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August Hiroshima/Nagasaki Commemorations: Parish supports and Massachusetts Events

July 30, 2026 in /by

Parish Supports for August 9

As an outgrowth of its recent Faith Leaders Summit series, the PCAN group (Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) is offering some homily talking points and Prayers of the Faithful for Sunday, August 9, the anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing, which falls on a Sunday this year.

One of the panelists in our fourth session, Father Stephen Newton, Executive Director of (AUSCP) the Association of US Catholic Priests, suggested encouraging priests to preach about nuclear abolition that day. PCAN developed the resources, with input from AUSCP, and these points and prayers are now featured on the AUSCP webpage:

Events August 6

A few commemorations are planned around the state for the commemoration of the bombings in Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9), with Pax Christi members participating:

You Can’t Build Nuclear Bombs and Care for the Planet – Worcester August 6

Date/Time: Thursday August 6th @ 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Place: Elm Park, Worcester, MA; parking at St. Spyridon

This Hiroshima Commemoration is presented by the Center for Nonviolent Solutions with the theme: “You Can’t Build Nuclear Weapons and Care for the Planet”

The program will include the Worcester Peace Choir singing special arrangements of songs of peace and justice including Finlandia (Song of Peace) by Jean Sibelius. Everyone will be encouraged to join the Choir for many songs including Pete Seger’s “Where have All the Flowers Gone.”

The program will also include Mountain River Taiko, a multi-generational Japanese drumming ensemble that has been sharing their lobe of taiko for over 10 years.

Massachusetts State Senator Robyn Kennedy, and Mayor Joseph Petty will also participate and Reverend Aaron of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester will offer an ecumenical prayer. A peace message from the Mayor of Hiroshima will be shared.

The program will also feature a demonstration of Shintaido (translated as “New Body Way”), a unique system of movement, physical conditioning, and personal expression developed to strip away the combat-focus of martial arts to create a modern path for human connection, peace and self discovery.

Participants will be encouraged to add a prayer or message of peace to a lantern shade and the program will conclude with a traditional lantern floating ceremony.

The Danger of Nuclear War is Greater than Ever – Holyoke, August 6

Date/Time: Thursday August 6TH @ 4:30pm

Place: Mont Marie Cemetery Gardens, Holyoke, MA (Across from Mont Marie Senior Residence, 36 Lower Westfield Rd.)

Co-sponsored by: Greater Springfield Campaign Nonviolence, Pax Christi Western Massachusetts, JustFaith Ministries, the Agape Community, Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, Pioneer Valley Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), and the Western Massachusetts Back from the Brink (BftB) hub.

Featuring:

  • Welcome and opening prayer
  • Campaign Nonviolence
    Dramatic reading of: “Original Child Bomb,” by Thomas Merton
  • Keynote address: Ira Helfand, PSR, IPPNW, ICAN, BftB
  • Call to action: Mayors for Peace/Hiroshima-Nagasaki Seeds Project
  • Closing prayers (New England Peace Pagoda, Leverett)

The event will be held outdoors, rain or shine. Bring a lawn chair. Parking on site. For more information contact Deacon Bill Toller (413) 478-5201

For other events around the state, visit Massachusetts Peace Action.

Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN) – Early Summer Update

July 7, 2026 in /by

PCAN had an active and productive spring, producing the Faith Leaders Dialogue Sessions (see below) over May and June. Now we move into the months of commemorating nuclear violence from the past: the Trinity Commemoration in July and the 1945 Japan bombings in August. Here’s an update on our activities, a registration opportunity for the Trinity Commemoration in New Mexico (virtual option), and a link to a timely film from the late Daniel Ellsberg.

Faith Leaders Summit Dialogue Sessions

Inspired by the leadership of Archbishop John Wester, who published a seminal pastoral letter over four years ago and has organized the Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, PCAN organized and produced a virtual summit, in four 90-minute sessions, each featuring five to seven Catholic and other faith leaders as presenters and moderators sharing their views on how best to activate and mobilize a great many people of faith to work actively for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Videos of the sessions are now available on the PCAN page of our website and on PCAN’s YouTube channel. We encourage all to share them widely and to subscribe to our channel!

PCAN joins the Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons (PWNW)

PCAN is pleased to announce its acceptance as an affiliate of PWNW, an organization founded in 2023 by the four dioceses of five prelates dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons.

