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. We appeal to passersby to remember and put pressure on our government officials to fulfill past promises to make that closure a reality. We speak; sing; and pass out fliers with information, statistics, and suggested actions. Join us in calling the White House to demand the closure of Guantanamo Detention Center now.
Ceasefire Vigils
Every Thursday, there is a 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.
Hands Off Venezuela
On January 11th, about 150 people from a coalition of peace and environmental groups rallied and marched in Albany to call for the Trump administration to stop its theft of Venezuela’s oil and to release President Madura immediately. See the brief video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmPpIcjEpT8
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, another coalition of peace activists gathered in New York City’s Union Square bearing signs and distributing tags and fliers promoting the “nonviolent revolutionary spirit” of MLK, Jr., himself.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) Vigil
On the anniversary of the TPNW entering into force, we took our message of support to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
Pax Christi Maryknoll
Pax Christi Maryknoll, a local group of Pax Christi New York State (PCNYS), is part of the Love Your Neighbor coalition which has produced a Rapid Response Network to stand with migrants subject to harassment by ICE. PC Maryknoll also collaborates with the People from Neighbors Link. Some members attended a Day of Action in Albany to visit the offices of state representatives and senators to advocate for passage of two bills to protect and support immigrants in New York State. And they have discussed the recommendations for nonviolent resistance and non-cooperation from Maria Stephan, Co-lead & Chief Organizer at the Horizons Project, as explicated in her article in the January issue of America Magazine. There she recommended about a half dozen or more actions summarized into three main points: 1) non-cooperation; 2) boycotts and “buycotts,” i.e. buying goods at commercial enterprises that do not cooperate with ICE actions; and 3) the need for national and global organizing.
Reap What You Sow, Don’t Lose Heart
On February 7th, 2026 at Manhattan University there was a performance of Reap What You Sow, Don’t Lose Heart by Jack Gilroy of PCNYS’s Council and zool Zulkowitz. The play is a catalyst for some very thoughtful discourse. It’s a two-woman play which digs deeply into the debate between a military response to conflict and a nonviolent one. The two women are mother and daughter who truly love each other, but who hold diametrically opposed positions on the question of war: Can it ever be justified? Is it ever necessary? Can a nonviolent approach ever succeed? The answers are not defined, but are left for the audience to enter into the debate whether in support of Major Mom Jennifer Golden, in support of peace studies daughter Ellie Golden, or in support of some alternate opinion. Rosemarie Pace, PCNYS Coordinator, facilitated the Talk-back at this performance.
The play was also presented in Binghamton, NY later in the Spring.
Love Melts Ice
Members of a Quaker (Friends) Meeting in Albany, NY, having connections with the local immigrant community and providing a watchful eye on the situation in order to prevent unlawful intrusion by ICE, approved a pictorial statement of faith that includes a list of six corporal works of mercy from Matthew 25, a painting of the famous LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana, a banner with the words “Love Melts ICE,” and another banner depicting ICE agents arresting Our Lady of Guadalupe (hand painted by John Amidon, PCNYS Council member). The display is set up outside the meetinghouse every Sunday voicing hope, healing, care, and respect for the dignity of the community. On weekdays, a smaller “Love Melts ICE” banner is on display. Check it out at https://www.friendsjournal.org/love-melts-ice/
Don’t Obey Illegal Orders Video Campaign
Veterans for Peace has initiated a campaign to encourage soldiers to refuse illegal orders. Jack Gilroy has been a key participant in this campaign. See and read more at these two sites: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IrzMq97NIko and https://www.wwnytv.com/2026/02/11/veteran-reacts-billboards-telling-soldiers-refuse-illegal-orders/
Pax Christi Long Island (PCLI)
Pax Christi Long Island held its annual retreat in February at the Daughters of Wisdom Convent in Islip. It began with Mass celebrated by Rev. William Brisotti. Then, Rev. Canon Marie Tatro, the vicar for community justice ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, led a reflection on the theme, “Action in Times of Peril.” They also sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV praising his outspoken opposition to war, but appealing to him to write “an encyclical laying out the history of the ‘just war’ theory and definitively rejecting it.” And PCLI continues its strong witness on behalf of immigrants and its appeal to their bishop to speak out more strongly in their support. An article in the Suffolk County News elaborates, stating that “hundreds of Catholics across the island have signed a petition…calling for Diocese of Rockville Centre bishop John Barres to ‘publicly oppose the cruelty of ICE raids in our communities,’ and provide immigrant families with pastoral support and protection, along with advocating for policies ‘rooted in mercy, justice, and the Gospel message of love.’”
