Pax Christi Assembly: Breaking the Culture of Silence

The Pax Christi Minnesota State Assembly 2011 met at Pax Christi Catholic Church in Rochester, Minnesota, September 17, 2011.  Members present were Sister Mary Rae Higgins, Sister Linda Wiggins, Sister Marie Volk, Fred Cain, Kate Bradley, Mary Tanner, and students of The College of St. Scholastica: Elizabeth Miller, Courtney Cochran, and Flo Mopamoros.

The theme was “Breaking the culture of Silence; Choosing a Nonviolent Path,” and the keynote speaker was Coleen Rowley.  Workshops offered included, Sharing Secrets of Faith and Hope in Haiti, Vets for Peace speaking on sexual violence in the military, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and Mission 21: A Minnesota perspective of Human Trafficking.

 

Coleen Rowley brought to light some of the pre-9-11 security lapses and has testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about endemic problems facing the FBI and the intelligence community.  As an FBI Special Agent, she was one of the three whistleblowers chosen as persons of the year by Time Magazine.  Coleeen pointed out problems of secrecy, militarization control for power, and misleading the public through propaganda and fear factors.  She maintains that Truth is power; that’s how you catch the bad guys.  The day was meaningful, energizing, challenging, and rewarding.