Pax Christi Baltimore offers several in person resources devoted to peace and justice. Please contact our coordinator for scheduling one or more of these resources for your parish, small group, youth group, or high school.

The fee for each resource varies, for several of these resources there is only a nominal fee. Contact the coordinator to arrange an appropriate fee. Some resources listed here require advance set up.

To arrange one of our resources, just use the contact page on our website, please be sure you list your name, parish (if applicable) and email address. Our coordinator will then connect with you.

INTRODUCTION TO PAX CHRISTI AND ASSISTANCE WITH PEACE AND JUSTICE COMMITTEES

After Mass “Coffees”

Members of Pax Christi Baltimore would be happy to give an introduction to our organization, and to Pax Christi USA. The discussion will focus on Pax Christi USA’s priorities, Pax Christi Baltimore’s history and annual events, and how Pax Christi Baltimore can assist in any way with your peace and justice/ respect life / outreach committees.
- 30-minute discussion

A Conversation With Your Peace and Justice/ Respect Life / Outreach Committee

Pax Christi Baltimore would like to have a conversation with parish peace and justice or respect life committees to perhaps assist the committees in connecting with like minded local organizations such as: Maryland Catholic Conference, Call to Action-Maryland (Racial Justice Circles), Beyond the Boundaries, Baltimore Nonviolence Initiative, Central Maryland Ecumenical Coalition, NETWORK, Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, the Franciscan Action Network, and Ayslee Women Enterprise. The discussion will also explore the committee’s action plan and the efforts to promote that action plan in the parish. Or if the parish plans to form a peace and justice committee, Pax Christi Baltimore could assist with that plan.
- 60-minute discussion

ELEMENTS OF PEACE

What Peace Is and What Peace Is Not

A 90-minute single session --through either a Power Point slide show or through a multi-page reading--exploring the basics of peace—what it IS and what it is NOT. An outstanding session to examine the elements of peace, and to incorporate those elements in everyday life.
- At the conclusion of this session, participants will be invited to recite the “Vow of Nonviolence.”

Dreaming Your Dream of Peace

A unique 90-minute small group session drawing out the elements of personal peace. A segment of the session involves visualizing through various artwork materials (provided) an image of peace that participants are asked to share in the small group.
Every time we present the unique session, we are amazed at the creativity of the participants. And we receive rave reviews.
- The small group(s) can be divided from a larger group. Advance set up of about 25/30 minutes required, by the session leaders.
- At the conclusion of the session, participants will receive “Peacemaking: Day by Day” a thoughtful quote for each day of the year. (A Pax Christi USA publication.)
- An excellent exercise for youth or young adults. Can be presented on its own or presented as a part of a single day or multi day retreat.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

Sharing Our Common Ground: Parish Peace and Pro-Life Advocates

This panel discussion will consider the common ground that exists between peace and pro-life advocates on the parish level—looking through the lens of church social teaching and not through the lens of political parties. Advancing the agenda of church social teaching is the preferred way of engaging the political process. This panel presentation will feature Consistent Life and members of Pax Christi Baltimore.
- 60 minutes, with q&a.

PRAYER SERVICES

Service of Peace and Justice

Pax Christi Baltimore has several prayer services that can be adapted to your parish.

The Service of Peace/Eucharistic Prayer Service-Liturgy

This unique lay led eucharistic prayer service is designed to offer a different way of conducting a bread and wine gathering. The participants are seated at tables (round tables are preferred) and the service is in four parts: readings, table prayer, sharing bread and wine/discussion, and commitment to mission.
- 90 minutes to two hours.

Advance preparation needed, including setting up tables, tablecloths, flowers, readers, music and music group participation, and advance conversation about the order of service. Advance preparation would take at least one hour.

This unique bread and wine gathering could be part of a retreat, or connected to one of our elements of peace (such as “Dreaming Your Dream of Peace”), or stand alone.
- This liturgy has been offered by Pax Christi Baltimore for several years, and has been presented at the parish level and presented for more than 100 people as the closing liturgy for the 2016 Pax Christi USA National Assembly in Baltimore.

FURTHER STUDY

Archbishop William Lori’s Pastoral Letter:

“The Enduring Power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Principles of Nonviolence” (February, 2018)

A three-session exploration of this dynamic Pastoral Letter, including the six principles of non-violence.
- three 90-minute sessions

An Introduction to Church Social Teaching

A two-part sessions introduction to Church Social Teaching. Focusing on the common themes of that teaching.
- Each session takes 90 minutes, including q&a.

A Multi-Session Review of Church Social Teaching

This multi-session review of Church Social Teaching (CST) is based on the popular book by the Center of Concern,
“Church Social Teaching: Our Best Kept Secret.”

That book provides an outline of the major encyclicals of CST beginning with the first encyclical “Rerum Novarum” (On the Condition of Labor) and ending with “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life) and the Center of Concern book contains outlines of several regional pastoral letters including the US Bishops’ “The Challenge of Peace” and “Economic Justice for All.”

The sessions also will include the two encyclicals of Pope Francis “Laudato Si” (Our Common Home) and “Fratelli Tutti” (On Fraternity and Social Friendship.)

Each session last about an hour or an hour and fifteen minutes, and they can be tailored to the themes of the encyclicals or chronologically presented. There are seven to nine total sessions, with Q&A included.

A good resource for Advent or Lent examination of the foundational peace and social justice teachings of the Catholic church.