The 2013 Season of Peace and Justice
Compassion: The heart of doing justice and making peace
Join the Movement to Make San Antonio a Compassionate City http://charterforcompassion.org/
Oct. 2, Wednesday, 4:30 to 5:30 pm and Oct. 3, Thursday, 3 - 4 pm. The UIW Solar House, Learning Better Ways by Daniel Potter, the Project Manager of the Solar House. The Solar House is created as a fully functioning residence, a visitors center, and a learning laboratory to promote green construction practices. The project, a model of energy-efficiency, was funded by a federal grant from the Department of Education. Join students considering care for creation as critical issue of social justice and spirituality. For information, Daniel Potter dpotter@uiwtx.edu
Oct. 4, Friday, 12 noon, Marian Hall Ballroom. MELTING ICE, MENDING CREATION: A Catholic Approach to Climate Change, Feast of St. Francis 2013. The Pontifical Academy of Science calls “on all people and nations to recognize the serious and potentially irreversible impacts of global warming caused by the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, and by changes in forests, wetlands, grasslands, and other land uses.” Learn about the dramatic evidence and explore Catholic teaching on climate change. The poor and the vulnerable are the most impacted by this. This program is part of the Catholic Climate Change national movement. People are invited to take the St. Francis Pledge to “Care for creation. Care for the poor.” http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/ For information: Sister Martha Ann Kirk kirk@uiwtx.edu
Oct. 4, Friday, 5:30 pm, Grotto at UIW. A Blessing of the Animals and Prayer for Creation on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology. Bring your animals, live and stuffed! Francis taught love for all, care of creation, and peacemaking. Hosted by the “Arts for Christian Worship Class.” For more information: kirk@uiwtx.edu 829-3854
Oct. 7, Monday, 3 pm and repeated at 4:30 pm, Library Auditorium. “Empowering women to face challenges in the current social and political situation,” Zawadi Nikuze, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sponsored by Women’s Global Connection. Zawadi Nikuze has been active in peace work since high school. She worked in Kigali, Rwanda with “Mwananshuti,” an outreach program for street children. She currently plans and facilitates “Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities” workshops on trauma healing and reconciliation with displaced persons who fled violence to camps outside Goma. She also works regularly with survivors of rape in the camps facilitating support groups and listening sessions. Zawadi is a member of the Religious Society of Friends in DRC, and is raising funds to build a women’s center during her time in the U.S. For information: Dr. Alison Buck, wgc.alisonbuck@gmail.com, 210-832-3208.
Oct. 15, Tuesday, 7 pm, McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room. Screening of "The Story of the San Antonio River.” Trace the history from 12,000 years ago with Native American artifacts to the present, and follow the path from the Blue Hole 240 miles through SA and on to the Gulf of Mexico. Experts talk about the challenge of sustaining and enriching life in South Texas. For information: Itza Casanova casanova@uiwtx.edu 210-829-3943
Oct. 16, Wednesday, 6 to 9 pm. Library Special Collections. Fifth annual Peace Month Research Symposium organized by Dr. Noah Kasraie. For information: Kasraie@uiwtx.edu.
Oct. 20-25, UIW Interfaith Harmony Week. For information on programs: Rev. Dr. Trevor Alexander, UIW Director of Ecumenical Initiatives, alexande@uiwtx.edu 210-829-3130
Oct. 23, Wednesday, 9:00 -10:45 a.m. Dubuis Lawn. Play Day for Peace. The Dreeben School of Education’s Creative Play and Play Environments Class with assistance from UIW Mission and Ministry will host its annual play day in conjunction with Peace Month. Children from our partner schools will participate in some 25 outdoor learning play spaces provided by the education students. Play is seen as the opposite of violence as well as providing essential benefits to the child. The United Nations Rights of the child calls for all children to have the right to play. For information: Dr. Mary Ruth Moore Moore@uiwtx.edu (210) 283-5038
Oct. 24, Thursday, 7:30 pm, McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room. An Evening with Gilbert King, Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize, Gilbert King is the author of Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2013. King is originally from Schenectady, New York. He has written about Supreme Court history and the death penalty for the New York Times and the Washington Post, and he is a featured contributor to Smithsonian magazine’s history blog. His book, The Execution of Willie Francis, was published in 2008. Book signing opportunity. For information: barnes@uiwtx.edu
Oct. 25, Friday, 11:15 am, Administration 215. “Living for Peace in a Violent World: Paul’s Philosophy of Social and Political Action in the Letter to the Romans” By Dr. Timothy M.Milinovich. He has written extensively on Christian scriptures, including Now Is the Day of Salvation, and Beyond What Is Written.