Ash Wednesday Leafletting
Members of Pax Christi Metro New York (PCMNY) in collaboration with PCNYS distributed 800 Lenten Reflections to the faithful entering St. Patrick’s Cathedral. You can read the Reflection here. Our only regret was that we didn’t have far more leaflets to distribute; the reception was that good.
Global Day of Action to Close Bases
Across the country and around the world, peace groups, including PCNYS, responded to World Beyond War’s invitation to take action to close military bases at home and abroad. In New York City we stood outside the Times Square Recruiting Center with banners and a leaflet to inform and motivate passersby to add their voices to ours. Upstate New York, people held signs along a highway, Burma Shave style, calling for a redirection of our money from bases to social needs. And in Las Vegas, where our own John Amidon was witnessing, folks gathered outside Nillis Air Force Base with a similar message. See videos from upstate and Las Vegas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_wdJi5drTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_n6cLXWaI4
Opposing the War on Iran
The day the U.S./Israel war on Iran began there was an emergency call to action to which many of us in New York City responded. Back in Times Square we held banners and signs, heard impassioned speeches, and engaged passersby. About a week later a vigil was held in NYC, in particular to memorialize the children killed in their school in Iran when it was bombed supposedly “by accident.” A march followed calling for an end to the war. On April Fool’s Day, a similar action was held outside Senator Schumer’s office at the federal building in Binghamton to highlight “The Fools of Militarism.” In addition, PCNYS Coordinator Rosemarie Pace participated in a Zoom meeting with a staff member of Senator Gillibrand to urge support of the Iran War Powers Act and the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD). Senator Gillibrand has consistently supported the JRDs, but not the Iran War Powers Act.
Letter to Archbishop Broglio, Archbishop of the Military Services, USA
Mark Scibilia-Carver, PCNYS Councilmember, wrote a letter to Archbishop Broglio in March, expressing appreciation for the Archbishop’s letter concerning the illegal and immoral boat strikes in the Caribbean by members of the US military. In his letter, the Archbishop wrote, “In the fight against drugs, the end never justifies the means, which must be moral, in accord with the principles of the just war theory…” He also wrote that presidents and military officers should “…respect the consciences of those who raise their right hands to defend and protect the Constitution by not asking them to engage in immoral actions.” Citing St. Peter, Mark noted that when immoral orders are given, Catholics must respond as St. Peter once did, “Obedience to God comes before obedience to men” (Acts 5: 29). Consequently, Mark went on to encourage Archbishop Broglio to teach in this vein, anticipating that other bishops would follow the Archbishop’s example if he did so, minimizing the killing. We thank Mark for his letter and encourage more like this.
March 19th Vigil
March 19th marked the 23rd anniversary of the war on Iraq in. Today, we observe that date as a day to call for the end to endless wars, to all wars. Our message is simple yet profound: “War is a Failed Policy.”
No Kings March
We in New York joined the country to say “No Kings!” as we marched with our fellow peace and justice seekers across a good part of Manhattan. We carried signs and banners, some wore costumes, others made music or chanted. The spirit was energizing and energized.
