The peace movement is definitely alive and well in New York State. Here’s the latest.
Guantanamo Vigils
Vigils to close the detention center at Guantanamo, Cuba continue the first Wednesday of every month outside the main branch of the New York Public Library in New York City, though in January we vigiled on the 11th, the anniversary of the opening of the center in 2002. In addition to appealing to passersby to remember and put pressure on our government officials to fulfill past promises to make that closure a reality, we now appeal to the Trump Administration to stop using Guantanamo as a detention center for migrants. While Mr. Trump claims only those who are undocumented and have committed crimes are being sent there, word has it that there is no discrimination being made between documented and undocumented, criminal and law-abiding. Call the White House to demand the closure of Guantanamo Detention for everyone.
Ceasefire Vigil
Every Thursday, there is a mid-day vigil for a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel, and now the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and throughout the region, at the U.S. Mission to the UN across from the UN. People stand in silence facing the Mission with banners, signs, and baby dolls representing the Palestinian babies bloodied and killed. Pax Christi members faithfully lead this Vigil sometimes small and sometimes large.
Human Rights Day
A special Vigil happened on Human Rights Day, December 10th, outside the Japanese Consulate in New York City to celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize going to Nihon Hidankyo, an organization of Japanese atomic bomb survivors dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
January 22nd marked the fourth anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entering into force. We celebrated in New York City with a vigil in front of the New York Public Library and a procession to the Isaiah Wall and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations across from the UN.
In Support of Immigrants
On February 4th, Pax Christi Long Island (PCLI) joined other Long Island peace groups in a protest outside the Suffolk County Legislature meeting in Riverhead to support immigrants. Several activists, including Bob Keeler of PCLI, were able to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting encouraging the Legislature to refrain from cooperating with ICE in rounding up and deporting immigrants living in Suffolk County. (See Bob’s Statement here.) Channel 12 News was there and reported on the event during its TV news on the morning of February 5th. See video.https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE48NQeb83o
In addition, PCLI issued a formal Statement on Immigration which they are circulating among their elected representatives, bishops, churches, and the media, as best they can. Long Island has over 500,000 immigrants, 88,000 of them undocumented. Many are at great risk for deportation. We have modified it for submission as an OP Ed piece and have indications it will be published in one or more of their local papers.
Where Do Your Taxes Go Forum
Pax Christi Upstate New York, Veterans for Peace, and Peace Action of Broome County, NY had a very good forum on Saturday, February 8th on “Where Do Your Taxes Go?” Four panelists were not asked to focus on military spending, but they did and received mostly good responses.
Interviews re Palestine and Jobs Fair Pledge
Competent Sound tech master, Wilton Vought, and Jack Gilroy of Pax Christi Upstate New York drove to Ithaca on February 10th, to interview Mary Anne Grady Flores of Ithaca Catholic Worker. Mary Anne is very knowledgeable on Palestine. She was recently back from a trip to Israel and Palestine with a delegation organized by Friends of Sabeel North America. This was her third trip. She also lived there for some time years ago. You can hear a podcast about the trip here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-pilgrimage-to-occupied-palestine/id1464439315?i=1000694837475.
At Mary Anne’s house was a young woman Jack interviewed as well. As younger people would say “she was awesome.” Sumitra is a junior at Cornell and is alleged to be one of the participants in the pots and pans banging event that shut down a job fair at Cornell last September. The campus police came to her door at 5 AM a few days ago and arrested her and booked her for participating in the shut-down of the job fair. Sumitra says she knows arrests like this are going on in many universities—none of this reported in the NY Times. Sumitra and another young woman with her will focus on getting a Pledge not to interview with the war industry to students internationally and have an online sign on. You can hear the interview with
Sumitra Pandit here: Sumitra Pandit Interview.mp3.
Unveiling of Ben Salmon Portrait
Artist Robert Shetterly
The unveiling of the portrait of Ben Salmon, WWI Catholic war refuser imprisoned and tortured by the US government, took place at Regis University in Denver, CO on February 16th. Ben Salmon is now recognized as one of 280 “Americans who Tell the Truth.” Ben Salmon, along with individuals such as Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and Mark Twain, stands high in the minds of all Catholics who believe war is never just. You can learn more about Ben Salmon and sign the petition to have the Chicago Catholic Diocese where Ben died put Ben on the track to sainthood at https://www.bensalmon.org/sainthood.html, and you can learn more about the “Americans Who Tell the Truth” project at https://americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/ben-salmon/#:~:text=Ben%20Salmon%20was%20exempt%20from,questionnaire%20from%20the%20U.S.%20government.
