VIDEO: Marie Dennis Virtual Solidarity on Tap

Marie Dennis is senior advisor to the secretary general of Pax Christi International, the global Catholic peace movement. She was co-president of Pax Christi International from 2007 to 2019 and serves on the executive committee of Pax Christi’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative.

Marie worked for the Maryknoll Missioners from 1989 to 2012, including 15 years as director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns. She holds a master’s degree in moral theology from Washington Theological Union and honorary doctorates from Trinity Washington University and Alvernia University. Marie is author or co-author of seven booksand editor of Choosing Peace: The Catholic Church Returns to Gospel Nonviolence.

Marie was one of the primary organizers of April 2016 and April 2019conferences in Rome on Nonviolence and Just Peace that were cosponsored by the Vatican and Pax Christi International. The 2016 conference called on the Catholic Church to re-commit to the centrality of gospel nonviolence; proposed the World Day of Peace 2017 theme on nonviolence; and started the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative. Since then she has participated in several programs and processes organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

In 2016 Marie received the Public Peace Prize and was named Person of the Year by the National Catholic Reporter. She now serves on the steering committee of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. She has previously served on the national boards of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, the Center of Concern, JustFaith Ministries, Sojourners magazine, the Jubilee USA Network and several other organizations.

She has lectured at many universities and conferences over the past 40 years on topics ranging from Catholic social teaching to U.S. foreign policy, peace, nonviolence and reconciliation, the global economy, climate change, migration and the nuclear arms race. She has prepared and participated in panels and workshops at the United Nations and the U.S. Congress.

Marie was a founder of the ecumenical Center for New Creation, dedicated to education and action for social justice and peace; the Washington (DC) Area Community Investment Fund, which makes loans for affordable housing and small businesses in low-income communities; Assisi Community committed to shared simple living and work for social transformation; and the Jubilee USA campaign for cancellation of overwhelming and unjust debt of impoverished countries.