They are: Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe and Most Reverend Paul D. Etienne, Archbishop of Seattle, who have made several pilgrimages to the Japanese nuclear bombing sites, along with Most Reverend Peter Nakamura Michiaki, Archbishop of Nagasaki, Most Reverend Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama, S.S., Bishop of Hiroshima, and Most Reverend Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, P.S.S., Archbishop Emeritus of Nagasaki. 

We look forward to working with PWNW to advance their mission of remembering the destruction caused by nuclear weapons, journeying together to support nuclear victims, and protecting against nuclear harm.

Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on Artificial Intelligence and Nuclear War/Rome, July 14-16

This global convening of Nobel Laureates, to be held at The Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, Vatican territory, is structured to combine the depth of closed scientific deliberation with the reach of high-level public engagement — culminating in the Rome Declaration. The objectives are to assess risk, assess governance, build a global consensus, and develop new leadership.  PCAN member Dr. Ira Helfand will attend. Keep checking the website for streaming opportunities.

81st Commemoration of the Trinity Test/Register for In-Person or Virtual Attendance

On July 19 at St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe, local faith leaders, nuclear disarmament advocates, environmental organizations, and community members will gather to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Trinity Test, the world’s first atomic bomb detonation, which took place in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The interfaith vigil will call for nuclear disarmament and renewed action toward peace and environmental justice.

Keynote speaker is Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe. The event is organized by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Back from the Brink New Mexico Hub, Interfaith Power and Light New Mexico, Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Soka Gakkai International-USA, and the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium.

Event Details
Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026
Time: 2:30pm (Please note that 2:30 pm MT would be 4:30 pm ET, 3:30 pm CT, and 1:30 pm PT)
Location: St. Michael’s High School (100 Siringo Rd., Santa Fe, NM); virtual attendance also available
Registration and livestream information: bit.ly/2026-Trinity

An Ordinary Insanity: Daniel Ellsberg narrates a powerful wakeup documentary

Many in the PCAN Community have suggested this 29-minute video as a good introduction to the problems posed by nuclear weapons and the compelling rationale for eliminating them. Free on YouTube!

Call for new members

PCAN is always seeking new members! We need “workers in the field,” and welcome all who wish to put their energies toward the work of eliminating nuclear weapons. Some of our work involves focusing the attention of the Catholic Church–clergy and laypeople–on the issue of nuclear weapons, but we do plenty of other work, and we welcome people of all faiths (or none) to join. We are especially in need of people with technological skills, but we also need people who will pray, study, lobby their legislators and dioceses/parishes, and work their networks to get the word out. If you are interested, please contact the PCAN team at PaxCan2030@gmail.com.

 

Irish Flotilla: witnesses endure abuse while attempting to bring aid to Palestinians

June 8, 2026 in /by

Jeannie Connerney is a member of the Pax Christi Massachusetts Palestine Action Group.  She has been a peace activist for many years. This article (link below) addresses an issue of grave concern to peacemakers.  It is reprinted from the Mass Peace Action (MAPA) newsletter.

What More Evidence Do We Need? Flotilla Activists Expose Israeli Prisons

For more on this story, and another link to the same video, here is coverage at the Irish Times.

Register Now! PCAN Summit Dialogues: Discussions to Move Catholics Forward on Actions to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

May 4, 2026 in /by

The Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN) is launching a new series of four virtual panel discussions to be held between May 16 and June 14. Each session will feature four to six Catholic and other faith leaders, who will speak briefly, exchange ideas, and field audience questions on activating Catholics to work for the global abolition of nuclear weapons.

For session dates and times, a list of speakers, and a registration opportunity, please visit the group’s dedicated page on the Pax Christi Massachusetts website, or see flyer and links below.

PCAN believes these discussions can build on the momentum from its previous initiatives — a 2024 virtual forum and a 2025 survey posted on the Vatican website. Their hope is that the ideas presented and actions inspired by these faith leaders will significantly advance PCAN’s goals to:

  • Amplify the teachings of Popes Francis and Leo on the abolition of nuclear weapons;
  • Build upon Archbishop John C. Wester’s groundbreaking 2022 pastoral letter,  Living in theLight of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament;
  • Help advocates to promote these teachings among Catholic hierarchy, laity, and beyond, and
  • Generate momentum, especially among Catholics, for a global commitment to a world without nuclear weapons by 2030.

