PCMDCB PEACEMAKER OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENTS
Note: Though some of the following items have been updated, biographical information may only be accurate as of the date of the PCMDCB award.
2008, Catholic Worker communities in Metro DC & Baltimore
Our first Peacemaker of the Year Award Dinner was held at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Arlington, VA, in November 2008. Bishop Tom Gumbleton celebrated Mass, and former soldier, war resister, and peace activist Camilo Mejia was our keynote speaker. Honorees and special guests were the area’s Catholic Worker Communities: Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in DC, Little Flower Catholic Worker Farm in Louisa, VA, and Viva House in Baltimore.
2009, Sr. Alice Zachman
Sr. Alice Zachmann, SSND, first traveled to Guatemala in 1975, when she was working in parish ministry in St. Paul, MN. During that visit and a subsequent trip in 1979, she was struck by the almost incredible levels of poverty and discrimination among Guatemala’s people. Compelled to help, she resigned her U.S. job and united with Guatemalan refugees and former missionaries to advocate for justice and peace. The nonprofit Guatemalan Human Rights Commission (GHRC), with Sr. Alice at its head, received 501(c)(3) status in 1982.
The organization’s deep commitment to solidarity and bold approach to advocacy have placed it at the forefront of the international struggle for human rights in Guatemala. It contributes to positive systemic change by denouncing torture, forced disappearances, massacres, and U.S. involvement in these atrocities. It monitors the implementation of the 1996 Peace Accords and addresses patterns of abuse, including violence against women and attacks against human rights defenders.
From 2002 to 2009, after retiring from the GHRC, Sr. Alice served as office manager for the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC), which she co-founded with Sr. Diana Ortiz. TASSC works to end the practice of torture wherever it occurs and to support survivors as they empower themselves, their families, and their communities wherever they are.
2010, Tom Siemer (1930-2024) and Rita Clark
Thomas Siemer was a tireless advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons since 1976, when he quit his job after working on weapons systems with Rockwell International for 23 years. Starting in 1979, he went to Rome numerous times to urge the Pope and members of the Curia to officially forbid the building, deployment, threat to use, or actual use of weapons of mass destruction. In 2005, he was arrested for throwing red paint, symbolizing blood, at the Enola Gay B-29 bomber, on exhibit at the Air and Space Museum. He is the author of a book published with various titles on the moral imperative of nuclear disarmament.
Rita Clark was active in the Jubilee movement for third-world debt reduction since the 1990s. After working for the Nicaraguan Embassy from 1984 to 1990, in 1992 she founded the Nicaragua-US Friendship Office, which has helped to build schools in poor neighborhoods and the countryside in Nicaragua, as well as communicating the truth about Nicaragua to people in the U.S. In 1997, the Nicaragua-US Friendship Office joined with many other organizations to form the Jubilee USA Network, which works for the cancellation of crushing international debt to fight poverty and injustice in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Tom and Rita were married in 1996. Tom was the father of seven adult children, and Rita is the mother of six.
2011, Jeni Stepanek
Jeni Stepanek, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, devoted to carrying on the work of her son, the late bestselling poet and peace advocate, Mattie J.T. Stepanek (see www.mattieonline.com). She is a noted advocate for personal and world peace, as well as for children’s and families’ needs and rights in health and education. She is the author of Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and editor of Heartsongs. Jeni’s inspirational message about hope, peace, disability, grief, support, parenting, collaboration, motivation, and spirituality has been carried by all media outlets.
Like her son, Jeni has a rare genetic neuromuscular disease, and relies on a ventilator and wheelchair for breathing and mobility. Mattie, the youngest of Jeni's four children, died 3 weeks before his 14th birthday. All four died during childhood due to complications of the disease Jeni unknowingly passed on to them before she was diagnosed.
Today, Jeni works as an inspirational speaker and a research and editorial consultant. She also serves as a National Vice President for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and as a Governor for the We Are Family Foundation. As a mentor, Jeni is known as "Mama Peace" to 87 international teens (and counting) who are committed to peace and who learn about Mattie's message through the annual "Just Peace Summit" in New York City. She also works with schools and students who are learning about Mattie and peace across the United States. (Here’s a moving update: https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/07/30/jeni-stepaneks-last-heartsong/.)