Sacred Peace Walk
During Holy Week several members of Pax Christi joined the Nevada Desert Experience Sacred Peace Walk to the Creech Air Force Base. The annual Walk involves prayer, ritual, music, community-building, and nonviolent action. This year’s message addressed to active duty and National Guard members specifically proclaimed that they have a duty to refuse illegal orders. Nine participants were arrested for “disrupting an illegal, immoral, and murderous war.” Among the arrested were New Yorkers Anthony Donovan and John Amidon. Anthony explained his involvement this way: “All I was thinking about [were] my brothers and sisters in Palestine and Iran who might be being targeted from Creech that very moment.” John Amidon said, “I hope and pray our actions protect the young men and women serving in the military and help to prevent a land invasion of Iran.” See a report here:
Good Friday Way of the Cross
PCMNY held its 44th annual Good Friday Way of the Cross/Way of Peace, a modern-day enactment of the Stations of the Cross, praying for peace and justice on the streets of New York City. It is a response to Jesus’s constant call to active nonviolence. This year’s theme was “Given these times, what would Jesus do/say?” Each Station has its own sub-theme reflecting how Jesus continues to suffer in the world today, for example through militarism, nuclear weapons, poverty, homelessness, hunger, lack of health care, unequal education, violence against immigrants, and environmental destruction. Each Station is prepared and led by a different group whether parishes, schools, or organizations, and each includes scripture, reflection, prayer, and music. The Walk extends from the east side of Manhattan across from Holy Family Church to the west side near Holy Cross Church.
Tax Day
On Tax Day, April 15th, our coalition of peace groups met outside the IRS building in Manhattan, NYC to say no to paying taxes for war. Taxes for people and planet, yes, but not for death and destruction.
World Day of Prayer for Peace in Sudan
As war continues to tear Sudan apart, leaving millions displaced, violated, or dead, several of us gathered across from the Mission of Sudan to the UN to pray for peace. This was part of a World Week of Prayer for Peace in Sudan organized by Pax Christi International’s Sudan Working Group, of which PCNYS Coordinator Rosemarie Pace is a member. Our simple prayer service is available here.
Peacemaker Organization Meeting
Peace action and veterans for peace welcomed all who might be curious to join a Peacemaker Organization meeting in Binghamton, NY, a model for everyone across the state.
Earth Day
In anticipation of Earth Day, Veterans for Peace, Peace Action, Pax Christi, and Binghamton Solidarity for Palestine showed the film, Earth’s Greatest Enemy, a number of times to various audiences across the region. The film exposes the horrors of militarism. You can learn more about it at https://earthsgreatestenemy.com/.
Then on Earth Day, April 22nd, a large group of concerned citizens, including Pax Christi members, gathered at the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, NY. The US military is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases of any institution on Earth (https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/us-military-carbon-footprint). The purpose of this gathering at this location was to protect the climate and expose the military as the “Earth’s Greatest Enemy” for poisoning the air, water, and soil. Participants also protested the genocide in Gaza, war in Iran, drone assassinations, nuclear weapons, and more. They carried signs and banners, and John Amidon climbed the entrance wall of the base.
March in Support of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)
A coalition of peace groups, including Pax Christi, joined an international contingency of supporters of the NPT on Sunday, April 26th, the eve of the beginning of the NPT Review Conference at the UN. We began with an invocation; then heard from Japanese, Korean, and U.S. speakers; enjoyed some music; and processed to the Isaiah Wall across from the UN before dispersing from nearby Dag Hammarksjold Plaza. We were particularly honored that many of the Japanese participants are hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) and fellow peacemakers.
Following the March, there was a conference, “Tectonic Changes: Which Way to Peace & A Nuclear Weapon-Free World?” The speakers were excellent, having great knowledge and experience with the topic.
No Nukes, No Way, Nowhere
Continuing our actions in support of the NPT Review Conference at the UN, we gathered again a few days later outside the U.S. Mission to the UN to tell the U.S. we want complete nuclear disarmament and the abolition of nuclear weapons before they abolish us. Throughout the Review Conference, some of us have also been attending several side events in and outside the UN, as well as attending the actual General Assembly meetings. While the side events are strong in their support of the NPT, the treaty is on life support in the General Assembly.
Joint Christian Advocacy Summit
The first full week of May, several members of Pax Christi from around the country, including PCNYS Coordinator Rosemarie Pace, attended this Summit which included exhibits from numerous organizations working on education and advocacy to end the genocide in Palestine, superb presentations by numerous experts on the situation, a peace vigil outside the Cannon Building (one of the House of Representatives office buildings), and Congressional visits with Senators and Representatives. Our primary asks were three: to ban the bombs to Israel, to restore funding to the UNRWA which provides the most and best humanitarian aid to the region, and to re-open access to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network which serves Palestinian sick and wounded if and when they can reach the six hospitals involved. The War on Iran was also mentioned in at least some meetings. Unfortunately, the vast majority of our Congresspeople stand by Israel unconditionally despite obvious violations of international law.
