An evening with peacebuilder

Rev. John Dear

As we face a multitude of issues that are impacting the health of our communities, many of us are asking: What Can I Do? 

In response, The Compassionate Communities Healthcare Movement and the Wassmuth Center for Human Rights are partnering to host a coordinated series of interactive workshops focused on nonviolent, grassroots movements in September, October and November of 2025.

Throughout history, nonviolent movements created and developed at a community level have been integral in enhancing the health of communities. We will come together to expand our understanding of this powerful approach, engage in practices that enable us to develop our skills, and organize, as described by Martin Luther King, “a beloved community” of practitioners of nonviolence.

On September 12th, we will welcome Rev. John Dear, a well-known teacher and voice for peace and nonviolence in the world. In 2008, Archbishop Desmond Tutu nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize saying, “John Dear is the embodiment of a peacemaker… He is a man who has the courage of his convictions and who speaks out and acts against war, the manufacture of weapons and any situation where a human being might be at risk through violence.”

Over the decades, Rev. Dear has worked closely with legendary peacemakers such as Mother Teresa, Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Archbishop Tutu, Thich Nhat Hanh, Mairead Maguire, Joan Baez, Martin Sheen, Coretta Scott King, Rev. James Lawson, John Lewis, Dorothy Cotton, Cesar Chavez, Vincent Harding, Helen Prejean, Henri Nouwen, Kathy Kelly, Marie Dennis, Ignacio Ellacuria, Anne Lamott, Richard Rohr, Hildegard Goss Mayr and Dom Helder Camara.

Please join us for an interactive conversation with Rev. Dear to discuss nonviolent, grassroots movements and the skills needed to become a practitioner of nonviolence. He will also share stories about his good friend, and renowned physician, Dr. Paul Farmer. 

For a full bio, please click this link

Each time we come together, we will enjoy a dinner, share our stories and insights, consider individual and collective opportunities for meaningful action, and identify next steps.

We will welcome many voices, including those not often invited to the conversation. Local artists, musicians, poets and other community members will help us create a nourishing space so we can begin to heal ourselves and our community and move forward together.