Circle of Peace Speaking Tour
with Father Louie Vitale, OFM
Click here to see Fr. Louie’s Tour Schedule!
Torture is wrong. Violence is ineffective to bring true change. How do we move from the place of complacency into activity? What does our nonviolent peacemaking say to our government’s sanctioning of torture and pre-emptive war?
Father Louie Vitale has been grappling with these and other related questions for nearly half a century since he began his journey by enlisting in the air force as a young man, and having a conversion towards nonviolence. While all of our journeys take different paths, our hearts converge upon the commonality of Pace e Bene – Italian for “peace and all good.”
Father Louie will be touring the United States to talk about his recent 5 month prison term served for crossing the line and praying at Fort Huachuca (the military installation in Arizona where we train our American Intelligence Officers in “Enhanced Interrogation” tactics such as the much publicized water boarding, among other torture methods).
Father Louie, a Franciscan Priest, is 75 years old. He has, at a time when most men are enjoying retirement, placed himself in situations where he knew physical danger or incarceration were options because of ethics and morals. Father Louie believes too much in the good of humankind to sit back and do nothing about it.
Suggested Speaking Topics
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“No to Torture: The Nonviolent Response to Terrorism”
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“The Nonviolent Alternative to the Perpetual War on Terrorism”
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“Love Your Enemies: Transforming Us vs. Them Thinking”
Tour Dates
Summer/Fall 2008
Host Expectations
There are a few expectations which people interested in hosting need to be aware of and able to accomplish.
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Securing Venue – It is the responsibility of the host to provide venue arrangements, setting the time, location, and equipment for the event. It is up to the host to choose the most beneficial location for the event, i.e. sometimes churches or schools may provide the space free of charge, but other times they require a rental fee. If there is a cost, the host will assume the cost.
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Publicizing Event – It is the responsibility of the host to publicize the event in your community and also utilize the local media. Pace e Bene has provided a flyer template and is able to provide other ideas regarding this matter.
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Resource Table – Pace e Bene will send materials to be sold with Father Louie and will need a table for our resources to be sold.
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Resource Sales – The host will provide a person for Pace e Bene resource sales at the table. Depending upon the location, we may be able to send someone to person the table.
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Signup Sheet – Pace e Bene will provide the host with blank sets of signup sheets. We find they work best to have at the door for when people arrive and leave but can also be passed around during the event if there is no entrance table.
Contact Felicia Parazaider for more information:
feliciaparazaider [at] paceebene [dot] org
(510) 268-8765
A co-founder of Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service, Fr. Louie Vitale is currently on staff as the organization’s Nonviolent Action Advocate. Ordained in 1963 as a Franciscan priest, Fr. Vitale has devoted his life to peace, working tirelessly for the dignity and well-being of people everywhere. With a background in sociology and a focus on the Sociology of Religion and social movements, Louie is a long time social activist. He served as the provincial of the California Franciscan Friars from 1979 to 1988, along with co-founding the Nevada Desert Experience and participating in its enduring movement to end nuclear testing. Fr. Vitale also participated heavily in the United Farm Workers Movement in the 60s and 70s as well as counseling draft registers during the Vietnam War.
He has worked in a wide array of nationwide welfare rights campaigns and during the 1980s was involved with human rights delegations in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. Fr. Vitale is also a member of the Religious Witness with the Homeless.
He recently completed twelve years as the pastor of St. Boniface Catholic Church in a low-income neighborhood in San Francisco, California. Fr. Vitale was the recipient of the 2006 Jefferson Award for community service and the St. Thomas More Society award. He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
