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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.

Cover of American Catholic Studies journal, Winter 2022

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, dozens of photos from the archives, and pieces of the Peace Ribbon, a 1985 anti-nuclear project. An area was dedicated to mementos and historical documents, and a table held photos of Pax Christi USA members who have died.

The overall atmosphere at this first national assembly of Pax Christi USA since 2016 was energetic and positive. After having few chances to be together in recent years, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, longtime members happily reconnected in person, and the increased numbers of younger persons and persons of color were apparent. Despite ongoing domestic political instability, the existential climate crisis, and diminished trust in the hierarchical leadership of the Catholic Church, conference participants affirmed their connection to Pax Christi and its deep commitment to Gospel nonviolence in all its forms.

Reflecting on the 50th anniversary celebration, Nancy Small, past Pax Christi USA national coordinator, recognized that nonviolence was coming into its own. “Nonviolence is its own force,” she said, “coming into an age where it will be more powerful, more palpable.” She was impressed by the commitment and dedication of the organizers, speakers, workshop facilitators, and participants across the weekend. In light of all of this impressive work, she asked, “How do we take this power and find a way to utilize it in a nation so divided? How can [Pax Christi] be a force for good, for healing in a time that is so divisive? [There is] so much potential.”1 The history of Pax Christi USA over the last fifty years does not provide a definitive answer to that question, but it does point hopefully toward the future.

Drawing on interviews with members, including former leaders of Pax Christi, and archival material, this essay traces the history of Pax Christi USA from its founding in 1972 to the contemporary moment.2 The history of this organization started in the United States with a small, committed group primarily composed of academics who were deeply affected by the wars of the mid-twentieth century and it continues through today with members across the country who recognize that peace is built on dignity, “inclusiveness, economic and interracial justice, human rights and care of creation.”In light of the rich, varied, and nuanced dimensions of this movement over the past five decades, this essay is but one contribution to the much larger story and comprehensive history of Pax Christi USA.

The arc of this brief history traces the growth of the movement from one focused on a narrow understanding of peace focused on nuclear disarmament to one that encompasses economic justice, racial justice, and the emergence of global consciousness. Consequently, in broad strokes, the first part of this paper provides a chronological history of the organization from its founding to today. The second part of the paper focuses on Pax Christi USA’s role in the formation of the 1983 United States bishops’ peace pastoral before turning to consideration of the organization’s focus on economic justice, military resistance, and international concerns, especially in Latin America. The final part of the paper presents the turn toward anti-racism within the organization before concluding with an eye on the future. Taken together, this overview of Pax Christi USA suggests that the Catholic peace movement will maintain its priorities while adapting to new contexts. ...

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