Oct. 29, 10:30 to 11:45 am, Joyce Building 126. “Kenya and Catholic Relief Services” By Peter Kimeu. Kenya is developing, but still half the population struggles with poverty. Learn of successes and on-going challenges from Peter Kimeu,the Regional Technical Advisor for Partnership, Solidarity and Justice for Catholic Relief Services East Africa. For over 31 years, Mr. Kimeu has worked with health and development programs, emergencies, community participation and capacity building, project development, monitoring and evaluation, and as the Director of Governance, Global Solidarity & Partnership. See more http://crs.org/countries/kenya Hosted by Sylvia Maddox, Religious Studies Faculty. For information, SYLMADDOX@aol.com
Peace Day 2013, Oct. 30
On the last Wednesday of October, the community of UIW remembers a beloved faculty member who was violently killed, Dr. Bernard O’Halloran. Therefore, the community promotes education on justice and peace in the world. http://www.uiw.edu/PeaceDay/peacedayhistory.html
Refugee Arts and Crafts Fair, 10 am to 1 pm, Marian Hall Circle. Have an opportunity to meet some of the newcomers to our city, enjoy their cultures, and buy some of their beautiful arts and crafts. This fair will bring refugees to our campus and showcase their traditional arts and crafts. The Refugee Resettlement Program welcomes persons from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. ccaosa.org. Hosted by Dr. Lopita Nath in collaboration with the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program, and UIW students participating in President Obama’s Interfaith Service Challenge. Contact: Dr. Lopita Nath, nath@uiwtx.edu
9 am, Library Auditorium. “Mind your Body, Work your Soul” by Clare Strockbine Acosta Matos. She will share from her new book Mind your Body, Work your Soul from Liguori Publications. Clare Strockbine, who has had missionary experiences in Latin America and West Africa weaves together wisdom from St. Ignatius and the Marianist tradition. She brings laughter, tears, and skills for more healthy and wholistic living. She encourages you to find your passions, live them into health, and to let your health carry you into freedom. Once that freedom starts to grow in your heart, you will want to feel that freedom in all that you are and do, both physically and spiritually. She is the University Minister for Social Justice and Adjunct Faculty at St. Mary's University. For information: kirk@uiwtx.edu
10:30 am, Library Auditorium. Students Against Government Executions, SAGE will share information and challenge assumptions about the death penalty. Join Elizabeth Estrada and Catherine Koterba assisted by Dr. Roger Barnes, Professor of Sociology.
12 noon, Marian Hall Ballroom. Refugee Stories and Challenges, A Panel, with free soup lunch. Dr. Lopita Nath, who recently spoke in Washington, DC.as part of President Obama’s Interfaith Service Challenge, will share and host a panel on the global plight of refugees and assistance to refugees in our city. She and her students have worked with Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program which welcomes persons from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. ccaosa.org. Come and meet the refugees and hear their stories first hand. For more information, contact Dr. Lopita Nath nath@uiwtx.edu Food generously prepared by the UIW Student Dietetic Association. (If you are bringing a whole class, please send the number so that enough food can be prepared: kirk@uiwtx.edu)
1:30 pm, Library Auditorium, “Compassion, the heart of doing justice and making peace” The San Antonio peaceCENTER core team members Karen Ball, the leader of San Antonio Pax Christi, Barbie Gorelick Callanan, an award-winning Jewish educator, and Narjis Pierre, leader of the San Antonio Muslim Women’s Association and friends, share on the global movement endorsing the Charter for Compassion. San Antonio compassionNET is a grassroots movement to have San Antonio recognized as a world-class compassionate city.
3 pm, Library Auditorium. “In the Footprints of St. Francis and the Sultan: A Model for Peace Making” a film and discussion shared the Dialogue Institute of the Southwest founded by Turkish Muslims. The film shares a little-known story of the Fifth Crusade in 1219. St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malek Al-Kamil engaged in dialogue which eventually led to peace. Their example is an invitation to us to join in respectful dialogues with people of different faiths and cultures. The film is sponsored by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Campaign for Human Development, the Institute of Interfaith Dialog, and the Franciscans. Mehmet Oguz, leader of the San Antonio Dialogue Institute, will have information on local initiatives. For information: Mehmet Oguz oguz@thedialoginstitute.org
Oct. 30, Wed, 4:30 pm, Library Auditorium. “Blanketed by Blame, Empowered by Compassion: Maya’s Story” a drama on the dynamics and structure of domestic violence and how these cycles can be changed. Learn how community support can make a difference in the empowerment of victims. Information on domestic violence will be shared by Awaaz, a grassroots non-profit organization for South Asians affected by domestic violence which works to create communities of peaceful and healthy relationships. Sponsored by Asian Studies and Women and Gender Studies. Facilitated by Dr. Lopita Nath. For information, contact nath@uiwtx.edu
We are grateful to all of the presenter and to the organizers and promoters of the 2013 Season of Justice and Peace
- Roger Barnes, Alison Buck, Itza Casanova, James Creagan, Scott Dittloff, Elizabeth Estrada, Carline Goulet, Michael Guiry, Noah Kasraie, Catherine Koterba, Stephen Lucke, Kathleen Lusk, Sylvia Maddox, Michael McGuire, Tim Milinovich, Mary Ruth Moore, Lopita Nath, Vanessa Phillips, Eula Pines, Danny Potter, Alexandra Shipley, Suleyman Tek, Christine Whong, and Sister Martha Ann Kirk, Chair
- The Student Dietetic Association and Vivian Partida, the president.
- The UIW Interfaith Council and the UIW Mission and Ministry Office
For information: Contact the UIW office of Mission and Ministry, dimas@uiwtx.edu, 210-829-3128. All events are free and open to the public.
The University of the Incarnate Word provides reasonable accommodations with adequate notice. To request disability accommodation for an event, visit www.uiw.edu and click on the ADA/Section 504 link.