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OUR MISSION

The Marquette University Center for Peacemaking empowers the university and the wider community to explore together the necessary skills to become informed, spiritually-centered, nonviolent peacemakers. Rooted in the Ignatian charism, the center fosters an awakening to the holistic relationship of scholarship, spirituality, nonviolent living, and the active struggle for peace and justice.

Center for Peacemaking Overview

We are proud to share an overview of the Center for Peacemaking with you that highlights our first three years and outlines our goals for the future. Download.

PeaceCasts

Watch presentations from our Distinguished Peacemakers on the 2010-11 events page.

Nonviolence Study Group

Come to the Undergraduate Nonviolence Study Group meetings held Wednesdays from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Learn more about the meetings.

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Events

2013 Commencement

Sunday, May 19 l BMO Harris Bradley Center l 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Bill Cosby will be the Commencement speaker at this year's spring ceremony. As part of the ceremony, Cosby will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree.

"Bill Cosby was a pioneer in breaking down racial stereotypes on national television," said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Marquette University president. "That commitment to breaking boundaries combined with his deep commitment to education is a powerful example for our graduates."

Marquette will also award Sister Rosemary Connelly, R.S.M., an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. She is executive director of Misericordia Heart of Mercy, a service organization in Rogers Park, Ill., that supports people with developmental disabilities.

Marquette will provide a live webcast of the May Commencement ceremony on this page. The webcast will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 19.

German Opposition to Slavery

Wednesday, May 22 l Turner Hall l
7:00 p.m.

Before the Civil War, German-American identity became associated with the opposition to slavery. Frederick Douglass even remarked that "a German has only to be a German to be utterly opposed to slavery."

Dr. Allison Efford, History professor at Marquette University, will discuss how this happened and what it meant. Beyond that, she pursues the issue of racial justice into the post-civil war period, when African-American citizenship hung in the balance and the Franco-Prussian War transformed what it meant to be German-American.

Dr. Efford's new book, German Immigrants, Race and Citizenship in the Civil War Era, will be available from Cambridge University press.

The event is free and open to the public. Contact Turner Hall for more information.

Peace Through Music

Sunday, May 26 l Lineman's-1001 E. Locust l 7:00 p.m.

Peace Through Music: The Music of John Lennon is the 11th annual benefit to curb handgun violence. Many Milwaukee-area musicians will gather to play Lennon's music. The evening includes a special silent auction. Your $10 donation will support Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) and The Brady Campaign.

Contact WAVE for more information.

News

Prints of Peace-Spring 2013 Newsletter

 

Join a Nonviolence Study Group

 

Undergraduate students meet to explore the power of nonviolence. Contact Chris Jeske if you are interested in joining the group that will begin again in September.

Father Simon Harak, S.J. Returs to New England Province

 

As the founding director of the Center seven years ago, Fr. Simon worked to build a community of peacemakers on the Marquette Camupus. His mark on the community was huge and here are some of the things he accomplished:

  • Engaged students by studying major books of the nonviolence movements.
  • Brought community members active in the peace movement to meet with students.
  • Set up the summer fellowships for students to train in nonviolent action.
  • Sponsored trips to peace and justice events.
  • Began a study group of students who examined the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, focusing on groups that work for nonviolent coexistence between these two great peoples.
  • Set up research fellowships for faculty to further research in the theory of nonviolence.
  • Brought internationaly-known activists to serve as Peacemaker in Residence. These activists met with faculty and students and gave public and classroom presentations.
  • Invited many peacemakers as guest speakers on topics from torture to reconciliation.
  • Worked with the Law School, the College of Education and MPS, to implement a program to teach elementary and high school students how to have conflict constructively.
  • Hosted spring and fall retreats to enrich the University's faith-centered character. Whether practical or programmatic, the Center emphasizes the need for peacemaking to be rooted in spirituality.

The staff thanks Simon and wishes him well!