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The Ambassadors of Peace Program was created
to honor with official identification people who have been
leaders in Pax Christi but are not currently on the National
Council or Staff. The award is meant to help broaden Pax
Christi's outreach by the continued active participation
of people with long experience in Pax Christi, and to mark
significant moments in Pax Christi’s history.
For more information on the Ambassadors
of Peace program, or to contact specific Ambassadors of
Peace, contact the national office; 814-453-4955, ext. 221
- info@paxchristiusa.org
To order resources by PCUSA Ambassadors of Peace, click here.
Ambassadors:
Bill and Mary Carry
of Sylvan Lake, Michigan: Mary served on the national council
of Pax Christi USA from 1980 to 1983 and Bill served in
the early 1990s, including two years as Treasurer. Bill
retired from his position as an engineer for Chrysler to
devote himself to full-time peace work, and Mary is well-known
throughout Michigan for her work teaching conflict resolution
in schools.
Helen Casey
(deceased): Helen served as co-coordinator for
Pax Christi Michigan for six years. She was also a past member
of the Pax Christi USA national council. Helen was the first
woman appointed to the Michigan Catholic Conference Board
of Directors and also served as a member of the United States
Catholic Conference’s Campaign for Human Development.
Helen participated in nonviolent civil disobedience
actions resulting in numerous arrests and three jail terms.
Helen also served as a consultant to the USCC committee
that resulted in the original Call to Action conference
in 1976.
Cathleen Crayton,
of Claremont, California: Cathleen served on the Pax Christi National Council from 1998-2003, where she served as Vice Chair from 2001-2003. She is a co-founder of the Pax Christi Anti Racism Team. She is a charter member of her local Pax Christi group, Pax Christi Pomona Valley, and she has served in various leadership capacities at the regional level of Pax Christi Southern California. Cathy boasts many years of experience with community organizing with the East Valley's Organization. She has served on the boards of prominent social justice organizations including NETWORK, The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Commission for Justice and Peace and the San Gabriel Region Pastoral Council (Archdiocese of Los Angeles), as well as the Catholic Campaign for Human Development Advisory Committee. She has written published articles on the topic of anti-racism, and is a speaker at workshops, conferences and other gatherings.
Tom Cordaro,
of Naperville, Illinois: Tom is the director of Justice and
Outreach Ministry at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville.
He has served as chair of the Pax Christi USA national council
and has worked as a professional writer, organizer and activist
in the faith-based peace movement for more than 20 years.
He is the author of To Wake the Nation, an introduction to nonviolent civil disobedience. Tom is also one of the founding members of Pax Christi USA’s anti-racism
team and the anti-racism initiative, Brothers and Sisters All.
Fr. John Dear,
SJ of Springer, New Mexico: John is a Jesuit priest, pastor, peace activist, organizer, lecturer, retreat leader, and the author/editor of over 25 books, including: Living Peace, Mohandas Gandhi: Essential Writings, Mary of Nazareth, Prophet of Peace, The Questions of Jesus, You Will Be My Witnesses and coming in 2007, Transfiguration. John served as the executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation from 1998-2000. He is the founder of Pax Christi New Mexico. Following the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, John began volunteering as a Red Cross chaplain and became one of the coordinators for the chaplain program.
Marie Dennis
of Washington, DC: Marie is currently the vice president of Pax Christi International. She is a former chairperson of the national
council of Pax Christi USA and presently serves as the Pax Christi USA representative
to the Human Rights Commission of Pax Christi International.
She is the director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns.
Marie's areas of expertise include Latin America and the global economy, particularly debt. She has written a number of books, including St. Francis and the Foolishness of God and Oscar Romero: Reflections on His Life and Writings.
Rev. Doug Doussan
of New Orleans, Louisiana: Doug is a former Chair of the PCUSA national
council and inspired the birth of Pax Christi New Orleans.
As a member of Pax Christi’s Commission on Nonviolence,
he developed Pax Christi’s Hawks and Doves
conflict resolution program. He presently serves as the
pastor of St. Gabriel’s Church in New Orleans.
Eileen Egan
(deceased): Eileen was the first layperson and first
woman to work for Catholic Relief Services, serving as the
India executive. Egan was one of the co-founders of Pax
Christi USA in the early 1970s, as well as a friend of Mother
Teresa and Dorothy Day. Egan wrote several books about her work with Mother
Teresa, including: Such a Vision of the Street, At Prayer
with Mother Teresa, Blessed Are You: Mother Teresa and the
Beatitudes, and The Spirit & the Work. Egan also
organized several of Mother Teresa’s visits to the
US, including a 1960 visit that brought together Mother
Teresa and Dorothy Day.
