September 6-7: Pax Christi USA virtual national conference

Thanks to everyone who joined us for a wonderful conference! Watch the videos below!

Use this link to read Camillo Barone’s report on the conference in National Catholic Reporter.

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>>Use this link to watch the videos of five of the breakout sessions!

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We are one body
Being a prophetic Church in a time of polarization and conflict

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. – 1 Corinthians

As we witness unprecedented divisions in our world and even our own Catholic family, this Pax Christi USA virtual gathering on Zoom will examine the root causes of the growing polarization with speakers who are actively working in the fields of church politics, nonviolence, and religious nationalism. We will look for ways in which we can be prophetic — working together in dialogue for a better understanding and offering nonviolent solutions that can give all of us hope.

Pre-event

Thursday, September 5, 7 PM Eastern

• Young Adult Caucus annual meeting

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Virtual conference

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 7-9 PM Eastern

• Opening prayer
• Plenary presentation – Pax Christi USA’s Executive Director Charlene Howard will join Jack Jezreel, founder and executive director of JustFaith, for a moderated conversation on what it means to be Catholic and prophetic in the United States today.

• Q&A following plenary
• Introduction of new Pax Christi USA staff members
• Overview of tomorrow’s schedule
• Closing prayer

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

12-1:30 PM Eastern

• Opening prayer
• Plenary panel with Q&A
  • Ruben Garcia, Pax Christi USA’s 2012 Teacher of Peace and executive director of Annunciation House in El Paso, who will speak about the Church’s role in addressing immigration
  • Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns, director of faith formation at St. Joan of Arc (Minneapolis) and one of four lay persons from the US participating in the Synod on Synodality, who will speak to the impact of the synod in the US
  • Jordan Denari Duffner, PhD., theologian and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations and interfaith dialogue, who will speak on the role of the Church in addressing the ongoing crisis in Israel-Palestine.
  • Moderators: Pax Christi USA 2022 Teacher of Peace Marie Dennis and Lauren Bailey

2:30-3:45 PM Eastern

Breakout sessions/workshops – You can attend ONE workshop. On the registration form, please indicate your top two choices; we will try to ensure that everyone is in a breakout session/workshop of their choice.

1 – Getting to the root: Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery 2.0, organized by the Pax Christi USA Indigenous Solidarity Working Group

Presenters: 

• Melissa Chapman Skinner, Standing Rock and Santee Sioux Tribe, Cancer Program Specialist for the American Indian Cancer Foundation, Advocate and Training Assistant at Episcopal Church, Indigenous Ministries
• Damon Leadercharge, Sicangu Oglala Lakota and member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Director of Tribal Outreach atUniversity of South Dakota and Assistant Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion Offices at University of South Dakota’s Sanford School of Medicine 
• Janelle Delorme, francophone Red River Métis activist and drum carrier 
• With support from/moderating: Carrie Hansen, co-chair of Pax Christi South Dakota and Justice Contact for the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and Mary Beth DiMarco, Pax Christi Maine, Maine Episcopal Committee on Indian Relations

Building a world of peace means understanding the root causes of racism, colonialism, and white supremacy. Join Pax Christi USA members and advocates who have worked to publicly repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, a religious document that promoted the racist policy of “discovering” and conquering “new lands’ that were in fact already Occupied. This 2.0 session, will explore treaties and their effects upon the Indigenous peoples which have been impacted by the Doctrine of Discovery.

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2 – Disarming harm: Peaceful paths to reducing gun violence, organized by the Pax Christi USA Gun Violence Working Group

Presenters: 

• Jeanne Allen, Pax Christi USA Gun Violence Prevention Working Group
• Jennifer Kryszak, Nuns Against Gun Violence and Director of Strategic Planning for the Franciscan Peace Center
• Jen Morin-Williamson, Nuns Against Gun Violence and Peace, Justice and Ecology Coordinator for the Sisters of the Precious Blood
• Mike Walsh, Pax Christi USA Gun Violence Prevention Working Group

This presentation will consider the role of faith-based organizations, like the Pax Christi USA Gun Violence Prevention Working Group and Nuns Against Gun Violence, in responding to and working to eliminate gun violence. Presenters will consider why their organizations focus on gun violence prevention and their past efforts. Additionally, the presentation will focus on concrete actions that people can take in educating themselves and others about gun violence and advocating for gun violence prevention legislation.

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3 – What Catholics need to know about Palestine, organized by the Pax Christi USA Palestine Solidarity Working Group along with the Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus

Presenters: 

• Joryán Hernández, Peace Studies student at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame
• Lasya Priya, Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus Leadership Team, Graduate Student at UW-Madison
• Scott Wright, Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace

The topics covered would be Catholic Zionism (also Christian Zionism), just war/just peace, and student encampments.

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4 – War tax resistance: Refusing to pay for nuclear weapons, organized by the Pax Christi USA Nuclear Disarmament Working Group

Presenters::

• Lincoln Rice, coordinator of National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC)
• Judith Kelly, Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace
• Lorin Peters, a member of the Pax Christi USA Nuclear Disarmament Working Group
• Moderator: Christopher Spicer Hankle, a member of the Pax Christi USA Nuclear Disarmament Working Group

This workshop will include testimonies of war tax resisters and how to become one.

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5 – Activating the nonviolent lifestyle: An introduction to Kingian Nonviolence

Presenters: 

• Mary Quigley, facilitator of Saint Joseph Fort Wayne/Kekionga, Indiana Pax Christi 
• Stephen Niamke, National Field Organizer, Pax Christi USA

On the morning of April 4, 1968, hours before being assassinated, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared his vision with Bernard Lafayette, Jr. to “internationalize and institutionalize nonviolence.” Dr. Lafayette later worked with David C. Jensen to create a curriculum for those interested in helping to fulfill this vision of a Beloved Community. Mary Quigley and Stephen Niamke, both of whom are certified Kingian Nonviolence trainers, will introduce you to the Four Pillars and the Six Principles of Kingian Nonviolence, encouraging you to activate a movement for peace, justice, and nonviolence in your hearts, homes, and communities.

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6 – Mary at the foot of the cross: A virtual retreat on the death penalty and restorative justice, offered from 1:00-3:30 PM Eastern. Find more information below.

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4 PM Eastern

• Moving to action, led by Madeline Labriola and Iyana Turner-Vance

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4:30 PM Eastern

• Teacher of Peace 2024 award ceremony, celebrating Mary Catherine Bunting
• Closing Mass with Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv.

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Thanks to our co-sponsors!

• National Religious Campaign Against Torture
• Pax Christi Little Rock
• Pax Christi Michigan
• Maryknoll Lay Missioners
• Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters
• Marie Dennis 
• Fr. Fred Thelen

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Additional option on Saturday, September 7, 1:00-3:30 PM

Mary at the Foot of the Cross: A virtual retreat on death penalty/restorative justice  

Take time at the foot of the cross during this 2.5 hour virtual retreat on death penalty abolition and restorative justice. Hear from affected families, ministers, and activists as they share their stories and invite us to consider Mary’s unique role in our work to be a voice against the death penalty and help promote restorative justice. We will have time for reflection and sharing in small groups; plus art, music, and poetry.

If you register for the Pax Christi USA virtual conference, you can choose this option and Pax Christi USA will cover your registration fee and send you the participation link OR use this link to register for “Mary at the Foot of the Cross” directly.

Co-sponsored by: 

• Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning 
• Catholic Mobilizing Network
• Ignite Peace
• International Marian Research Institute  at the University of Dayton
• Journey of Hope
• Marianist Social Justice Collaborative (MSJC)
• Pax Christi USA