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Washington, D.C. – Pax Christi USA will be honored with the inaugural Dorothy Day Peacemaker Award, given by the Dorothy Day Guild, “to honor the heroic witness of Servant of God Dorothy Day by celebrating an individual or group who exemplifies her lifelong commitment to peacemaking and Gospel nonviolence.”
“At a time when all Christians need to pay closer attention to the teachings of Jesus on nonviolence, Pax Christi USA is hopeful about the canonization process of the great champion of nonviolence, Dorothy Day, who lived these teachings in an uncompromising way,” stated Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv, Bishop-President of Pax Christi USA. “We are so grateful to be honored as an organization with the first Dorothy Day Peacemaker Award.”
Kevin Ahern, co-chair of the Dorothy Day Guild’s executive committee, said in the Guild’s press release announcing the award, “For over 50 years, Pax Christi USA has been an important voice for peace, justice, and nonviolence in the Catholic community. Their recent work with others in the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, for example, has significantly deepened the conversation within the church on Gospel nonviolence. In this work, they embody in a special way the prophetic vision of Servant of God, Dorothy Day.”
The Dorothy Day Guild supports and advances the cause for canonization of Dorothy Day, initiated by the Archdiocese of New York as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, and promotes, for the benefit of all people interested in social justice, awareness of Dorothy Day, her writings, the Catholic Worker Movement she co-founded, and her life and witness to the Gospel. The Guild noted that the award honors “Pax Christi USA for their unwavering dedication to peace and justice, embodying the spirit of Dorothy Day’s legacy.”
“Pax Christi USA is both honored and humbled to be the inaugural recipient of the Dorothy Day Peacemaker Award,” stated Charlene Howard, National Council Chair of Pax Christi USA. “Our ability to stand for Gospel peace is largely influenced by her lived witness. We thank the Guild for conferring this distinction upon our movement.” (Pictured above and right, Eileen Egan, Pax Christi USA co-founder with Dorothy Day and Mother Teresa)
The award will be presented at a special breakfast on June 11 at the summer meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Louisville, Kentucky.
“Dorothy’s influence on Pax Christi USA was profound from our very beginning, including her close friendship with one of our co-founders, Eileen Egan, and her witness continues to be an inspiration for our members in their gospel-based work for peace with justice,” stated Johnny Zokovitch, Executive Director of Pax Christi USA. “So many in Pax Christi USA, myself included, were formed in the Catholic Worker tradition and strive to live out Dorothy’s commitment to personalism, nonviolence, and the works of mercy in our everyday discipleship.”
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For more information, contact Judy Coode, Director of Communications, at jcoode@paxchristiusa.org. Read the Guild’s press release here.