Link to register

Link to printable PDF of the flyer

Spring Retreat 2026 features Marie Dennis, Pax Christi International, on Gospel Nonviolence

April 28, 2026 in /by

Pax Christi Massachusetts welcomed Marie Dennis, director of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, as the featured presenter for its Spring Retreat on April 11 at Mary, Mother of Hope Parish, in Springfield. Her topic was “Gospel Nonviolence in Perilous Times.” During the morning, Marie guided reflections on various aspects of nonviolence, and during the afternoon she focused on the biblical underpinnings of nonviolence and updates on the work of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative and the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, both Programs of Pax Christi International.

For a complete report on the day’s events and links to resources, please visit our Past Events page.

Link to slides from Marie Dennis’ PCMA Spring Retreat Presentation

Don’t forget to register for PCMA Spring Retreat April 11

April 9, 2026 in /by

We are excited to welcome  Marie Dennis, senior program director of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, to return to us and lead us in our Spring Retreat entitled “Gospel Nonviolence in a Perilous Time” on Saturday, April 11, 2026.

The retreat will be held at Mary, Mother of Hope Parish, 840 Page Blvd., Springfield, MA. Registration begins at 8:30am; the program runs from 9:00am to 3:30pm.

Don’t forget to register for this timely event!

Details below

Printable PDF and Registration Opportunities on the Upcoming Events Page

Direct link to Online Registration

The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls for the Second Time, Good Friday, 2026

April 7, 2026 in /by

By Jeannie Connerney

This reflection was read at the 35th annual Stations of the Cross event in front of the Massachusetts State House organized by the Agape Community.  Jeannie Connerney is a member of Pax Christi at St. Susanna’s Parish, Dedham.

Monday, March 30, was Land Day in Palestine. It commemorated the murders of peaceful protesters by the Israeli Defense Forces IDF 50 years ago. The Israeli Knesset spent the day this year by making death by hanging the default punishment for Palestinians who kill Jews, but not Jews who kill Palestinians. Adding to this obvious apartheid injustice, the conviction rate for Palestinians is at least 96%, due to confessions gathered via torture and coercion. In contrast, the conviction rate for Jews who murder Palestinians is below 2%. Immediately after it passed, cheers went up in the Knesset, and Israeli Security Minister Ben Gvir popped open and shared a bottle of champagne, while wearing a gold lapel pin shaped like a noose.

Many more than the official death toll of 71,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the last 2.5 years, and Israel has broken the so-called ceasefire more than 1,000 times. Since it was announced last October, at least another 680 people have been bombed to death, shot, or starved, and only a trickle of humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza. Trump is moving forward with this “real estate bonanza,” as the Israeli Finance Minister called it, their twisted fantasy of building a playground for the 1% on the graveyard of more than 20,000 children. The ironically named “Board of Peace,” on which there are no Palestinians, plans to create what at best can be called reservations, into which remaining Gazans will be corralled and where they will be monitored 24/7, allowed out only by permission, and where everything they eat, drink, or purchase will be controlled by Israel and the US.

I don’t have to tell you all that this maniacal lust for power and money has now spread even more. After 30+ years of trying, Israel finally convinced a US president to bomb Iran, and they are now doing to southern Lebanon what they’ve done to Gaza, where in less than a month over 1,000 people have been killed, including journalists and paramedics. One million have been displaced. We’ve seen this play out before.

Today the believers in justice, love, and peace in our world seem to be walking the Via Dolorosa with Christ, and we carry a heavy cross. We too are exhausted; we feel sweat trickle down our faces as we strain to keep speaking truth to power. We too taste blood as the crown of thorns pricks into our skulls, and we are called attention-seeking fools and antisemites—we, who try our best to follow the message of universal love taught by a Jew living in occupied Palestine.

So, what do we do now? The world is dark this Good Friday, and the road is very, very long. We fall, but like Christ, let us pick up our crosses and stand up once again. Let us walk forward, proud to be full of the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us carry the crosses for those who cannot. Yesterday Pope Leo urged us to embrace our mission, even when it requires risk, vulnerability, and suffering. So, pick up your cross and be not afraid.

