Although I am now a non-believer, I have nothing but the height of respect for that gallant group of people in the United States of America who call themselves the Catholic Workers. They have relentlessly waged a gallant non-violent struggle both to help the poor and to oppose all war and warmongers in whatever disguise over many years. In their struggle against the supporters and purveyors of a philosophy and theology of violence, they have been to prison time after time, some like the Berrigan brothers Philip and Daniel enduring years of life behind bars. The Berrigans were Jesuits, Dan persisting in the clerical vocation till his recent death and Phil leaving the priesthood to marry Elizabeth McAlister and with her rear a brilliant family, persisting in both his faith and vocation to oppose all war until he died in December 2002.
The tradition of the Berrigans lives on.
In Ireland Mary Kelly, and five Pitstop Ploughshare activists (Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon, Damien Moran, Ciaron O'Reilly) blazed a non-violent trail in 2003 by disabling a US warplane at Shannon airport, risking years in prison. After tortuous trials they were all eventually acquitted because they had lawful excuse (to save lives in Iraq). Since then other activists have engaged in protests at the same airport having entered it by cutting or in one case hopping the fence. Seventy nine year old Margaretta D'Arcy spent time in jail, Niall Farrell, Mick Wallace TD, Clare Daly TD, Colm Roddy and Dave Donnellan followed suit. [See previous blogs].
There are onging actions of a similar kind in Australia at present
Yesterday in the United States,Catholic Workers, Vets for Peace and a member of a group called Neb. For Peace were among the eight people who showed up on the side walk outside the Creighton Universities ROTC building at noon, to protest
As part of a national wide campaign called “Teach Peace Not War!”, they hope to get the 17 U.S. Jesuit colleges and universities that host Military Training to end the obnoxious practice.The group at Creighton asked the University "not to whitewash the gospel" and presented the Director with a bucket of whitewash as a reminder.
Spokesperson Andy Kenney said to the Jesuit Director: "Please accept this bucket of whitewash as a gentle reminder not to use it to conform to the world around you. May you never have need to open it again. May you advocate, with the zeal and authority of Jesus, to remove worldly military training centers from your catholic campuses.”