2012, Sr. Katherine Corr, SNDdeN
Born in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Sr. Katherine Corr—“Sissy” to her many friends—started her life of service in Anacostia where, as a new member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, she taught grammar school in a Catholic parish that served some of D.C.’s poorest black families. After earning two degrees in education, she was assigned to Atlanta in 1967. After school and on weekends, she volunteered in the voter registration campaign of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where she came to know Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Lewis, now a Member of Congress from Georgia. She was inspired: “I came to see the intimate connections between racism, poverty, and war.” In the 1980s, she founded Jobs With Peace, a Baltimore nonprofit that spearheaded a campaign to establish the Baltimore Development Commission, and organized to make public the amount of local dollars that support the military budget.
In 1994, Sister Katherine’s order assigned her to direct the Notre Dame Mission Volunteers, based in Baltimore. To help financially disadvantaged communities that needed volunteers and funding, the organization partnered in 1995 with Americorps. NDMV-A is a public-private partnership for education, community empowerment, leadership development and multicultural harmony. Now in its 18th year, NDMV-A has grown to serve in 23 cities nationwide with over 3,000 alumni. Volunteers provide hands-on support to economically disadvantaged communities. They tutor children and adults (literacy, GED, and ESL), organize after-school enrichment activities, model and teach conflict resolution and parental effectiveness, and involve community professionals in the learning process. Since 2005, Sr. Katherine has also directed the independent Notre Dame Mission Volunteers International, which serves eight communities across the globe.
2013, Michael Walli
Michael Walli was born on a farm in Michigan, one of 14 children. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served two tours of duty in Vietnam. After leaving the military, Michael worked on fishing boats in Alaska and for a time lived and worked at a homeless shelter in Chicago. In the late 1980s, following a jail sentence for blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic in Virginia, Michael found his way to Dorothy Day House in Washington, D.C. After working there for several months, Michael’s journey with God took him to the Catholic Worker farm in West Virginia, the Catholic Worker in Denver, a Franciscan soup kitchen in Las Vegas, the Catholic Worker in Duluth, and finally back to Dorothy Day House in D.C.
Michael has repeatedly crossed lines, blocked doorways, and in two Plowshares actions, poured blood and hammered on weapons components. His actions have taken him to the CIA, SOA, abortion clinics, Blackwater, the Pentagon, the White House, missile silos, and the nuclear weapons facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He has served several years in jails and prisons for his actions. Michael is now in a Georgia jail, along with his codefendants Sr. Megan Rice and Greg Boertje-Obed, awaiting sentencing on January 28, 2014, for the Transform Now Plowshares action in Oak Ridge.
2014, Judith Kelly
Judith Kelly is a nonviolent activist and longtime member of Pax Christi. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Peru and Paraguay, she has also been active in the School of the Americas Watch, Witness Against Torture, and Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service.
In 2003, Judith served a 3-month federal prison sentence for trespassing onto the grounds of Ft. Benning, Georgia, calling for the closure of the SOA. She helped organize three human rights delegations to Chile with SOA Watch in 2008, 2009, and 2012. In March 2011, she represented Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore on a peace mission to Afghanistan with Voices for Creative Nonviolence. In April 2011, she was arrested with Fr. Roy Bourgeois at an SOA protest at the White House. In January 2012, she went on trial for a civil resistance action in the U.S. House gallery, calling for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. In 2013, she participated in a delegation to Chile to mark the 40th anniversary of the September 11, 1973, coup.
As an associate for Pace e Bene, she has facilitated numerous trainings in the spirituality and practice of active nonviolence. She has traveled on human rights delegations to Haiti, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia, and has also visited Israel/Palestine, India, and Japan. Judith is the author of Just Call Me Jerzy, a journey with Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, a martyred chaplain of the Polish freedom movement called Solidarność (Solidarity).
2015, Fr. Gerry Creedon (1944-2017)
Fr. Gerry Creedon served the Church in northern Virginia for almost 50 years, including as the pastor of Good Shepherd parish in Alexandria (1979-91), St. Charles parish in Arlington (1995-2010), and Holy Family parish in Dale City (2010 to 2017). From 1991 to 1995, he served as the founding pastor of the Diocese of Arlington’s mission in Bánica, Dominican Republic, where he worked to develop faith-based communities, served as the coordinator of social justice ministry for the local diocese, and assisted Haitian refugees fleeing war in their country.
