Fr. Louie in NJ This Week & Again in June

Father Louie Vitale, the founder of Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service, will be touring the east coast this spring. He will be making several stops in NJ.

Below is a list of his current engagements.

For more info on Fr. Louie’s calendar including contact info for each event click here.


May 19, 2009
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Torture: Spiritual and Moral Perspectives
Princeton Theological Seminary
64 Mercer St 609-921-8300
Princeton, NJ, 08540

May 20, 2009
10:00am - 12:00pm
Loving Your Enemies: Transforming Us vs. Them Thinking
Monroe Township Municipal Building
1 Municipal Way
Monroe Township, NJ, 08831

May 21, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Love Your Enemies: Transforming Us vs. Them Thinking
Sacred Heart Church
Broadway & Ferry
Camden , NJ

June 10, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Living as a Peacemaker
St. Bonaventure Church
174 Ramsey St
Paterson, NJ, 07501

June 11, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
The Nonviolent Response to Terrorism
St. Francis of Assisi Church
4700 Long Beach Blvd
Brant Beach, NJ, 08008


About Fr. Louie

With a background in sociology and a focus on the Sociology of Religion and social movements, Louie is a long time social activist. A Franciscan priest who served as the provincial of the California Franciscan Friars from 1979 to 1988, he co-founded the Nevada Desert Experience and its enduring movement to end nuclear testing. He recently completed twelve years as the pastor of St. Boniface Catholic Church in a low-income neighborhood in San Francisco, California. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Louie finished serving a six month sentence for his nonviolent action in trying to draw attention to and to close the School of the Americas/Whinsec at Ft. Benning, GA in 2006. He is currently the “Action Advocate” for Pace e Bene and is involved in trying to raise awareness about issues of torture and US involvement in it. To that end, he was arrested at Ft. Huachuca in Nov 2006 and served five months in prison from October 2007 to March 2008.

About Pace e Bene
Founded in 1989 by the Franciscan Friars of California, Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service is an independent, nondenominational 501(c)3 organization with offices in Oakland, Chicago, Montreal, and Las Vegas. Its mission is to foster a just and peaceful world through nonviolence education, community-building, and action.

Hence the name. St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi greeted the people of the thirteenth century with the expression “Pace e bene!” or “Peace and all good!” So much was expressed by this little phrase: May you have the fullness of well-being, may you be secure and happy; may you not want; may your dignity be respected; may the goodness in your inmost being flourish; may the world in which we live know this deep peace. It was a blessing, a hope, and a way of acknowledging the sacredness of those whom they encountered.

It is in this spirit that Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service works to mainstream peacemaking that will empower people from all walks of life to prayerfully and relentlessly engage in nonviolent efforts for the well-being of all.