AGM 2024
Our Annual General Meeting for 2024 took place on Saturday 1st June 2024 at the Quaker Meeting House, Liverpool and online through Zoom.
As a theme for the day, we took ‘Sumud’, the Palestinian concept of steadfastness, resilience and perseverance, often expressed in Palestine as ‘to exist is to resist’.
Welcoming everyone to the meeting, Ann Farr, our outgoing Chair, explained that, for Palestinians, ‘Sumud’ is everyday nonviolent resistance to an unjust occupation. She reflected on how the principles of ‘Sumud’ can be applied to our peacemaking. Ann thanked all the members, staff and volunteers she had worked with over her term, particularly for their support during the challenging period of the Covid pandemic.
Our current President, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP also announced his retirement after serving for over 20 years in that role. He told the meeting how profoundly influenced he had been by Pax Christi and, in particular, by Bruce Kent. He said it had been a privilege and very humbling to have been asked to preside over his funeral mass.
Matt Jeziorski reported on our financial position, Fausta Valentine provided an update on membership and Aisling Griffin, outlined all the work that had been done over the past year in peace education with schools and young people.
In his report to the meeting, Andrew Jackson, Chief Executive, reminded members of the vision around which they had all come together in joining the movement – a world where people can live in peace, without fear of violence in any form. He said that the strategy for Pax Christ remained as it had been – focused on communicating and embodying Gospel nonviolence in a lifestyle of active nonviolence. Work in peace education with schools and young people would continue to be fundamental.
In the afternoon, after the election of a new Executive Committee, the meeting broke into groups to discuss the challenges facing Pax Christi in a rapidly changing world. The olive tree was taken as a symbol of resistance and perseverance and groups explored how Pax Christi might constantly regenerate itself as the olive tree does to overcome the harsh conditions in which they grow in the Middle East. Groups stressed the value of working together rather than in isolation and how membership of Pax Christi brought them into a community and encouraged them that they are not alone in their peace work.
We took the opportunity during the day to thank Ann Farr and Joan Sharples for all their service over the last few years as Chair and Vice Chair and we closed the day with a Peace Liturgy and prayers.
New Executive Committee
As part of the AGM, a new Executive Committee was elected. The members of the Committee are now:
- Kathryn Lydon – Chair
- Matt Jeziorski – Treasurer
- Maria Lee
- Sr Lucia McGuckin
- Arn Dekker
- Lucy Irven
- Susan Sanderson
- Lauri Clarke
- Sr Katrina Alton (National Chaplain)
- Andrew Jackson (Secretary)
We will announce our new President shortly.
