With the recent shooting death of 6-month-old Jonylah Watkins in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood on many people’s minds, local Catholics gathered at Holy Family Church on Roosevelt Road March 16 to discuss ways to stop the violence. Using simple but practical tools of nonviolence to stop violence was the subject of the March 16 workshop, “Blessed are the Peacemakers,” an emerging initiative of the archdiocese’s Catholics for Nonviolence. The initiative is a reaction to the growing amount of violence in the world today, said Tom Tharayil, director of the archdiocesan Office of Assistance Ministry. “It formed with the idea of using practical examples in the Gospel of how Jesus used nonviolence to deal with potentially violent situations,” he said. “We want to use those examples and put them into practice in our daily lives.” Moderating the workshop was Ken Butigan, a member of Catholics for Nonviolence who also is director of Pace e Ben Nonviolence Service and an adjunct professor at DePaul and Loyola universities. “We look at the nonviolent ways of Jesus and transform them into our daily lives, not just in our communities but in our parishes and personal lives,” Butigan said. “Our efforts are rooted in Jesus’ call for us to love our enemies, neighbors, ourselves and the God who loves us unconditionally. Gospel nonviolence is a way of life where everyone matters.” Butigan cited places in the Gospels where Jesus challenged violence and injustice: He befriends the rejected, feeds the poor and challenges ideas that say some people are more valuable than others. “We must look within ourselves and see how we view nonviolence and react to violence even in our families,” said Butigan. “Simple arguments can lead to violence. God does not retaliate nor is he vengeful. Are we?” Butigan and participants created a list of what violence today includes: violent acts, discrimination; passive endorsement; denial of basic human rights; fear of others not like us; enforcing unjust rules and conditional love. Susanne Smith, an attendee who also works in the archdiocese’s Office for Vocations, related that she once faced a violent act with nonviolence. She was attacked in a parking lot and pushed into her car. “I knew if I had rage in my heart, my life would be in jeopardy. I knew my attacker was a child of God,” she said. “I began praying and told him about God. He told me to stop it but I continued.” Eventually she was able to get away to safety. Several attendees spoke about the violence in their neighborhoods. “Our church’s maintenance man found three bullet holes in one of our church windows,” said Bill Vanecko. “I want to be in this peace movement because we cannot give in to these horrible wars in our neighborhoods. We must have hope and do something to change things for the better.” Violence also comes in the form of discrimination. Leo Pena cited examples of violence in churches where there is fear of diversity. “Not accepting others who are not of your race and cultural background is a form of violence,” he said. “I’ve seen times where during Mass at the sign of peace, attendees refuse to shake hands or even recognize others in their pews who are different from them.” Sandra Ramirez, a Dominican University sophomore, attended the workshop to learn about the issues of violence and how to better prevent them. “This workshop has made me more aware of the human aspect and how we can work together instead of degrading others with violence,” she said. “Fear is one of the forces that keeps us from responding in more nonviolent ways.” Organizers hope to continue similar workshops in parishes throughout the archdiocese. “We want to train all archdiocese employees in the vision and practice of Gospel nonviolence and create a training team in each vicariate,” said Ruth Robinson, assistant director of the Office of Assistance Ministry. “We want to transform violence with nonviolence by showing people how to better see Jesus in the eyes of others in our daily lives.”