Global Day of Action to Close Bases
World Beyond War declared Sunday, February 23rd the Global Day of Action to Close (Military) Bases, and many like-minded organizations joined them. Pax Christi Upstate New York began the day at 11:30 AM at All Saints Church in Syracuse for the Mass of Nonviolence. Agnostics and atheists at the Mass were equally moved by the theme of “Love Your Enemies,” the Gospel reading of the day. Fr Fred Daley, pastor, has the leading Peace Church in the Syracuse Diocese that reaches from Syracuse south to Pennsylvania and west to Lake Ontario. He based his homily on Ben Salmon, a heroic man of love and faith in God and his fellow man. Ben Salmon refused to accept the notion of a Just War and refused to train to kill–he was sentenced to prison, tortured, and regarded as a slacker and coward. To the left and right of the altar were banners, WORKS OF MERCY on one side and WORKS OF WAR on the other. It was a moving liturgy–especially with the native music of Congolese immigrants forced to come to cold Syracuse because of war in their homeland. We were joined by Cornell students who clapped hands with the Congolese choir as the Congolese sang their native language hymns.
We then went with our signs and banners to the gate of the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Air Base in Syracuse, a fifteen-minute drive from the church. We were not stopped and curiously, no arrests took place. Base security simply locked the gates and left us.
A free microphone was passed to students and others with signs and banners. The comments were focused on the immoral and violent stupidity of a security based on killing. The purpose of the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Air Basel flew in the face of our belief in diplomacy and our heartfelt love of humanity so evident in our little band of 30 as we shuffled feet and worked fingers to stay warm. Air Force Veteran and retired Attorney Ron Van Norstrand of Syracuse held the VFP flag high, and John Amidon, Marine Veteran of Albany, NY used his microphone to announce at the end of our program: “THIS 174 ATTACK WING OF THE NYS NATIONAL GUARD IS HEREBY CLOSED.” This was met by loud applause. See a video of the action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKPPK2p6QUU.
In New York City, members and friends of Pax Christi Metro New York gathered outside the Armed Forces Recruiting Station at Times Square. We prayed, sang, held banners and signs, chanted, and offered statements of support for the closure of military bases. We also distributed a fact sheet to passersby explaining the purpose of the day and the reasons bases should be closed.
Mass and Reception with Archbishop John C. Wester
The Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) took place at the UN the week of March 3rd. Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, NM came to New York to attend the meeting. In 2022, he authored the Pastoral Letter, Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament. Since then, he has become a leader in the U.S. Catholic Church calling for nuclear disarmament. While here in New York, he celebrated Mass with an enthusiastic gathering of fellow Catholic peace activists at Our Saviour Church not far from the UN. Following the Mass, there was a lovely reception at which the community got to mingle, eat, and hear some informative announcements and recommendations for action. Everyone who wanted it, received a leaflet with some background on the Treaty and further action suggestions. You can watch the whole Mass here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q799h9-KN5Y and see additional reports here: https://thetablet.org/nuclear-weapons-treaty-archbishop-wester-united-nations/ and here: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2025/03/nuclear-weapons-treaty-needs-nuclear-states-to-have-any-teeth-archbishop-wester-says
Rally and March for the TPNW
The following day began early with a rally and short march from the Isaiah Wall to the U.S. Mission to the UN also in support of the TPNW. Organized by the Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World and endorsed by many other groups, including Pax Christi New York State, hundreds joined, including many Japanese visiting for these important meetings. See reports here: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20250306/k10014741111000.html (English translation available) and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFaXMWrYapc.
Ash Wednesday Leafletting
The day of the rally and march for the TPNW was also Ash Wednesday. Eight Pax Christi Metro New York members followed our decades-old tradition of leafletting outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC with a Lenten Reflection. We distributed 1000 leaflets to the faithful during their lunchtime break.
Co-sponsorships/Endorsements/Sign-ons
Over the past few months, PCNYS has co-sponsored, endorsed, or signed onto the following:
- Letter in support of an MIT student’s right to free speech over an article he wrote regarding Palestine
- Letter opposing the use of the sanctions authority of the U.S. to attack the International Criminal Court
- Interfaith Statement to the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- Working Papers 1 & 2 by Affected Communities and Allies Working Group for a Nuclear-Free World
- Statement by U.S. Non-governmental Organizations on President Trump’s Recent Statements Endorsing the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza
- Faith Sign-on Letter Supporting Refugee Resettlement
- Letter in support of the restoration of U.S. funding of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
- Christian Leaders, Activists, and Persons of Conscience Stand against Forced Displacement and Reaffirm the Inalienable Palestinian Right to a Life of Freedom and Dignity in their Ancestral Homeland