WASHINGTON – November 22, 2013 – Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice (EAD) is thrilled to announce that Rev. John Dear will keynote the Opening Celebration Plenary on Friday evening, March 21, 2014 during EAD’s 12th Annual National Gathering in Washington, DC. The theme for the 2014 gathering is “Jesus Weeps: Resisting Violence, Building Peace.”
John Dear is an internationally known voice for peace and nonviolence. He is a popular speaker, peacemaker, organizer, lecturer, retreat leader, and the author and editor of over thirty books. He has organized and participated in nonviolent campaigns for over three decades; been arrested some 75 times in acts of civil disobedience against war and injustice; and spent nearly a year of his life in jail for peace. Recently, John was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He currently works with Pace e Bene and writes a weekly column for the National Catholic Reporter.
Rev. Dear is charged to open the conference by centering the nearly 1,000 Christian advocates expected to attend on the image of Jesus weeping over a capital city that turned from the true way of peace, as found in Luke 19:41-42. The opening plenary of EAD 2014 will expose the violence that pervades our culture and world which will then guide the transformative experience and call to action for the rest of the weekend advocacy event.
“John Dear’s participation in EAD 2014 is good news for participants coming in March 2014 who truly wish to resist the pervading violence in our communities and our world,” said Douglas Grace, Director of Ecumenical Advocacy Days. “John will certainly inspire our Washington gathering to discover a faith-based vision for national policies that ‘guide our feet into the path of peace.'”
Read more about John Dear here.
The Rev. Jim Wallis, President of Sojourners and a sponsor of EAD 2014, has said of The Rev. John Dear, “John understands that peacemaking is not a part-time job. John has walked the talk for years, an inspiration to all of us to do more than we think we can.”
Thich Nhat Hanh is quoted as saying, “To take care of each other should be our primary concern in this twenty-first century, and John Dear is steady on this course,” and Arun Gandhi has noted, “John Dear shows we can enjoy peace only if we respect each other, and we can respect each other only if we have an appreciation of each other’s beliefs.”
Actor and activist, Martin Sheen, has also commented, “How John Dear arrived at such an enviable level of moral and physical courage is simply astonishing. Even more astonishing is that his life’s commitment to peace and justice appears instinctive, springing from an unfathomable source. Surely it is a reflection of John’s deep spirituality.”
The EAD Leadership Team welcomes John to “Jesus Weeps: Resisting Violence, Building Peace,” and encourages EAD advocates to register for EAD 2014 today!