Nov. 16, 2017: National Resistance Day for Jesuit Catholic Universities to Be Faithful to the Gospel and Stop Hosting Departments of Military (ROTC) On Campus

Janice Sevre Duszynska ARCWP at Demonstration for Peace

( see news release below)

For Release: November 15, 2017

National and international press, contact Bob Graf 414-379-4162 bobsyouruncle@sbcglobal.net

Janice Sevre-Duszynska, 859-684-4247, rhythmsofthedance1@gmail.com

Local press contacts listed below.

24 Catholic Universities host Department of Defense (DoD) officer military training schools on campus. These military training bases, by their own admission, teach war and killing, killing without conscience.  In the modern day military over 80% of all officers are trained on campuses that host the DoD military. 17 of the 24 Catholic Universities that host Department of Defense training centers for the Army (ROTC), Navy/Marines (NROTC), and/or Air Force (AROTC) are Jesuit Catholic Universities. For hosting military schools these universities receive many resources, including money, honor and pride.

 All colleges and universities, unless deemed pacifist, by law are required to offer military training to receive any federal funding. However, they do not need to offer the military training on campus. There are only a limited number of schools that freely choose to host Department of Defense Military training programs (Army, Navy/Marine, and Air Force) on campus. All other colleges and universities send interested students to these host schools for military training.

On November 16, 2017 Roman Catholic activists will challenge nine of the 17 Jesuit universities that host ROTC, NROTC, and/or AFROTC. Their nonviolent witness will take place at:

Marquette: Milwaukee, WI Don Timmerman 414-342-0158

Loyola: Baltimore, MD Janice Sevre-Duszynska 859-684-4247

Georgetown: District of Columbia Kathy Boylan 202-882-9649

Fordham: New York, NY Martha Hennessey 802-230-6328

Holy Cross: Worcester, MA Scott Schaeffer Duffy 508-753-3588

Creighton: Omaha, NE Frank Cordaro 515-490-2490

Loyola-Marymount: Los Angeles, CA Matt Harper 818-590-1085

Santa Clara U: Santa Clara, CA Fumaiki Tosu 408-297-8330

U of Scranton (Scranton, PA), Jack Gilroy 607-321-8537 VFP

St. Ignatius surrenders his sword before the altar of Black Madonna at Montserrat

The Jesuits were founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, a former soldier. To become a companion of Jesus Christ, he surrendered his weapons of war and the glory of being a soldier of the court to become One with the poor and vulnerable. In his famous work, The Spiritual Exercises, he talks about the three temptations of evil being riches, honor and pride. Are not these the lure of voluntarily hosting the Department of Defense on Jesuit campuses?

 On Nov. 16, 2017 we celebrate the feast of the El Salvadoran Jesuit Martyrs who were killed by USA trained military. One of the Jesuit martyrs in El Salvador was Father Ignacio Ellacuria S.J. In a 1985 interview with an American Jesuit priest, Ellacuria was asked about ROTC at Georgetown University, a Jesuit university in Washington D.C. His response was: “Tell the Jesuits of Georgetown that they are committing mortal sin because they are supporting the forces of death which are killing our people.”

 The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is clear: Do not kill, love your enemies, do good to those that harm you, be willing to die for your faith and values and not kill for them. The message of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Father Ellacuria S. J. and our Jesuit Catholic Pope is clear: Violence and war lead only to death.

See: http://www.nonviolentworm.org/Main/HistoryWithAnAttitude

*Indicates Army Base School #Indicates Navy/Marine Base School +Indicates Air Force Base School

California
1. University of San Francisco* San Francisco, CA
2. Santa Clara University* Santa Clara, CA
3. Loyola Marymount + Los Angeles, CA
D.C.
4. Georgetown University* + Washington D.C.
Illinois
5. Loyola University* Chicago, Ill.
Massachusetts
6. Holy Cross# +  Worcester, MA
7. Boston College* Boston MA
Maryland
8. Loyola University* Baltimore, MD
Nebraska
9. Creighton University* Omaha, Nebraska
New York
10. Canisius*   Buffalo, NY
11. Fordham*  Bronx, New York
Ohio
12. John Carroll University* University Heights, OH
13. Xavier University* Cincinnati, OH
Pennsylvania

14. University of Scranton*, Scranton, PA
Washington
15.  Gonzaga University* Spokane, WA
16. Seattle University* Seattle, WA

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17. Wisconsin, Marquette University*# + Milwaukee, WI