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Showing posts from August, 2023

Pax Christi USA, 1972–2022: The evolving Catholic peace movement in the United States

Written for the American Catholic Studies Journal, vol. 133, no. 4 (Winter 2022). Pax Christi USA, 1972–2022: The evolving Catholic peace movement in the United States Judy Coode Judy Coode is the incoming communications director for Pax Christi USA. Since 2016, she served as the project coordinator of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, a project of Pax Christi International; she previously worked 20 years with the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. For further comment please contact the author: jlcoode@gmail.com. In early August 2022, more than 300 people gathered at a hotel in Northern Virginia to celebrate 50 years of Pax Christi USA and Catholic peacemaking in the United States. The weekend included workshops on the Doctrine of Discovery, the U.S. military budget, justice for Palestinians, the nuclear weapons treaty, and Thomas Merton, to name only a few. The conference space was decorated with peace cranes, doz...

Breaking bread, the crust of companionship

 I was grateful to be asked by the Dorothy Day Guild to write this reflection on how Dorothy Day has affected my work. It was published in the June 2023 issue of the Guild’s newsletter. Breaking bread, the crust of companionship Communications director for Pax Christi USA  Judy Coode  reflects on the persistent presence of Dorothy Day in her life. From her Facebook page after college where she immediately placed a signature quote to her office now in Washington D.C. 20 years later, Dorothy is a staple in her efforts to fight “this filthy, rotten system.” It’s 2007. I’m creating an account on Facebook, the social media platform that recently opened itself to people who are not active university students. (At this point, it has been almost 20 years since I graduated from college.) I fill in the contact information—not everything, but some basics—and add a profile photo. My personal page offers a space to include a favorite quote. I know exactly which one I will use. I do n...