Joseph J. Fahey
of New York City, New York: Joseph is a professor of religious
studies and a member of the peace studies faculty at Manhattan
College in New York City. He holds a Ph.D. in religion and
social ethics from New York University, and served as honorary
research fellow at Queens University, Belfast. He is a co-founder of Pax Christi USA, former
General Secretary and chairperson of Pax Christi USA, and
has served on the councils of the Fellowship of Reconciliation,
the Peace Studies Association, and the Consortium on Peace
Research, Education, and Development.
He is the author of Reinhold Niebuhr on Human Nature and World Peace; Peace, War, and the Christian Conscience; Irenology: The Study of Peace, War and the Christian Conscience: Where Do You Stand? and co-editor of A Peace Reader: Essential Readings on War, Justice, Non-Violence and World Order.
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
of Detroit, Michigan: Bishop Gumbleton is a noted speaker and
writer, who’s columns appear regularly in the National
Catholic Reporter. Bishop Gumbleton is the founding
Bishop President of Pax Christi USA, and is the pastor of
St. Leo’s parish in the inner city of Detroit. Bishop
Gumbleton was president of Bread for the World from 1976-84
and is the co-founder of the Michigan Coalition for Human
Rights. He has been a board member of the MK Gandhi Institute
for Nonviolence, New Ways Ministry, Witness for Peace, and
Fellowship of Reconciliation.
Mary Lou Kownacki,
OSB of Erie, Pennsylvania: Mary Lou has been a member of Pax Christi
since the founding assembly in 1973 and served for several
years as Chair of the national council. She served as the
National Coordinator from 1985 to 1991. She is a poet and an author of numerous books, including Between Two Souls: Conversations with Ryokan and The Nonviolent Moment: A Spirituality for the 21st Century. Mary Lou served as the Executive Director of the Alliance
for International Monasticism and started the Inner-City Neighborhood Art House in Erie, PA. Mary Lou was named the recipient of Pax Christi USA's Teacher of Peace Award in 2006.
Ray LaPort (deceased): Ray grew up in the small city of Lockport,
N.Y., and served in the Army in the Pacific at New Guinea
and the Philippines. After retiring, he began to volunteer
with the American Red Cross and then worked as a driver
for the Lift program, transporting mentally and physically
incapacitated people of all ages. While doing this work,
he became involved with the local Pax Christi group in Erie
and soon became a volunteer at the national office. In 1995,
Ray committed civil disobedience at the School of the Americas
in Columbus, Ga., and was arrested and imprisoned. Ray was
also involved with Hospice, Veterans for Peace, and the
Erie Benedictines.
Bishop Raymond Lucker
(deceased): Bishop Lucker spent his lifetime devoted
to renewal of the Church in religious education. He was
a pioneer in the American catechetical renewal, helping
the nationwide development of the Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine and the National Conference of Diocesan Directors.
He was a delegate to the International Catechetical Congress
in Rome in 1971, and was elected by the Bishops of the United
States as a delegate to the Synod in 1977. Bishop Lucker
was a long-time member of Pax Christi USA, and president
of Pax Christi Minnesota.
Antonia Malone
of Middletown, New Jersey: Tonie served on the national council
for six years and was one of the founders of Pax Christi
New Jersey. She served for many years as the Coordinator
of Pax Christi New Jersey and participated in the Cry
for Justice nonviolent accompaniment project in Haiti
after the coup of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide.
Tonie served as an associate editor of the Catholic
Peace Voice, Pax Christi’s quarterly publication,
and trains teachers in conflict resolution.
Colman McCarthy,
of Washington, DC: Colman is a former columnist with The
Washington Post, and has written for several magazines,
including The New Yorker and The Progressive.
Colman directs the Center for Teaching Peace, a non-profit
organization that helps schools establish peace studies
programs. He is the author of I'd Rather Teach Peace.
Megan McKenna,
of Albuquerque, New Mexico: Megan is a longtime member of Pax Christi
USA and served six years on the national council. Megan
travels the world preaching the Scriptures, telling stories
and listening to the words of the Spirit loose in all the
lands and peoples of the world. Megan has also written several
books, including Words of Fire, Mary Mother of All Nations:
Icons, Mary of Mystery: Poems, and Send My Roots Rain.
