With sadness we heard this week of the death of Gerry Hughes.  A great friend to Pax Christi for more than thirty years, Gerry gave of his time, energy and creativity to support our movement and many individuals within it. From the mid 1980s Gerry offered his ‘retreats for peace people’  to individuals and groups. He felt these were important because, ” it seems sometimes as if all we’ve achieved is a shattering of our own peace of mind.  So while we look to God for hope and inspiration, we need also to see God in our rage and despair”.

In 1987 Gerry  walked to Jerusalem to raise funds for Pax Christi, later writing a book of the same name.  Two of our most popular resources  were written by Gerry and illustrated by Maggie organ, Letting the Word Become Flesh, daily reflections for Advent  and Show me your Face, daily reflections for Lent  which was re-published with SCIAF in 2009. We will post more reflections on Gerry’s work with Pax Christi.  His funeral too place  at Farm Street Church  London on Monday 17 November 2014, followed by burial at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in North Wales at 12 noon on Tuesday 18 November.

Other tributes:

Reflection  given at Gerry’s funeral on 17 November by Pat Gaffney of Pax Christi

The Guardian by Peter Stamford

The Tablet by Joanna Moorehad

Jesuits in Britain 

 

There is nothing glorious about war and no room for triumphalism or nationalism.  This is one of the messages that Pax Christi members have shared in recent months, contributing to ideas and resources that ensure that a peace message is central to Remembrance and First World War Commemorations  read on 

If you are looking for resources for Remembrance time you can find a selection of homilies/reflections here and two new poems from Fr Rob Esdaile here 

 

Pax Christi members took part in actions in Croughton and Shenstone and you can see reports and some photographs here. 

An excellent report on use of Drones in Gaza can be found here on the Corporate Watch website.

Here you can read a report from Chris Cole of Drone Wars UK on UK Reaper Drones to be sent to Iraq

Coventry Pax Christi member,  Paul McGowan and his ‘stickers’ become a security risk!

Up-date: October 2014 

Coventry plays its part!   Lockheed Martin staff have been ‘mentally scarred’ by public references to the company’s products, says Coventry University Technology Park’s Facilities Supervisor. ‘Stickers’ have appeared at various points around the site, and have now spread even to the Ladies and Gents toilets. This morning an elderly man was detained for twenty minutes on suspicion of conspiring with others to walk about the site carrying pieces of paper.

Mention of cluster bombs, Hellfire missiles and nuclear warheads has not gone down well with the IT specialists working at the Design Hub, inside sources have claimed.
On top of this, repeated reports, passed on by site operatives to their superiors, of so-called ‘stickers’ referring to Lockheed Martin’s activities are beginning to generate a bureaucratic blizzard of paperwork in the University’s administrative headquarters, ashen-faced security staff have confided.
And now the world’s Number One arms-dealer (Lockheed Martin) has begun to complain that it is not getting the protection it needs, if it is to continue its activities in the peaceful and tranquil surroundings which it has the right to expect, having paid vast amounts into the University’s coffers.
It is understood that steps will be taken to ensure that employees working at the Technology Park will be safeguarded against the possible harmful effects known to be associated with bits of paper and dabs of Blu-tak.

As has been my weekly habit for the last six months, I passed through the Coventry University Technology Park this morning, looking for opportunities to give some free publicity to Lockheed Martin, the self-effacing multinational arms-dealer, now busying itself in our city.
This time my luck ran out. I was spotted by an eagle-eyed security man. He pointed out, politely, that strictly-speaking I was trespassing. I said I knew. He said he knew I was the one responsible for putting stickers on their property all round the site. He said they had me on CCTV. I said I wasn’t surprised… read on 

A Peace Education Network workshop

Thursday 13 November 2014, 5pm – 7pm
Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ

Increased military involvement in schools is a policy championed by the current UK government. This has meant funding the development of new cadet corps, fast-track training as teachers for former soldiers, and encouraging the adoption by schools of a military ethos.

The Peace Education Network invite teachers, parents, governors, and any others involved in school to critically reflect on your experiences as we explore the benefits, risks, problems, and concerns of military involvement in education.

This workshop will be facilitated by John Williams, Secondary RE Advisor for the Archdiocese of Westminster

It is essential to pre-book to attend this workshop. Contact Matt to secure your free place.