nancy Oetter) On March 14, 2015, West Suburban Faith-Based Peace Coalition of Illinois held their 12th Annual Gathering and Fourth Annual Rev. J. Robert Sandman Lecture Series. “Taking on the Silence: Daring to Explore the Sin of Racism” was presented by Sr. Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN, Executive Director of Pax Christi USA and Sr. Anne-Louise Nadeau, SNDdeN, Director of Programs. Pax Christi Illinois folks attended the gathering in support of the Sisters. They both have extensive experience on antiracism teams and they provide a perspective from a person of color and from a person of white privilege. They first asked the audience of 45 to tell how they felt talking about racism. They then discussed the definition of racism, and what steps we could take in our own lives to begin to defeat it. Besides Pax Christi Illinois, other groups represented were Occupy Naperville, First United Church, and Christi the Servant Parish. After the workshop, PCIL hosted Srs. Patty and Anne-Louise for dinner at the Greek Islands restaurant and had a great visit.
NEW OFFERINGS FROM AUTHORS WITH PAX CHRISTI USA TIES: A number of recent books have been published by authors with ties to Pax Christi USA. We encourage you to check out Live Peace, Teach Peace: Best Practices and Tools, by PCUSA Teachers of Peace MJ and Jerry Park at http://paxchristiusa.org/2015/03/23/resource-new-book-on-peace-education-for-hearts-and-minds-by-pax-christi-usa-teachers-of-peace/; Listen Here! The Art and Spirituality of Listening by PCUSA Ambassador of Peace Megan McKenna, Ph.D., http://paxchristiusa.org/2015/04/09/resource-new-book-from-pax-christi-usa-ambassador-of-peace-megan-mckenna/; and Seizing the Nonviolent Moments: Reflections on the Spirituality of Nonviolence through the Lens of Scripture by PCUSA Ambassador of Peace Nancy Small; http://paxchristiusa.org/2015/01/23/news-new-book-on-nonviolence-from-pcusa-ambassador-of-peace-nancy-small/. All are great resources!
Upcoming or Ongoing Events:
Apr. 22: Earth Day
Apr. 24-26: Peace and Planet Mobilization for a Nuclear-Free, Just and Sustainable World, http://www.peaceandplanet.org/
Apr. 26-27: Global Wave of Action to Say Goodbye to Nukes, http://www.globalwave2015.org/
May 2: Gospel Nonviolence conference with Fr. Charles Emmanuel McCarthy, Atlanta; contact Joe Goode of PC-Atlanta at cpatchat92@aol.com for more info or to register, go to http://www.stjudeatlanta.net/PaxChristiEvent
May 2: PC Maine assembly in Orland, ME, http://mainetalk.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/PCM-Assembly-flyer-2015.pdf
May 3: The Challenge of Peace anniversary, http://www.usccb.org/upload/challenge-peace-gods-promise-our-response-1983.pdf
May 9: Dan Berrigan’s birthday, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Berrigan
May 10: Mother’s Day
May 13-17: Pax Christi International World Assembly in Bethlehem, http://paxchristi2015.net/
May 15: International Day for Conscientious Objection, https://www.wri-irg.org/campaigns/co_day
May 24: Pentecost Sunday
May 30: Pax Christi Southern California conference with Kathy Kelly at Loyola Marymount University, http://www3.paxchristisocal.org/
June 1-30: Torture Awareness Month, http://www.tortureawareness.org/
Quicklinks:
College of the Holy Cross Pax Christi displayed a poverty tree on campus, where they hung facts about worldly environmental social issues on its branches as part of the college’s series of events on sustainability. The group also had a carbon footprint calculator to show students how as individuals they impact the environment … Pax Christi Indianapolis members and other faith activists in Raise the Wage Indiana led a 72.5 hour fast to bring attention to the issue and urge the legislature to act … Dan Peitzmeyer of Pax Christi-Phoenix debated Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery on the local PBS affiliate regarding alternatives to the death penalty … Watch video from CBS covering Pax Christi Metro New York’s Way of the Cross … PC New Orleans was quoted in an article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune in support of the Obama administration’s decision for deportation relief for 5 million undocumented immigrants … PC Northeastern Pennsylvania published a letter to the editor protesting Israeli PM Netanyahu’s speech before Congress as well as calling on assistance for victims of war in Gaza … Watch this video capturing the Pax Christi Florida retreat on “Living the Nonviolent Life” … Pax Christi USA member Jacqueline Haessly has a new website for her organization Peacemaking Associates whose purpose is to empower adults and children to value and image peace … Former Pax Christi USA National Chair Judy Coode published this article on Haiti for the PCI Peace Stories blog … Pax Christi Atlanta member Cathy Crosby is being inducted this year into the MLK Jr. College of Ministers and Laity … Watch video of Pax Christi Michigan’s keynote speaker David Swanson’s address at their recent retreat … The Spring 2015 edition of Kerux, the newsletter for Pax Christi Metro New York, is now online … Pax Christi International has launched the “Disarmament for Sustainable Development Campaign” … Pax Christi International’s April 2015 newsletter is online … See more local and regional updates in the Spring 2015 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.