By Larissa Babbie
Maria College
Assistant Vice President for Student Financial Services
Director of Student Accounts
The International Day of Peace (World Peace Day) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 and is recognized annually on September 21. The purpose of the day is to strengthen and promote the idea of peace around the world. The theme for 2022 World Peace Day is “End Racism. Build Peace.” As members of the Maria College community, we also play a critical role in sharing that commitment to fostering peace and non-violence in our day-to-day lives.
During his 2017 World Peace Day message, Pope Francis offered five ways that we as individuals can practice nonviolence:
Embracing Human Dignity: This first way of nonviolence is always to think of other people as a human who is just as worthy or deserving of respect as I am and as needing the same things that I need. This is the core of Maria College’s mission – to offer dignity and respect to every individual we meet.
Welcoming the Stranger: The second way of nonviolence is hospitality, welcoming the stranger. Hospitality is a core value of Maria College.
Offering Silent Presence: The third way of nonviolence is silent presence. Racism isn’t always expressed in physical violence. The violence of racism is also in the lack of hospitality and welcome or the polite indifference with which people of color are often treated. The Maria College community welcomes people of all races, religions, nationalities and sexual orientation.
Speaking Up: The fourth way of nonviolence is speaking up. Being silent in the face of injustice is allowing violence to continue to exist. Through critical concerns, the College community is facing injustices like racism head-on. We must continue to shine a spotlight on these issues and encourage transformation.
Caring for Earth: The fifth way is practicing nonviolence toward the Earth. Habits are hard to change. Very few people are using reusable bags for shopping which leads to huge accumulations of plastic bags. Even when plastic bags are recycled, the plastic will eventually end up in the landfill, poisoning the Earth. Recycling helps, but reducing our use of plastic is much less violent toward our earth. Maria College takes Care of the Earth very seriously. We have reduced our plastic consumption, added electric car charges to promote new technologies that are less reliant on fossil fuels, added a green roof to the Main Building, a garden to grow vegetables and more.
The Sisters of Mercy, founders and sponsors of Maria College, were founded out of a deep concern for people who are poor. Today, that commitment focuses on five inter-connected critical concerns, two being non-violence and racism. They show their commitment to these concerns through personal transformation, community choices, educational outreach, legislative advocacy, corporate engagement and spiritual practices.
“Racism continues to poison institutions, social structures, and everyday life in every society. It continues to be a driver of persistent inequality. And it continues to deny people their fundamental human rights. It destabilizes societies, undermines democracies, erodes the legitimacy of governments, and… the linkages between racism and gender inequality are unmistakable.” – Secretary-General António Guterres.