In addition to his parish assignments, Fr. Gerry served the Church and the wider community over the years in numerous capacities, including Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, Diocesan Director of Catholic Relief Services and the Campaign for Human Development, founder of Catholics for Housing, founder of Gabriel Homes for people with disabilities, Diocesan representative on the board of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, adviser to the Virginia Catholic Conference, board member of Social Action Linking Together (SALT), and Strategy Team member of Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE).
In 2002, Fr. Gerry worked to establish the Diocese of Arlington Peace and Justice Commission, and he served as its Chair until his death in November 2017. Under his leadership, the Commission put on numerous programs to increase understanding of Catholic Social Teaching and motivate action on behalf of peace and justice. Recent programs included conferences on the death penalty, Gaudium et Spes, Pacem in Terris, labor and immigration, drone warfare, and climate change and conflict.
2016, Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF, and Fr. Jacek Orzechowski, OFM
Sr. Marie Lucey, OSF, is Director of Advocacy and Member Relations for the Franciscan Action Network (FAN). Her responsibilities center on peacemaking, including gun violence prevention and relationships with Muslims, and human rights, including immigration, human trafficking, and refugees. From 2003 until 2011 she was Associate Director for Social Mission with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Before that she served her community, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, as Congregational Minister (President) and Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Justice & Peace Coordinator, and educator. She has participated in delegations to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Mexico, Syria, and Lebanon.
Fr. Jacek Orzechowski is a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province, currently ministering at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring, MD, and a FAN board member. His advocacy and witness cover a similar range of issues. He has led eight Living Stones pilgrimages for the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation and is a tireless advocate for justice, peace and reconciliation in Palestine, as well as immigrants and the environment. The Catholic Bishops of Mexico, in part inspired by his reminder of the example of Jesus Christ, passed a strong statement on forest policy after reading the Franciscan declaration on forest conservation that he authored. Fr. Jacek was awarded a 2004 Steward of the Forest Award.
2017, Rose Berger and Gerry Lee (1950-2022)
Rose Marie Berger is a Catholic poet and peace activist who writes about empire, art, social justice, and activism. She has authored three books, edited one, and contributed to many others. With Sojourners over three decades, she has worked as a peace organizer, internship program director, liturgist, community pastor, poetry editor, and, currently, as an associate editor of Sojourners magazine. She has traveled widely for her work. Rose took part in the 2016 Rome gathering that produced “An Appeal to the Catholic Church to Recommit to the Centrality of Gospel Nonviolence”, and is active with Pax Christi International and the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative.
Gerry Lee, who died in 2022, served in overseas and urban US ministry for more than 30 years. From 1984 to 1994, he, his wife, and their three daughters were a mission family in Venezuela with Maryknoll Lay Missioners (MLM). From 1994 to 2006, he served on the MLM staff. After 10 years as part of the food justice movement in the U.S., practicing urban farming with young adults and community leaders in inner city Philadelphia, he was chosen to direct the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. Gerry also took part in the historic 2016 Rome gathering. He retired from MOGC in 2019.
2018, Local Young People Working to Stop Gun Violence and Promote Peace
Eighteen young people from local high schools were recognized for their leadership in gun violence prevention work, in the wake of the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Honorees were Caroline Barry (Stone Ridge), Ruby Brayton (Blake), Connor Cerezo-Allen (DeMatha), Barrett Fife (Georgetown Visitation, now at William & Mary), J’TA Freeman (McNamara), Matt Gannon (Gonzaga, now at Dartmouth), Rebecca Heimbrock (Middletown), Micaela Lattimer (Long Reach), Laurelle Maubert (St. James), Dani Miller (Churchill), Hannah Miller (T.C. Williams), Eleanor Miskovsky (Georgetown Visitation), Olivia Mullaney (Stone Ridge, now at Tulane), Jaxon O’Mara (Great Mills), Matt Post (Sherwood, now at Yale), Emily Schrader (Bethesda Chevy Chase), Nora Sweeney (Elizabeth Seton), and Nia Williams (Stone Ridge).
