John Dear, peace activist, author, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, will give a workshop at Avila University Sat., March 7, and will speak March 8 at the Community of Christ Temple in Independence. By Feb. 1, the website (jpatkc.org) will go live that sells tickets to the workshop ($25 or, for students, $10). The March 8 talk will be free.
Living the Nonviolent Life: A Day-Long Workshop
9am-4pm, Sat., 3/7, at Avila University, KC MO
John will lead three sessions on active nonviolence based on his recent best-selling book, The Nonviolent Life. He will propose that the best way forward and the hope for us all—personally, spiritually, nationally and globally—is through active nonviolence, in the tradition of Dr. King and Gandhi.
To explore these traditions and examine their application today, John will hold three sessions—each beginning with his input, then small-group discussion, and finally, large-group discussion, on the following topics:
- a) Nonviolence toward ourselves
- b) Nonviolence toward all others, all creatures, and Mother Earth
- c) Nonviolence as a global grassroots movement for the transformation of the world into a new culture of justice and peace
Join us for a great day to deepen our lives in the way of active nonviolence.
The Nonviolent Path as Illuminated by Jesus
2-4pm, Sun., 3/8, at Community of Christ Temple, Independence, MO
John will reflect on the nonviolence of Jesus, from his teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, to his public campaign in Jerusalem and his death and resurrection, and what this means for Christians today—that we are all called to practice nonviolence and work for a new world without war, poverty, racism, nuclear weapons, and environmental destruction. John will propose that creative nonviolence is the new hallmark of Christianity and the measure of our discipleship. Join us for a vigorous new reflection about how to follow Jesus in these difficult times.
Biography
Rev. John Dear is an internationally recognized voice and leader for peace and nonviolence. For years he directed the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the US. After Sept. 11, 2001, he was a Red Cross coordinator of chaplains at the Family Assistance Center in New York and counseled thousands of relatives and rescue workers. John has traveled the war zones of the world, been arrested some 80 times for peace, led Nobel Peace Prize winners to Iraq, given thousands of lectures on peace across the US, and served as pastor of several churches in New Mexico. He arranged for Mother Teresa to speak to various governors to stop impending executions and helped draft Pope Francis’ Jan. 1, 2017, World Day of Peace message on nonviolence. He is a co-founder of Campaign Nonviolence and the Nonviolent Cities Project and is on the staff of Pace e Bene (Peace and Goodness)—see www.paceebene.org.
John’s 35 books include: The Beatitudes of Peace; They Will Inherit the Earth; The Nonviolent Life; Radical Prayers; Walking the Way; Thomas Merton Peacemaker; A Persistent Peace; Transfiguration; You Will Be My Witnesses; Living Peace; The Questions of Jesus; The God of Peace; Jesus the Rebel; Peace Behind Bars; Lazarus Come Forth! and Disarming the Heart. He has been nominated many times for the Nobel Peace Prize, including by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sen. Barbara Mikulski. A former Jesuit, he is now a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Monterey, CA. He lives in Big Sur, CA. See www.johndear.org.
—By Jim Hannah, a member of the PeaceWorks-KC Board of Directors
