The Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action are celebrated each year between September 21, the International Peace Day and October 2, the International Day of Nonviolence and Gandhi’s birthday. This is a busy time for all of us, with the Season of Creation, Campaign Nonviolence, and the Week of Prayer for Peace in Palestine & Israel all taking place during the same period.
Use this link to download this new resource from Pax Christi International with suggestions for action in 2024.
Pax Christi USA opportunities during the Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action – Stay tuned for more information!
- September 19, 7 PM Eastern (online): Start off the Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action a few days early with a report back from an August delegation to Palestine followed by our quarterly PAX Mass, with celebrant, Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace Fr. Chris Ponnet.
- Starting September 16, 7 PM Eastern (online): A five-part online series, organized by Casa Esther Catholic Worker, Pax Christi USA and the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative (CNI), will be offered each Monday from September 16 until October 28 (except October 14) This is the third annual CNI series, designed especially for university students and faculty, intended to delve more deeply into nonviolence and how it connects to our faith. This year’s series focuses particularly on synodality, as we prepare for the upcoming session of the Synod on Synodality to be held in Rome. The series is primarily aimed at university students, but anyone can register to receive the recordings of each session. Each event will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@casaesthercw, but to receive the recordings, please register.
- September 21, 1-2:30 PM Eastern (online): Register to join Pax Christi New York State leader Rosemarie Pace for a report on last spring’s delegation to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when Pax Christi members met with hibakusha (survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings), local peace activists, and church leaders. Joining Rosemarie will be Alice Slater, UN NGO representative of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, board member of World BEYOND War, the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, the Global Council of Abolition 2000, and the Advisory Board of Nuclear Ban-US, who will provide up-to-date information on the status of nuclear weapons treaties and the current threat of nuclear war, and Ann Suellentrop, fellow pilgrim to Japan, Project Director for Physicians for Social Responsibility Kansas City, Physicians for Social Responsibility national board member, a member of PeaceWorks KC, and active with the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, offering action suggestions. Contact Rosemarie at nypaxchristi@gmail.com to register and to receive the Zoom link.
- September 21, 10 AM-noon Pacific (1 PM Eastern): Pax Christi Southern California will hold its virtual fall assembly, “Our future is in our hands: Understanding the consequences of nuclear weapons,” with keynote speaker Nick Mele of Pax Christi Pacific Northwest. Nick is also a member of the Pax Christi USA nuclear disarmament working group. He’ll be joined by Maylene Hughes of Physicians for Social Responsibility and Eddie Laiche with Students for Nuclear Disarmament. Use this link to register. All are welcome.
- September 29, 10 AM Eastern (online): Pax Christi International will launch the Catholic Nonviolence Institute and will present its 2023 peace prize to the Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF) in Rome. This event will be live-streamed; check back for the link!
- Stay tuned for details about a special event of remembrance and lamentation on the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel (October 7) and the start of the current devastation of Gaza and Palestine (October 8).
- Anytime: Make plans to renew the Vow of Nonviolence, either individually or as a group. Use this new guide from the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative to organize a Vow of Nonviolence service.
Additional events during the Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action
Send in your events to add to the list! Send the details to jcoode@paxchristiusa.org.
- September 19, 4:30-6 PM Central: Pax Christi Dallas, along with Pastors for Peace and CodePink, will protest Raytheon, at the corner of Inwood Road and Lemmon Avenue.
- September 23-October 2: Members of Pax Christi Northern California will vigil each day at different rapid transit stations with a banner reading, “Would you like to talk about Israel and Palestine?”, offering a 2-page summary of history, current events, and action suggestions to each rider who reads the banner, and engaging any who wish in conversation.
- September 20-22: #NoWar2024 conference (online + in person): Join #NoWar2024 virtually – or in-person in Australia, Germany, Colombia, and the US – for this three-day conference to learn about the impact of the US’s military base empire and how to resist it. The conference will travel virtually across the globe, visiting sites near US military bases, from Australia, to Germany, to Colombia, with the concluding event in Washington, DC, the heart of the US military base empire. Use this link to learn more.
- Thursday, September 26, 12:30 PM, Interfaith Prayer Service in observance of the UN International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (in person): Co-sponsored by Pax Christi New York State. Bring a prayer, poem, reflection, or hymn for the abolition of nuclear weapons or, more generally, for peace. Everyone in attendance will have the opportunity to share from your faith tradition. There is no formal program; we are the program. Let us know you are coming. Contact: nypaxchristi@gmail.com. The Gazebo at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, E. 47th Street and Second Avenue, New York City.
Resources to help plan your Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action
- Vow of Nonviolence prayer service, for your community, small group, or parish
- Pope Francis’s prayer for a culture of nonviolence (YouTube recording)
- Eucharist for Gospel nonviolence (Eucaristía del Evangelio de la noviolencia)
- Hope and act with Creation, a Catholic liturgical guide for the 2024 Season of Creation
For resources from Pax Christi USA’s past participation in the Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action, click below:
Find more on our work to promote nonviolence at this link.