For despite it all, darkness and death do not win. Our world will be reborn. The resurrection is true, but it cannot happen without sacrificing at least some of our own comfort. Let us truly believe that ultimately what awaits all of us on this Earth is not hell, but heaven; not death, but life; not darkness, but glorious, beatific, and dazzling Light.

Free Palestine, Stop War, Build a New World!

Amen.

Members of the Agape Community witness at the State House on Good Friday
during their Stations of the Cross event. 

“Leap of Faith” screening May 6 in Springfield

March 24, 2026 in /by

Film: “Leap of Faith,” directed by Nicholas Ma

When: Wednesday, May 6, 6:00pm

Where: Pope Francis Preparatory School, 99 Wendover Road, Springfield

Pax Christi Massachusetts is sponsoring a showing of Nicholas Ma’s film, “Leap of Faith” on Wednesday, May 6th @ 6:30 PM in the auditorium of Pope Francis Preparatory School, 99 Wendover Road in Springfield. Director Nicholas Ma, the son of violinist YoYo Ma, is best known for his award-winning documentary, “Won’t you be my Neighbor?” about Fred Rogers.

The film documents 12 diverse Christian leaders who find hope and fellowship at a series of boundary-breaking retreats in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Brought together by Michael Gulker of the Colossian Forum, five women and seven men struggle with some of today’s most contentious issues. The divisions between them become apparent and test both their common belief in the universal importance of love and kindness and the bonds they build over the course of a year.

Inspiring and provocative, “Leap of Faith” explores whether we can disagree and still belong to each other in a divided world.

All are welcome!

Check out the latest issue of the Pax Christi Massachusetts newsletter!

March 9, 2026 in /by

PCMA Newsletter Winter-Spring 2026

Features in this issue:

  • Fr. Rocco Puopolo, s.x., PCMA Coordinator, covers the “depth and wisdom” of Pope Leo’s most recent messages on peace.
  • Mike Moran outlines the initiatives of the Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN), including the publication of their recent survey on a Vatican webpage.
  • Drawing on her recent pilgrimage to Palestine, Linden Jenkins connects parallels of colonial violence and displacement in the treatment of the Palestinian people and United States indigenous peoples.
  • Pat Ferrone reflects on various responses to the 2025 Christmas Creche message at St. Susanna’s Parish, Dedham.
  • Jeanne Allen recaps the PCMA Assembly, held in October at St. Susanna’s Parish.

The issue also features coverage of Greater Springfield Nonviolence’s MLK Day Program, a letter to USCCB President Archbishop Coakley from Priests Against Genocide, the 36th Annual St. Francis Day gathering of the Agape Community, book reviews, a poem by Peter Kakos, updates from local chapters, introductions to our new BOD members, the nomination form for the 2026 PCMA Peacemaker Awards AND the flyer for the PCMA Spring Retreat, featuring Marie Dennis of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative.

The retreat is coming right up on April 11! For details and online registration, click here.

Pax Christi Massachusetts 2026 Spring Retreat, April 11: Gospel Nonviolence in a Perilous Time, with Marie Dennis

March 3, 2026 in /by

Pax Christi Massachusetts welcomes Marie Dennis to return to us and lead us in our Spring Retreat entitled “Gospel Nonviolence in a Perilous Time.”

Marie is the senior program director of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. She was a member of the Pax Christi International board from 1999 to 2019 and co-president from 2007 to 2019. She is a Pax Christi USA Ambassador of Peace and was named a Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace in 2022.

Marie worked for the Maryknoll Missioners from 1989 to 2012, including 15 years as director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. She holds a master’s degree in moral theology from Washington Theological Union and honorary doctorates from Trinity Washington University and Alvernia University. She is a Secular Franciscan and author or co-author of seven books, including Oscar Romero: Reflections on His Life and Writings and St. Francis and the Foolishness of God; editor of Choosing Peace: The Catholic Church Returns to Gospel Nonviolence; and co-editor of Advancing Nonviolence and Just Peace in the Church and the World. She is a lay woman, a mother of six, a grandmother and a great-grandmother.

She is a board member of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners and was the National Catholic Reporter’s Person of the Year in 2016.

We could not have found a better person to lead us in this very timely topic. Come and Join us!

Details below

Printable PDF and Registration Opportunities on the Upcoming Events Page

Direct link to Online Registration