Pax Christi USA Young Adults publish inaugural zine!

At the 2022 Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus (PCYAC) retreat, the initial thought of producing a zine* arose during a listening session. Two years later, we are excited to share the work of six young adult contributors and one editor in our inaugural issue of our new zine, The Rose and the Barbed Wire! Special thanks goes to editor Lasya Priya and contributors Eliane Lakam, Michael Martin, Vivian Mieta Ourand, Kasha Sanor, Jessica Sun, and Cathy Nguyen.

From the letter from our editor, Lasya Priya (pictured): 

Our desire in bringing this together is simply to share with you the voices and visions of young prophetic peacemakers, in the hope that you will be energized as you continue to work for peace and justice. We join the many before us who have committed themselves to following the radical and nonviolent way of Jesus of Nazareth. This collection of art, poetry, and prose that is included in this inaugural PCYAC zine invites us to explore the many ways young adults in our movement reflect on “What is peace? What is nonviolence?” Their contributions provide glimpses of nonviolence as the power of love in action resisting and disarming violence; illuminating human dignity; and fostering reconciliation, justice, and peace. Our hope is that this collection inspires readers to deepen their own exploration of nonviolence as a spirituality, a way of life, a method for change, and a universal ethic. 

We especially extend our gratitude to the US Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and especially support from Brother Rob Reuter, C.PP.S. The funding from the Precious Blood brothers and priests made this zine possible; thanks to their generous support, we were able to print and distribute this publication, as well as provide stipends to our contributors for their writing, art, and time. 

As you continue your work towards building a truly just society, it is my prayer that you will be inspired by the sheer audacity of the rose that blooms even from a barbed wire and that you will be able to find within yourself the courage and patience that this timely work demands of you. I will leave you with the quote that became my life’s motto the day I heard it: “Hope is not a luxury I always have, but I choose to keep fighting anyway.” 

 *A zine, a take on “magazine,” is usually a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images. Historically, zines have provided community for socially isolated individuals or groups through the ability to express and pursue common ideas and subjects. For this reason, zines have cultural and academic value as tangible traces of marginal communities, many of which are otherwise little-documented. Zines present groups that have been dismissed with an opportunity to voice their opinion, both with other members of their own communities or with a larger audience. [Wikipedia]

You can download an electronic version here or by clicking the image of the zine cover above. We have a limited number of paper versions available. Please email msherman@paxchristiusa.org if you would like a copy.