Pax Christi USA, a Catholic based, now interreligious group that promotes peace and justice held their annual meeting at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit, July 24-27. The group was founded in 1972 but is related to Pax Christi International which began in Europe in 1945 after the Second World War. Their theme this year was “Reclaiming the Power of Nonviolence in a Broken World.” The organization’s perennial themes – abolishing nuclear weapons, finding peaceful solutions to wars, caring for the environment and for excluded people (immigrants, the disabled, the racially marginalized) and their commitment to anti-racism could be seen in the programming of the conference.
Keynote speakers included Jonathan Kuttab (Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel in North America) who addressed the crisis in Gaza, Maria Stephan who inventoried successful nonviolent campaigns around the world and throughout recent history, and Martha Inez Romero of Colombia, Secretary General of Pax Christi International, who talked (via video) about the fragility of multilateralism in our current world and the challenges of peacemaking.
Spirited music ministers led the group. ValLimar and Frank Jansen, accompanied by local Detroit musicians, shared moving songs. ValLimar was very energetic, with a beautiful, strong voice and striking and sparkly African-themed garb. Frank played the keyboards for songs – many of which he and ValLimar composed together. The couple shared their various CDs with those who gathered.
The Saturday night program featured Santiago Fernandez, who is music and worship director at Church of the Holy Family in Novi. He shared some of his own compositions that involved thoughtful reflections on faith. The Keir Ward Gospel Choir shared their musical talents, as well. They had everyone clapping and some dancing for their rendition of “God is Good.” Some of their choir members were part of the earlier St. Leo’s Sunday choir, back when Bishop Thomas Gumbleton (a founder of Pax Christi USA) pastored there (in Detroit).
There were quite a few concurrent workshops during the weekend that each drew a crowd. Strangers no Longer provided an opportunity for conference attendees to hear from members of their Immigration Working Group, so that attendees could better grasp the dire circumstances and challenges immigrants are facing at this moment in U.S. history. Another workshop focused on the rights of indigenous peoples, the harm done to them over the centuries and how to best express solidarity with indigenous communities today.
Another workshop focused on the war in Sudan with its complex political and military causes, the damage done and the humanitarian situation as 145,000 people have died from direct violence and famine and millions of people are displaced. Dr. Nada Fadul described training medics (via cell phone video) in first aid and trauma response to the many wounded in the war that are overwhelming the few hospitals that remain.
One workshop looked at how Artificial Intelligence is being used as part of a surveillance State. Tawana Petty discussed AI facial recognition technology being used in Detroit that has led to several cases of misidentification resulting in innocent people being accused of crimes they did not commit. Andrea Reyes of Texas discussed how Texas school systems were using AI data to predict which students may drop out or commit crime, reinforcing a school to prison pipeline. Jalal abu Hatr, a Palestinian who joined online from Israel discussed the use of “Rafael Systems” drones which can fire on civilians. He notes that living inside Israel as he does, his daily movements are surveilled by the Israeli government.
Other workshops included topics of nonviolence, nuclear disarmament, faith-based advocacy, and the concerning connection between guns and youth suicide. Participants met together to share steps that could be taken as a community to address these many problems facing our world.
Awards were given to several key activists. Joryán Hernandez, a Cuban-American graduate student at University of Notre Dame won the inaugural Sr. Dianna Ortiz Peacemaker Award. Sr. Dianna was an Ursuline sister who had been tortured while serving the poor in Guatemala. She had subsequently devoted her life to helping torture victims and trying to eradicate practices of torture. Hernandez received the award for his leadership on his campus regarding solidarity with those suffering in Gaza. He led a campaign for the university to divest from military contracts.
Another awardee was a Michigan-based group, the Meta Peace Team, co-founded by Fr. Peter Dougherty in 1978 and currently run by Mary Hanna (both of whom were there to receive the “Teacher of Peace” award for MPT). MPT teaches and practices nonviolent skills necessary to prevent and/or de-escalate conflict and violence. They often accompany groups who want to express their views in public contexts that may make them vulnerable to attack. The stage was full when the MPT leaders asked all in the audience who had been trained and/or part of a peace team to come to the stage with them.
An awardee who won the Eileen Egan Peacemaker award was Ralph McCloud, who was for many years the executive director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, which is the program of the US Catholic Bishops that addresses poverty. Dissatisfied with aspects of his work for the Bishops, McCloud resigned in 2024 and is currently a fellow with NETWORK, a lobby group that promotes Catholic Social Teaching.
Sunday morning, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger presided over mass, aided by Pax Christi Bishop John Stowe. The mass had a large attendance. In addition to Weisenburger’s support, Pax Christi USA also received a letter from Pope Leo XIV which commended Pax Christi for its concerns for peace and social justice.
The conference ended with attendees streaming out of the Renaissance Center with many signs and messages in their hands. They proceeded to the Spirit of Detroit statue at the foot of Woodward and Jefferson, where they had a prayer ceremony (music led by Julie Beutel) that included a prayer for people and also for the land and water.
