Pace e Bene

Brendan was born and raised in Northern Ireland where he was exposed to a culture of violence, injustice and denominational segregation.

Since moving to Perth, Australia in 1981, after teaching high school for seven years in England, Brendan has been working in adult faith education, retreat and community-based facilitation, social justice and the development of a spirituality of nonviolent peace-making.

Brendan has been associated with Pace e Bene since his first visit to Las Vegas in 1994 when he was inspired by the vision and practice of “the old grey wolf,” Alain Richard. He has been on staff since 1999, introducing the From Violence to Wholeness process across Australia and developing a network of facilitators.  He has been instrumental in assisting in the creation of our sister organization, Pace e Bene Australia. 

In addition to his Pace e Bene commitments, Brendan also works with some of the most marginalized men in prison and, as part of a small team, provides avenues for their transition back into society. The team works predominantly with long-term sex offenders and other alienated prisoners who have little or no supportive social networks.

Brendan’s most recent passions have engaged him in:

• Planning for and implementing Leviticus Loans, a No Interest Loans project for unemployed people and low-income earners in Western Australia
• Supporting a Restorative Justice movement in Western Australia to provide an alternative to the current retributive system of punishment and revenge
• Exploring the links between Celtic and Aboriginal spirituality as a vehicle for reconciliation for non-Aboriginal Australians from a Celtic background
• Facilitating the creation of “Open Space” for groups of any kind or size to gather and to deal with their own issues by using self-directing, nonviolent processes.