Guantanamo Vigils
Guantanamo vigils continue outside the main branch of the New York (City) Public Library on Fifth Avenue at 41stStreet the first Wednesday of each month at 4 PM EST and 5 PM EDT. As we are drawn to other critical issues, we must not forget the men still being held at the Guantanamo Detention Center despite either not being tried or not being found guilty of any crime and being designated eligible for release. These men have been tortured. Their lives have been stolen from them for over 20 years. Promises of closing the Detention Center since President Barak Obama have never been kept. And now the Center is being used to detain undocumented migrants, as well. Stand with us to shut this torture camp down!
Ceasefire Vigils
Ceasefires in Gaza are but a hope and a promise while the violence continues; hence, ceasefire vigils continue across the state in multiple locations. You can find out what’s happening near you from groups like Jewish Voice for Peace or, if you’re in or near New York City, join a regular vigil outside the U.S. Mission to the United Nations on First Avenue at 45th Street in New York City every Thursday from noon to 2:00 PM.
Tax Day
On April 15th, meet outside the IRS building at 290 Broadway in Manhattan, NYC at noon 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, we will gather across from the Mission of Sudan to the UN at Dag Hammarksjold Plaza, E. 47th Street between First and Second Avenues in Manhattan at 12:30 PM on Friday, April 17th to pray for peace. All are encouraged to join. Prayer will be provided, but feel free to bring your own, as well.
Peacemaker Organization Meeting
Join a Peacemaker Organization meeting at the American Legion, 76 Main St, Binghamton, NY, Saturday morning, April 18th, 10 AM upstairs. Peace Action & Veterans for Peace welcome you to be with them.
Earth Day
The US military is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases of any institution on Earth (https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/us-military-carbon-footprint). On April 22nd, car pool to the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, NY at 3:30 PM to call for all means to end this assault on our environment. Signs and banners will be provided.
Reap What You Sow—Don’t Lose Heart
This excellent play that presents a well-balanced debate between a loving mother and daughter over military service with a talk-back that invites the audience to join the discussion will be presented on April 24th at 6 PM at Centenary Chenango St. United Methodist Church, 438 Chenango St. Free pizza and cookies will be served. Donations accepted.
The play will also be presented on May 2nd at 2 PM at Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 183 Riverside Drive in Binghamton, NY.
March in Support of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)
A coalition of peace groups, including Pax Christi, will be joining an international contingency of supporters of the NPT on Sunday, April 26th, starting at 10 AM at the main branch of the New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue and 41st Street. We will begin with an invocation; then hear from Japanese, Korean, and U.S. speakers; enjoy some music; and then process to the Isaiah Wall on First Avenue across from the UN before dispersing from nearby Dag Hammarksjold Plaza. We are particularly honored that many of the Japanese participants are hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) and fellow peacemakers.
Following the March and a break for people to have lunch on their own, there will be a conference, “Tectonic Changes: Which Way to Peace & A Nuclear Weapon-Free World?” at Scandinavia House at 2 PM. Register for the live-stream here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_K5HFFevjRKCmLFEVMQHZWw#/registration.
No Nukes, No Way, Nowhere
Continuing our actions in support of the NPT Review Conference at the UN, we’ll gather again on Wednesday, April 29th at 9 AM outside the U.S. Mission to the UN on First Avenue and 45th Street. Help us tell the U.S. we want complete nuclear disarmament and the abolition of nuclear weapons before they abolish us.
Tom Neilson Concert
This satire and social commentary, will be presented on May 8th at 6 PM at First Congregational Church, corner of Front and Main St., Binghamton, NY. Suggested donation $10 TO $25
Mothers’ Day
On May 9th at 11 AM at Otsiningo Park, Binghamton, enjoy a dramatic recreation of Julia Ward Howe’s Mothers’ Day Proclamation.
Peacemaker Award Reception All are invited to Pax Christi Metro New York’s annual Peacemaker Award Reception on Saturday afternoon, June 6th, in Keenan Hall, Xavier High School, New York, NY. We are very pleased to announce this year’s honorees: Maria Stephan, the Co-lead & Chief Organizer at the Horizons Project and an award-winning author and organizer whose work has focused on the role of nonviolent movements advancing human rights, democracy, and peace; Sr. Kathleen Deignan, CND, the founder of The Iona Spirituality Center, The Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue, and The Thomas Merton Contemplative Initiative at Iona University; and Hassan El Tayyab, Legislative Director for Middle East Policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). Also being honored as this year’s Maloof Family Young Peacebuilder is Celeste Perez from Notre Dame Academy in Staten Island. Plan to join us for a guaranteed good time with inspiring people and speeches, music, refreshments, a raffle, and simple fun. More details to come.
PCNYS Gathering and Kateri Peace Conference
Also save the dates of August 14th and 15th, 2026. We’ll be returning to the St. Kateri Tekakwitha National Shrine in pastoral Fonda, NY for what is becoming an annual double feature. This year’s theme for PCNYS will be Living Nonviolence in a Violent World, and we are excited to announce that our presenters will be Marie Dennis, Director of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence and Senior Director of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative of Pax Christi International, and Tom Cordaro, former director of Justice and Outreach Ministry at St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville, IL, former chair of the Pax Christi USA National Council, writer, organizer, and activist. Please plan to join us for an informative, reflective, and restorative couple of days in a retreat-like setting. We’ll share more about where to stay, directions, and suggested donation (no set fee, so it’s whatever you can afford) closer to the dates.
PCNYS Retreat, Journey into Inner Peace
It’s been years since we’ve offered a retreat, but we’re back! And with the world in crisis, why not take some time away from it all to “Journey into Inner Peace” with Maryknoll Sister Maureen Hanahoe, who’ll be leading us on the way? This will be a 24-hour retreat from 7 PM, Friday, September 18th to Saturday, September 19th at the Maryknoll Sisters Center in Maryknoll (Ossining), NY. Sr. Maureen will emphasize reflection, using what is known as the Mandala Prayer process. it is a chance to slow down, to be quiet, and to call on God’s creative energy. We will also share a reflective process on Inner Listening, which invites each one to choose a particular situation, get in touch with the feelings that surface, and discover what triggers the inner reaction. For example, we might reflect on how we listen deeply to the movements within ourselves that can be triggered by outside events? How do we listen to God’s call to be persons of peace?
Registration will open closer to the date, so stay tuned. Cost of $150 includes one overnight stay and three meals on Saturday.
Also check the Pax Christi USA events page (https://paxchristiusa.org/events/) for other events and keep checking back here for updates.