Our History

The two founders of Pax Christi International are pictured to the left and right of this paragraph. The Pax Christi movement  began in 1945 by a group of French and German Catholics to begin the process of healing and forgiveness of two nations who had fought three wars over the course of  seventy years.  The movements founding is credited to two individuals: Pierre-Marie Theas, Bishop of Montauban France  and  Marthe Dortel-Claudot a teacher who also lived in the south of France. The movement spread rapidly and is now in sixty countries throughout the world. For a detailed history of Pax Christi International please visit their official website.

PAX CHRISTI USA IS A SECTION OF PAX CHRISTI INTERNATIONAL, THE CATHOLIC PEACE MOVEMENT.

Gordon Zahn and Eileen Egan founded Pax Christi USA in 1972 with the help of Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton  of Detroit and Bishop Carroll Dozier of Memphis. The group’s spirit is expressed in the Pax Christi USA Mission Statement:
 
 “Pax Christi USA strives to create a world that reflects the Peace of Christ by exploring, articulating, and witnessing to the call of Christian nonviolence. This work begins in personal life and extends to communities of reflection and action to transform structures of society. Pax Christi USA ejects war, preparations for war, and every form of violence and  domination. It advocates primacy of conscience, economic and social justice, and respect for creation. Pax Christi USA commits itself to peace education and, with the help of its bishop members, promotes the gospel imperative of peacemaking as a priority in the Catholic Church in the United States. Through the efforts of all its members and in cooperation with other groups, Pax Christi USA works toward a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world.”
 
There are additional resources at the Pax Christi USA website: Pax Christi USA .