Why We Do What We Do...

I received this from Rev. Petero Sabune, the Protestant pastor at Sing-Sing Prison and the leader of Pax Christi NJ’s most recent retreat, regarding an upcoming action we are planning for the people who are being detained for immigration violations in the Hudson County Jail. But it was so meaningful and beautiful that I wanted to share it with you. This is for all of you who have stood alone or in small groups to address injustice and to pray for change.

Yesterday was the anniversary of John Newton, March 10, 1748. His ship capsized in the gulf of Guinea, but his human cargo did not kill him. They saved his life. He later became an Anglican priest and mentor to William Wilberforce. John heard the voice of God in the mourns and groans of the Africans below in the ship, composed Amazing Grace and became an abolitionist. Wilberforce became a member of parliament, a free holder, and submitted legislation to abolish slavery, every week for 25 years. Two weeks before he died slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833. They used to meet for tea and Bible Study on Thursdays, at Hannah Moore's house at Clapham.

A prayer Vigil or a March is political, legal, social but it is also spiritual. When we stand or walk together those who see us know and those detained, see and hear us. Even those who guard know we are there in solidarity with those in detention. Even there is one or two people we need to remember and remind each other why we do what we do. We need to pray, not just for them but for each other. Like the abolitionists who came before we, the struggle continues.

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.

Domincan Nuns Added to Terrorist Watch List

Sister Carol Gilbert and Sister Ardeth Platte were among 53 peace activists whose names were added to the national terrorist watch list after being targeted by a Maryland State Police surveillance program. Each previously served nearly three years in federal prison for a non-violent protest at a missile silo in Colorado in 2002. The story of their 2002 arrest and prosecution is the subject of a documentary entitled Conviction.