Joseph Nangle, OFM of Washington, DC:
Joe is a member of the Franciscan - Province of the Most Holy Name, New York City. He has been a professed religious for 5 years and 49 years an ordained priest. Ministries: He has been involved in urban ministry in Boston and New York City and was a missionary to Bolivia ad founding pastor of Most Holy Name Parish, Lima, Peru. Joe was on staff at the Office for International Justice and Peace, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and was the director for the Justice and Peace Office, Conference of Major Superiors of Men. Joe was a staff member and writer for SOJOURNERS Magazine and the Director of the Franciscan Mission Service (lay overseas mission program). He is currently Associate Pastor for Hispanic Ministries at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Arlington, VA. Joe is a founding member of Assisi Community, Washington, DC (an intentional community of lay men and women, religious and priests living in two inner-city row houses and dedicated to simplicity of life and social change).
Beatrice Parwatikar, of Shoreham, Vermont:
Beatrice is a former member of the Pax Christi USA National Council and a founding member of Pax Christi USA's anti-racism team. She is a published writer including the author of Hoping, Seeking and Demanding Justice: Reflections for Advent 2004. She is a board member of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners, and serves on The National Black Catholic
Congress Social Justice Commission. She is a member Pax Christi Burlington, INCITE (Women of Color Against Violence) and consider's St. Louis Abbey her spiritual home. Beatrice is a pastoral associate, workshop presenter and facilitator.
Kathleen Pruitt,
CSJP of Seattle, Washington: Kathleen is a former Chair of the
national council and presently serves as a Vice-President
of the Executive Committee of Pax Christi International.
She has been a bridge builder between Pax Christi sections
around the world and continues to integrate the spirituality
of nonviolence with the work of Pax Christi worldwide. Kathleen
is the Province leader of Our Lady of Province of the Sisters
of St. Joseph of Peace.
Nancy Small,
of Upton, Massachusetts: Nancy is a former national coordinator
of Pax Christi USA.
She holds an MDiv from Union Theological
Seminary in New York with a concentration in Church and
Society and is a certified spiritual director. She was the
director of Pax Christi Metro New York from 1991-96, and served on the Pax
Christi USA national council from 1992-95. With Pax Christi, Nancy has worked with a
variety of issues in the areas of spirituality of nonviolence,
including conflict resolution, disarmament, and economic
justice. Nancy’s commitment to justice began during
her years as a Jesuit Volunteer, when she witnessed poverty
first-hand as a pastoral minister and as a legal advocate
in public assistance and landlord/tenant matters. Pax Christi
USA received the 1997 Call to Action award for its singular
contribution to raising Catholic consciousness on issues
of war and peace and the challenge to live nonviolently.
Bishop Walter Sullivan,
of Richmond, Virginia: Bishop Walter Sullivan was the second bishop-president of Pax Christi USA and served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond,
Va. Bishop Sullivan is a national leader of the religious
community’s involvement in the work of justice and
peace. He has served on the boards of Christian Children’s
Fund (based in Richmond), the Churches’ Center for
Theology and Public Policy in Washington, D.C., the Virginia
Interfaith Center for Public Policy, the Catholic Committee
of Appalachia, and numerous diocesan boards. He has been
on the board of the National Catholic Office for Persons
with Disabilities, and on the administrative board of the
National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Gerard Vanderhaar
(deceased) - Gerard was a founding member of Pax Christi USA, a professor of religion and
peace studies at Christian Brothers University in Memphis,
and a member of the ‘Alternatives to Violence’
commission of Pax Christi USA. He wrote many books, including Personal Nonviolence: A Practical Spirituality for Peacemakers, and Beyond Violence: In the Spirit of the Non-violent Christ, which won the Pax Christi USA Book Award in 1998.
Janice Vanderhaar, of Memphis, Tennessee: A member of Pax Christi since 1973, Janice served two terms on the PCUSA National Council, and coordinated the Pax Christi-Memphis chapter. She helped found and has served on the boards of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, and the Gerard A. Vanderhaar Symposium. She and her husband Gerry were staff members at the International Peace Center in Antwerp, Belgium in 1979-80. She was a social worker with the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association in Memphis for 16 years. She received (with Gerry) the Bishop Dozier Award for Peace and Justice from Christian Brothers University, was named "50 Women Who Make a Difference" in Memphis, received the “Catherine of Siena” award for peace and justice from the St. Catherine Dominicans of Kentucky, and was recognized by Muslims of Memphis for her contributions to interfaith dialogue in 2007.
Gordon Zahn,
of Wauwatosa, Wis.: Gordon is a well-known Catholic peace activist, and founding
member of Pax Christi USA. Gordon was a conscientious objector
in World War II, and has authored several books dealing
with conscientious objectors: German Catholics and Hitler’s
Wars; In Solitary Witness: The Life and Death of Franz Jaegerstaetter;
and Another Part of the War: The Camp Simon Story,
which is an account of his own conscientious objection experience.
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