Free Online Course: Gospel Nonviolence in Action

Anna Blackman is a Lecturer in Catholic Religious Education at the University of Glasgow. She serves on the Columban Missionaries in Britain’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee and co-facilitates the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence’s research strand on Gospel Nonviolence. Her research focuses on Catholic social thought and practice, particularly theologies of nonviolence and the intersection between Catholic education and nonviolent activism. She works closely with Pax Christi Scotland and has been involved with the Catholic Worker movement for over 10 years.

Cesar Villanueva is a transformative mediator and free lance participatory evaluator. Director for Popular Peace Education of Pax Christi Institute and Lecturer of Conflict Transformation and Peace Futures at the Masters in Conflict and Reconciliation Studies at the University of St. La Salle. He is a consultant on Conflict Sensitivity, Conflict Transformation, Reconciliation and Peace Futures at the Inter-faith Cooperation Forum. He has been the national coordinator of Pax Christi Pilipinas (2004-2011), member of Pax Christi International Board and the Director of Niall O’Brien Center for Nonviolence, Reconciliation and Community Futures (2004-2006).

Edgar Antonio López is a Professor at the Faculty of Theology at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. As part of his research work, he has accompanied groups of victims of the armed conflict in the Colombian departments of Sucre, Córdoba, Chocó, and Valle del Cauca. He has also supported the work of grassroots organizations in some areas of southern Bogotá, as well as groups of women who are victims of gender-based violence in the department of Atlántico and in Bogotá. He is currently supporting the process of reintegration into civilian life for a group of signatories to the Colombian Peace Agreement 2016.

Michelle Sherman is the Program Director for Pax Christi USA and is member of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. She is one of the co-founders of Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus (PCYAC) in the United States and accompanies the Peace Pairs, an intergenerational program of peacemakers within Pax Christi USA. As a retreat presenter and spiritual director, she was formed by multiple religious women’s communities including the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Cabrini Sisters, Religious of the Assumption, and Sisters of Mercy. It is from these communities that she encountered faith in action, Gospel nonviolence, and integral ecology — witnessing to the collective power that can transform us and our world.

Mary Lilian Akhere Ehidiamhen, Ph.D. is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC), based in Austin, Texas, USA. She is a member of the Sisters For Christian Community (SFCC). With a background in Theological Ethics, Social and Peace Ethics, and Catholic Social Teaching, Lilian approaches NVC not only as a communication model but as a pathway to connection, inner conversion and social renewal, bringing a unique integration of theological ethics, education, and peacebuilding to her NVC practice.

Pat Gaffney was General Secretary of Pax Christi England and Wales for 30 years. She has been involved in the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative project since it began in 2016. She is a member of CNI Steering Committee. Pat has a background in teaching and development education and has been involved in many nonviolent actions against war.

Eli McCarthy, Ph.D., teaches at Georgetown University in Theology as well as Justice and Peace Studies. His recent book is an edited volume called A Just Peace Ethic Primer: Building Sustainable Peace and Breaking Cycles of Violence (2020). He has also published Becoming Nonviolent Peacemakers: A Virtue Ethic for Catholic Social Teaching and U.S. Policy (2012) Since 2012, he has worked on federal policy with advocacy coalitions on peacebuilding, foreign policy, immigration, environment, etc. Presently, he is a Just Peace Fellow with the Franciscan Action Network, co-founder of the DC Peace Team and member of the coordination committee of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence.

Nicolás Paz is a civil mediator with over 12 years of experience, officially registered at the Ministry of Justice in Spain. Director of the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative of Pax Christi International. Member of the coordinating committee of the Catholic Institute for Nonviolence, the European Union Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation and the European Academy of Religion. Faculty member at the Pontifical University of Salamanca where he teaches on conflict and mediation.