Pax Christi Seattle, December 7, 2015

Dear Friends,

We, the members of Pax Christi Seattle, would like to invite you to join with us in making a public, one-year Vow of Nonviolence, at the evening 5:30 p.m. Mass at St. James Cathedral on Monday, December 28 ^th, the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

To quote our national body, Pax Christi USA:

The Vow of Nonviolence was composed by Eileen Egan and Rev. John Dear, S.J. Tens of thousands of people have taken the Vow. The Vow of Nonviolence can be pronounced privately, with a local peace community, as part of a parish liturgy, or any other way that suits you. Many profess the Vow each year as part of their New Year observance.

This is our third year of marking our desire and commitment for peace by publicly sharing the words below. We invite you to set aside time to pray over them, before the 28 ^th. Some parts we find easier to live out than others; and not only do we differ in how we live them out, we differ in how easy or difficult it is for us as individuals to live out different parts. One thing we hope is that the loose community of people who gather around these words and the hope behind them will support one another by prayer and action, in living them out. If we do this, we are hopefully confident that this community will grow.

RECOGNIZING THE VIOLENCE IN MY OWN HEART, yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God, I vow for one year to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God…You have learned how it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy’; but I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be daughters and sons of your Creator in heaven.”
Before God the Creator and the Sanctifying Spirit , I vow to carry out in my life the love and example of Jesus:
●by striving for peace within myself and seeking to be a peacemaker in my daily life;
●by accepting suffering rather than inflicting it;
●by refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence;
●by persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart;
●by living conscientiously and simply so that I do not deprive others of the means to live;
●by actively resisting evil and working nonviolently to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the face of the earth.
God, I trust in Your sustaining love, and believe that just as You gave me the grace and desire to offer this, so You will also bestow abundant grace to fulfill it.

We hope you will join us at the Cathedral at 5:30 p.m. on December 28 ^th, for this special celebration of the Feast of the Holy Innocents. If you wish to make the vow at Mass with us, we appreciate it if you would let us know! If you have any questions, or want to know more about either the Vow or Pax Christi Seattle, please contact Denny Duffell at: duffelldennis@gmail.com.

Have a wonderful Advent and Christmas season – the season of the Prince of Peace.

Members of Central and North Seattle Pax Christi