Held Sunday, June 4, 2023
The Awards Reception took place once again at Xavier High School, in the very comfortable Keenan Commons. About sixty people attended in person, with three more on Zoom.
A big thank you to Hideko Otake for taking video for us to share!
Introductions
Introductions of the adult honorees were kept to a minimum, giving them more time to explain how they had been inspired to perform the actions for which they were being honored. A common denominator in those talks was the depth of religious response in each speaker’s commitment to peace work.
Awards
The PCMNY Service Award was presented to Br. Tom Egan, FSC. A self-described late bloomer, he became inspired to do peace work in the 1980’s, especially with then-new Bread for the World. He was honored for his service on the PC Witness Committee and in the office.
The Eileen Egan National Peacemaker Award honored Kevin Ahern, Professor of Peace Studies at Manhattan College and member of the committee promoting sainthood for Dorothy Day. As a highly knowledgeable spokesperson for the peace movement, he believes that taking the Gospels seriously is essential.
The Richard McSorley Award was presented to the Kings Bay Plowshares 7. Their goal at the Georgia submarine base was to expose the idolatry of military weapons by harmlessly interacting with a display of weapon models. Catholic prayer and liturgical sensibility were fundamental to the entire project: planning, action, and now ongoing reflection. Essentially, US law makes it impossible to adjudicate against nuclear weapons; as ‘idols’ existing outside the law, they cannot be touched.
The Maloof Family Young Peacebuilder Award was presented to Wendy Hernandez Higarede, a Junior at Cristo Rey New York High School. Her essay, which she read to the audience, described participation in a variety of events sponsored by The Ignatian Spirituality Network or her school. Her teacher, Joe McQuarrie, praised Wendy as a natural leader. Accompanying Wendy at the reception were her parents, the school principal, Rose Batista, and several classmates. For some years now the school has presented a Station at our annual Good Friday Way of the Cross.
Music
The atmosphere at the reception was attentive during the speeches and warm overall, especially because of the opportunity to see old friends in person once again. We are grateful to everyone who made this event possible, especially Jack Raslowsky, President of Xavier High School, and members of the Xavier staff.
PAX Christi Metro New York 