Our national council unreservedly supports the path to sainthood for conscientious objector, Ben Salmon. The following letter is from the national council’s Bishop-President, John Stowe, OFM Conv. to Archbishop Samuel Aquila detailing why Pax Christi USA supports the cause for Ben Salmon’s canonization. We urge Archbishop Aquila to commence the formal proceedings.
We need to promote a groundswell of support that the cause for Ben Salmon’s sainthood begin. Please sign this petition and share widely.
We need role models such as Ben Salmon. We also, as Church, need to show that ordinariness is indeed extra ordinariness. Let us begin his cause. In Christ, S. Mary Shaw, ASC, D. Min
We are honoring those who go to kill, it is time to honor those who will not kill.
Conscientious objection is a noble form of peace-making, which is the cornerstone of the message of Christ.
All are invited to peace, some are invited by pain, some are invited by violence, some are invited by martyrdom, some are invited by storm, some are invited by tsunami, some are invited ad nauseum… all are invited to become on of us.
We are everyone. We are the corpus on the cross as the curtain to the holy of Jolie’s is torn open to reveal the covenant of fidelity to each one of us and all of us. We recieve the sacrifice each and all has made for our common good. We are the body who as many parts. The chrism has anointed the sacrifice, and the oil used also heals the sick and the lonely if we, the One can find them and bring them home into Us. Only one sacred question has been poised for some time, “Who are We?” In the bread of the bread we are recognizing them. We too may be accused of being a glutton and a drunkard. We are still One with even the accusers as we are made aware of the need for reconciliation not just confession of truth. A matrimonial journey is recognized as violence courts with justice, and the two will become as One. We inoculate like conscientious objector yet different only slightly in the aim of the needle. We can and have used objection as a method. We us injection of our violence in our heart to inoculate their heart feeling and understanding their pain and the violence they fear to inject and infect the with our serum, our contagion of forgiveness and non resistance to Únion with even and especially them To Be One with Adonai ….. the YHWH …. the unspoken Tetragrammaton……. “I Am” we are the suffering servant, we are the corpus on the cross, we are the One we have been waiting for.
He was a timely person at an untimely period in history, civil and church. And it looks like we have one now….
We need to hold up witnesses to gospel peace.
Benjamin Joseph Salmon for sainthood!
I take the vow on nonviolence every day, one way I can follow Jesus more closely. This would be another way, an inspiration to many. Please make Ben Salmon a saint.
A saint for a time of endless war and injustice.
Thank you so much for sharing this letter — the story of Salmon, of whom I was unaware!
Thanks to Bishop John Stowe for his excellent request and plea on behalf of the cause for Ben Salmon. We of the PCUSA are driven to work for non-violence at every level. Our persistent wars are the antithesis to what we stand for, and yes, to be a conscientious objector is a much-needed witness to our work of peace-keeping.
YES TO SAINTHOOD FOR BEN SALMON! HIS SUFFERING SHOULD NOT BE IN VAIN!
More than ever, the witness of Benjamin Salmon speaks to Gospel nonviolence, not as an option but as a way of life.
My tearful thanks to Pax Christi and to Bishop President John Stowe, OFM Conv., for your leadership in supporting the cause for canonization of conscientious objector, Ben Salmon. If ever we, the church and the world needed the inspiration Ben Salmon provides it is now! May this movement grow rapidly.
As a conscientious objector myself (Vietnam era, 1970) I write to support this endeavor. I did not suffer like Benjamin Salmon but I did serve (alternative service) as a missionary in Brazil for two years. I agree with other commenters that people like Benjamin Salmon should be honored.
It is ironic that one who opposed killing folks would be initially sentenced to death! The only way to stop the universal triumph of war is for those like Benjamin Joseph to stand up against the forces of Evil….and war ALWAYS is Evil! Blessings and Prayers for all who have this kind of remarkable courage.
I support Benjamin Salmon’s cause for sainthood!
Yes to Sainthood for Ben Salmon.
The church should honor with sainthood all christian Martyrs not just those who are members of the Catholic faith. Do you think God cares what sect a baptized christian belonged to when one has paid for a martyr’s crown in blood?
Wonderful that FINALLY someone like our brother Ben Salmon is being proposed for canonization!
I am a Catholic conscientious objector to all war and military related entities and
support the petitions for the beatification and eventual canonization of Ben Salmon.
Brother Jeremy
(necedah, WI