Father John Dear, a Jesuit priest who has been at the forefront of the religious peace movement, will speak at Berea College on Thursday, March 24. The program, scheduled for 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Auditorium, is free and open to the public.

Father John Dear

Dear’s book, “A Persistent Peace: One Man’s Struggle for a Nonviolent World,” is the subject of his talk at Berea. The Washington Post calls Dear’s book “one of the best books of 2008.”

Dear has been arrested more than 75 times for civil disobedience in nonviolent protests, particularly in demonstrations against war and nuclear weapons at military bases across the country. Most recently, Dear participated in the Gaza Freedom March in Egypt and stood trial in Las Vegas for protesting U.S. drones at Creech Air Force Base. A longtime practitioner and teacher of nonviolence, Dear has authored 20 books and written hundreds of articles about nonviolence. In 2008, Archbishop Desmond Tutu nominated Dear for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2009, Dear was awarded the Abbey Peace Courage of Conscience Award for his solidarity and leadership in non-violent resistance and his insistence in living according to the Gospels. From 2002-04, he served as pastor of several parishes in northeastern New Mexico. From 1998 until December 2000, he served as executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the United States.

Dear, who has two masters degrees in theology from the Graduate Theological Union in
California, continues to lecture to tens of thousands of people each year in churches and schools throughout the world. On March 25, he is scheduled to speak at Church of the Epiphany in Louisville, Ky.

This convocation is the 2010 Robbins Peace Lecture, co-sponsored by the Willis D. Weatherford Jr. Campus Christian Center.

Other upcoming Berea convocations include:
* March 27: Berea College’s award-winning Black Music Ensemble performs at 3 p.m. at Berea Baptist Church
* March 31: Environmental activist Annie Leonard presents “The Story of Stuff” at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Auditorium
* April 7: Grammy Award-winning musician Kathy Mattea presents “My Coal Journey” at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Auditorium

For a complete listing of all Berea College convocations in 2011 visit www.berea.edu/convocations. View the online calendar at http://community.berea.edu/calendar/main.php for more information about other Berea College events.