This Saturday, September 21, 2024, we celebrate as the International Day of Peace.
We know the world is deeply in need of peace. In the United States, we have seen a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Springfield, Ohio, has faced 33 bomb threats after residents disputed racist lies. Former Maryknoll Lay Missioner Jill Foster, who served in Haiti, is working for the Archdiocese there, and is quoted in this article about the impact on Haitians.
We also remember that armed conflicts continue in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar, and many of the communities where Maryknoll missioners serve in East Africa, Asia and Latin America are also afflicted by violence.
Pray
Read and share the prayer, Today let me live in peace.
Study
Register for the virtual panel that launches the Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action, organized by Pax Christi International, held on September 21 at 10am ET.
Act
- Protect Afghan Evacuees: Click here to urge Congress for the passage of the Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act (FPAAA), which would provide a direct pathway for permanent status to displaced Afghan allies.
- Raise your voice for Sudan: Click here to send a letter to Pres. Biden asking him to work for a truce in Sudan.
- Tell Congress to Stop the Flow of Guns to Haiti: Click here to send a message to Congress, which has the power to address the rampant and dangerous weapons exports that undermine communities in Haiti and around the world.
Here are some ideas of things you can do individually or as a small group on International Day of Peace.
- Observe a minute of silence at noon wherever you are.
- Share this prayer:"A call to prayer and solidarity" from the Nonviolence and Just Peace conference.
- Hold a prayer vigil for disarmamentand light a candle with some friends or neighbors.
- Imagine something you could do to help make for a more peaceful world… and then do it.
- Learn or retell the story of Sadako Sasaki and her One Thousand Paper Cranes and fold a paper crane in her memory.
- Construct a Peace Pole. A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” usually in a different language on each side.
- Share a version of the "Golden Rule" in a faith tradition other than your own.
- Learn about Maryknoll Sisters Giang Nguyen, Sia Temu and Teresa Hougnon and their "peace building team" in Kenya.
- Display a peace symbol that helps you imagine a community and world at peace.
- Learn to say and write the word for “peace” in another language.
- Play a cooperative gamewith children at Little Friends for Peace.
- Play a game at trainingforchange.org.
- Since International Day of Peace is also a “day of ceasefire”, try making peace with someone you have a conflict.
- Go to Campaign Nonviolence Week of Action to find an event happening in your area on September 21-25, 2016.