Peace Fair - October 29, 2003
"One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing;
that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one."
-Agatha Christie
This fair, celebrating the 40th. anniversary of Pope John XXIII's Pacem in Terris Encyclical Letter, brought together local and national advocacy organizations and congregations, providing the opportunity for Loyola students, faculty, staff and community members to obtain information on practical ways to work for peace, and join or volunteer for a variety of organizations.
The highlight of the event was a talk by Fr. James Halstead, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at DePaul University, who spoke on "Peacemaking for Regular People - and for Heroes, too."
The event was organized in collaboration with the Loyola Anti-War Network (LAWN).
Text from the advertising poster
Peace begins with each one of us, with deliberate thought and conversation, and with our daily actions.
Our purpose in holding this Peace Fair is to demonstrate to Loyola students, faculty, staff and community members the importance we at the university place on working toward peace and justice in our daily lives. We have invited local peace advocacy groups to attend this fair, provide information on their organizations, explain their goals, recruit volunteers and enroll members.
The continuing war on terrorism, with all its attendant horrors, has provided the immediate impetus for this Fair. But we have taken inspiration for it from the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Pope John XXIII's last papal encyclical, Pacem in Terris. In the encyclical, John XXIII invited people of good will throughout the world to a new order of human relations which would ensure peace between all people and nations. He observed that all human relationships must recognize and respect each person's dignity, and that the reciprocity of human rights and duties must be based on truth, guided by justice, animated by charity, and strengthened by liberty.
The encyclical considered specific issues, including the importance of the United Nations, causes of the arms race, the need for disarmament, the serious problems of underdeveloped countries, the right and need for everyone to take part in public life in order to further the common welfare of our fellow citizens. We invite you to read the Pacem in Terris Encyclical at www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_xxiii/encyclicals.
(Clicking on the link above will take you directly to Pacem in Terris)
Our Peace Fair is picking up on only one or two threads of what the encyclical talks about. First, it recognizes the need for people to be active pursuers of peace by volunteering their time for the cause of peace. And second, it suggests practical ways for each of us to be peace-makers in the daily situations in which we find ourselves tempted to do otherwise, as was considered in Fr. Jim Halstead's presentation, "Peacemaking for Regular People - and for Heroes, too."
We invite you also to get involved, by finding out more about the peace advocacy organization that contributed to our Peace Fair, and exploring their websites..
This program was organized by the Center for Ethics and Social Justice and the Loyola Anti-War Network (LAWN).
For more information, e-mail us at ethics@luc.edu or call us at (773)508-8349.