Mother’s Day
In honor of Mother’s Day, in Binghamton, there was a dramatic re-creation of Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation, which is a call for all mothers of the world not to raise their sons for war, but to promote peace. It was preceded by a concert by musician Tom Neilson, who uses satire and social commentary to entertain and inform. Read more about both in this brief article by Jack Gilroy:https://peaceandplanetnews.org/remember-the-children/.
Children’s Peace Fair
The annual Children’s Peace Fair took place at Horace Mann Elementary in Binghamton on May 15th, one day ahead of the UN International Day of Living Together in Peace. The Fair included a
magician, a sing-along, a storyteller musician, and the Peace Parrots. There were also many activities for the children to do: peace games, trees and bees, painting rocks and faces, drumming, composting with worms, trying on Kimonos, and a music lesson with steel spoons. The Fair ended with a reading The Lorax by Dr. Seuss with each child getting a pine seedling to take home. This Fair is largely the inspiration of PCNYS Councilmember Jack Gilroy who would like nothing more than for this Fair to be copied around the country and the world. See a clip of the delightful event here:
Falling into God: A Book Review
Highly recommended, this book by Pax Christi Ambassador of Peace Tom Cordaro is both a memoir and an autobiography. While Tom would say it not a history, as well, I, the reviewer, beg to differ. As Tom leads us through his rich and varied life experiences, all are placed in an
historical context from such critical periods as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights
Movement, the Vietnam War, the growing anti-nuclear movement, the Columbus quincentennial, the Gulf Wars, 9/11/01 and the “War on Terror,” to the more recent Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter movement, and the COVID 19 pandemic. Simultaneously, we follow him through the changes in the Catholic Church from Vatican II to a counter reaction to the Pope Francis papacy and the tensions they aroused that continue to this day. Of course, all this is the backdrop for the heart of the book, Tom’s personal story of growth as a man of faith who repeatedly learned and was reminded of the rightness of “falling into God.”
Read the full book review by Rosemarie Pace here:
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1417&context=social_encounters.
Special note: Tom Cordaro will be one of the speakers at the PCNYS Gathering on August 14th at the St. Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine in Fonda, NY. Please save the date, and plan on joining us then. Check our Events page for details as they develop.
Finally, over the past few months, PCNYS has co-sponsored, endorsed, or signed onto the following:
- Support for Temporary Protective Status for Haitian Nationals
- Opposition to allowing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) to expire
- Support for the people of Minnesota in their actions on behalf of immigrants and against ICE aggression, detentions, and deportations
- Support for the Luke 10 statement, “A Time for Peace”
- Opposition to the Trump administration’s aggression toward Cuba and support for a War Powers Resolution to end hostilities against Cuba
- An Open Letter to Governments of West Asia to refrain from engaging in the war on Iran
- Support for the Alliance for Peacebuilding’s letter calling on the U.S. government to prioritize peacebuilding and conflict prevention in the FY 2027 foreign assistance appropriations bill
- Support for the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) to oppose global militarization
- Support for the work of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace to get Palantir to publish an assessment of the impact of the use of its products on Human Rights and to change its strategies to protect the human rights of all
- An appeal to Congress to make Sudan a priority in its policies and practices
- Opposition to the use of Guantanamo Detention Center for Cuban migrants and support for the complete closure of Guantanamo prison.
- Support for both “A Joint Interfaith Statement on the Occasion of the 11th NPT Review Conference” and an “NGO Statement from the Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World” to protect the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty from all attempts to weaken or destroy it.
- Opposition to more dollars for ICE and CBP on the Budget Resolution and Anti-Immigrant Amendments
- Support for a House Resolution to recognize the ongoing Nakba and Palestinian refugees’ rights
- Opposition to the forced relocation of Afghan allies and vulnerable refugees from Camp As Sayliyah to the Democratic of Congo
- Opposition to the proposed budget reconciliation bill that would increase spending for immigration enforcement at the expense of human needs
- Support for diplomacy between the U.S. and China