Deirdre Cornell, managing editor of Maryknoll magazine and vice chair of the Dorothy Day Guild, offered the following remarks at the June 11 Dorothy Day Peacemaker Award ceremony.
Use this link to read more about the event.
It is an honor to welcome you this morning to the inaugural Dorothy Day Peacemaker Award. My name is Deirdre Cornell and I have the privilege to serve as vice chair of the Dorothy Day Guild. Other board members are present among us such as Dorothy’s granddaughter, Martha Hennessy, and our chair, Kevin Ahern.
The Guild had its beginnings over two decades ago and was formalized in 2005 to promote a cause for Dorothy‘s canonization. We believe she is a saint for our time.
We are grateful to Timothy Cardinal Dolan for his ongoing support of the cause, and for being our episcopal sponsor for this event.
One of the many gratifying aspects of serving on the Guild is being part of the way that Dorothy brings people together. Her spirit calls us and connects us. This is certainly true today.
In this first — we hope, of many —peacemaker awards granted in Dorothy‘s name, we honor and celebrate Pax Christi USA for five decades of peacemaking in service to the United States Catholic community. Welcome, Bishop Stowe, Johnny and all Pax Christi members present.
The Guild would also like to extend a special welcome and word of thanks to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, CCHD. Thank you for your kind support of this event, and your advice, and for all your generous service.
Thank you to the USCCB organizers who made our participation possible.
Welcome to each and everyone present, to our bishops, members of staff, leaders of peace organizations — welcome, welcome, welcome.
Speaking of how Dorothy — like any good saint — connects with us and connects us to each other, last night when some of us arrived, we ran into two other people also headed here this morning, Charlene and Michael Howard. In our very brief encounter (in between Ubers) we said how important it was to be here for peace, and Charlene remarked, “We need a lot of prayer.”
And it sounded to me like a confirmation. Because that’s what Dorothy would say. Pacifism is inseparable from Dorothy’s spirituality.
In the Guild, we believe that her pacifism is essential to her heroic virtue. Further, it was essential to Dorothy because it’s essential to the Gospel.
Thomas Merton said, “Peace demands greater heroism than war.”
So, rather like in 1965, when Dorothy, Eileen Egan, Gordon Zahn and others traveled to Rome to be present where the bishops were gathered, we come here to Louisville, Kentucky. To be a witness, together, with and for the Church we love.
Our hope is that through this award, we amplify and uplift this integral part of what makes Dorothy holy, just as much as the Works of Mercy. She still encourages and challenges and instructs us. And in the Guild, we feel that this type of prophetic non-violence is so needed as we look at our world with its many conflicts.
Just a couple of days ago, Pope Francis said, “Let us not cease to dream of peace, and to build relationships of peace!” We recognize Pax Christi USA for showing us a clear and compelling example of what that looks like.
Before I turn over the program to Martha, I’d like to acknowledge someone without whom the Guild would not be where we are: George Horton. Luckily for him, George will be retiring from Catholic Charities, but luckily for us, he will continue as vice postulator for the cause.
Again thank you for joining us today. Thank you for your hard work and your leadership. We invite you to join the Guild and to collaborate.