2019, Paul Magno
Paul Magno is a longtime peace activist, involved extensively in the Catholic Worker movement. He is a resident of Baltimore’s Jonah House, a 45-year-old faith-based community committed to nonviolent resistance to war and oppression. Paul’s previous roles include coordination of peacemaking and human rights activities at such organizations as Witness for Peace, Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International, Consistent Life Network, Washington Peace Center, Father McKenna Center, Guatemala Partners/Rights Action, and the Quixote Center. Paul has worked with and supported many causes in the past (notably solidarity with Puerto Rico’s liberation movement), and has spent his career advocating for the poor and marginalized. He has provided invaluable support to the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 since their anti-nuclear weapons action in April 2018.
2020, Malachy Kilbride
Malachy Kilbride has been a powerful force for peace and social justice for many years. In the 1980s and 1990s, he participated in many demonstrations against nuclear weapons and U.S. support for Latin American dictators and the Contras in Nicaragua. His first arrest for nonviolent civil resistance came at the White House in March 2003, as the U.S. launched its war against Iraq. In the following years, he organized many street protests against the war and was arrested more than 40 times. He became active in Northern Virginians for Peace and Justice, the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, Witness Against Torture, and the Washington Peace Center.
In 2012, Malachy worked with Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore to organize monthly protests against drone killing in front of the CIA and the White House. Since 2017, he has served as Executive Director of the Peace Tax Fund and the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund.
2021, Dr. Kim Lamberty, D. Min.
Kim Lamberty has been developing and managing faith-based justice, peace, cross-cultural, and community service programs for over 25 years. She is currently Executive Director of the Quixote Center. She is also founder and president of Just Haiti, a fair-trade coffee company that focuses on economic justice for vulnerable small-scale farmers, and co-owner (with her brother) of Conscious Coffees, another fair-trade coffee company. Kim specializes in addressing root causes of poverty, violence, and environmental degradation, especially relating to economic justice and consumption in the United States, and she has published numerous articles on the topic, especially as it relates to Haiti.
Kim's previous roles include director of social justice ministry at St. John the Baptist parish in Silver Spring (1996-2003); a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams accompanying vulnerable communities and human rights workers in Palestine, Colombia, and the U.S.-Mexico border (2004-2008); director of Haiti programming and work with U.S. universities for Catholic Relief Services (2010-2019); and director of justice, peace, and integrity of creation at the Society of the Sacred Heart United States and Canada Province (2019-2021).
2022, John Whitehead
John Whitehead is a writer and activist based in Baltimore. He has been involved for more than a decade with the Consistent Life Network , an international coalition dedicated to promoting a consistent ethic of reverence for life. John has served CLN variously as president, secretary, and Board member and is currently on the group’s Advisory Board. John also serves as an editor and writer for Rehumanize International, another consistent-life-ethic advocacy organization. He received his master’s degree from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and maintains a website on peace, war, and international relations, Peacemaking for Life.
John has a particular focus on nuclear disarmament. Before COVID-19, he organized quarterly protests against nuclear weapons at the White House in which Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore members participated. He also joined PCMDCB from time to time for our monthly protests against drone killing, and for several years we teamed up with John and his group for the annual March for Life.
2023, Susan Gunn
Susan Gunn is a prominent figure in Catholic peace advocacy, with a strong focus on just peace, care for the poor, environmental stewardship, and gospel nonviolence. As Director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, she leads the Office’s commitment to the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. She is a dedicated human rights advocate, championing causes like Guantanamo inmates and migrant rights, often participating in civil disobedience actions.
Her visionary leadership empowers her team to prioritize listening to affected voices, challenging prevailing policy narratives, and advocating for nonviolence, racial equity, economic justice, human rights, and environmental sustainability.
2024, Eli McCarthy
Eli S. McCarthy, Ph.D., teaches at Georgetown University in Theology, as well as Justice and Peace Studies. His recent book is A Just Peace Ethic Primer: Building Sustainable Peace and Breaking Cycles of Violence (2020). Eli also published Becoming Nonviolent Peacemakers: A Virtue Ethic for Catholic Social Teaching and U.S. Policy (2012).
From 2012-2020, Eli was the Director of Justice and Peace for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. From 2020-2022, he served as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Catholic Labor Network. Since 2023, Eli has been a Just Peace Fellow at the Franciscan Action Network, with a focus on the wars in Ukraine and Palestine. Eli is on the steering committee for the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, a project of Pax Christi International, and is the co-founder and Director of Programs for the DC Peace Team.