Pax Christi advocates for peace, social justice, building bridges

CANTON – Dan Toussant says he was raised as a "typical Republican white guy" who didn't have to concern himself much with issues of race, injustice or privilege.

The product of a devout Catholic family, he attended Our Lady of Peace School, Central Catholic High School and Boston University.

"I was raised to become a Wall Street guy," he said. "I was reading the Wall Street Journal when I was in the seventh grade."

But new friendships and exposure to people who didn't fit into his demographic have served to change Toussant's perspective.

"I've been kind of a hybrid," he said. "Up to this year, I've voted for as many Democrats as as I have voted for Republicans. I was always interested in social justice kinds of things. But when we invaded Iraq, that was what did it for me. I mean, I knew it was a lie; weapons of mass destruction; it was just an orchestrated lie by the government."

Years later, Toussant, who attends Mass every week at Christ the Servant parish, has become one of the founders of the Stark County Chapter of Pax Christi, a worldwide Catholic peace and social justice organization which focuses on such issues as military spending, nuclear weapons, climate change, and racism.

Formed by a group of French Catholic laypeople in 1945, Pax Christi stands on four principles:

1. Christian nonviolence on personal, communal, national and international levels.

2. Disarmament, demilitarization and reconciliation with justice.

3. Economic and interracial justice.

4. Human rights and global restoration.

The group, which began in March, meets on the third Wednesday of every month at Christ the Servant Catholic Church at 833 39th St. NW.

Toussant said theirs is the first Pax Christi chapter in the Youngstown diocese. You don't have to be Catholic to join.

Toussant said he has long been an admirer of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, who started Pax Christi USA in the 1970s.

"To me, he is a real leader, but there are very few of those in the church," he said.

A faithful reader of the National Catholic Reporter, Toussant said he also has studied the life of the Catholic activist Dorothy Day, whose granddaughter, Martha Hennessy, visited Walsh University and the Catholic Workers' Joshua Casteel House in Alliance in 2014.

More: https://www.cantonrep.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2013/10/11/photo-gallery-alliance-cat

In 2020, Hennessy was arrested and sentenced to jail for breaking into the Kings Bay Naval Base in Georgia in a protest against its nuclear weapons stockpile.

A quiet peace advocate

"I've been kind of a quiet peace advocate for a long time, but like I mentioned, I read from the National Catholic Reporter every day, and I read from the Bible," he said.

Toussant said he's also been following the activities of peace activist Kathy Kelly, a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee who has been arrested numerous times for protesting at nuclear weapons facilities.

"I knew she was kind of out there and that she had opposed the war in Iraq, but she was also very active in Afghanistan because she feel very strongly that who gets most impacted by war, it's women and children," he said. "So honestly, I've always been a little bit nervous abut Pax Christi because they are so staunchly opposed to war. Violence and evil resistance in the Martin Luther King-Gandhi mode is a way to get into trouble."

In May, former National Catholic Reporter editor Tom Fox and his wife were arrested in Kansas City, Missouri, during a peace protest.

"It's like the government's always afraid of making heroes out of people that oppose war," Toussant said.

But Toussant said he is not looking to go to jail. Instead, the new chapter is looking for ways they can make positive differences in the local community. Prior to the pandemic, Toussant was part of a contingent that helped organize biweekly Masses for young offenders in the Indian River youth prison in Massillon, which were led by Sister Kathleen O'Donnell.

"We wanted them to know they were important," he said. "You did a lot more listening than preaching."

He also worked with now-retired social worker Bev Jordan and the Community Support Network, who encouraged him to "Do something" on a consistent basis, which helps to build relationships and trust.

'I've been a do-gooder all my life'

At a recent meeting, the new chapter hosted the Rev. Edward Brienz of Youngstown, founder of Cafe Augustine, which hires and trains former felons and other underemployed and homeless young adults, and provides rental housing for them.

"We're trying to love our faith and we need to make a difference," Brienz said. "It's a chance for people to renew their lives without being stigmatized. I consider it a privilege to be in ministry like this. We're a frontline for people of goodwill."

Brienz noted that the Pax Christi meeting was dominated by older adults.

"It makes perfect sense that folks on the front lines have a few gray hairs," he said to chuckles. "At a certain age, you start sifting out what's essential in life."

The members then discussed how they might support Brienz's ministry and local re-entry programs.

John Cihon said he joined Pax Christi because his parents raised  him to be concerned for others.

"I've been a do-gooder all my life," he said with a smile. "I was also inspired by John F. Kennedy. You have an obligation."

Sister Karen Bernhardt has long been involved with groups and ministries aimed at helping the most vulnerable, most notably, human trafficking.

More: U.S Marshals find 25 missing children in northeast Ohio

"My heart is with social justice," she said. "What's happening in our world and country is pretty significant."

Betty Jaronski said she joined Pax Christi because she "wanted to be part of something that was happening."

Toussant said he believes one of the reasons organized religion is in such turmoil is because of a lack of authenticity in its leadership and efforts to protect the church hierarchy.

"That's not my definition of church," he said. "I believe where a Pax Christi chapter is forming, a community of believers want to do something for people. I think true faith is designed to build. To build a sense of sisterhood and brotherhood and community...if you want to understand how to build bridges with people, Pax Christi is a group that can do that."

Contact Toussant at dan@dantoussan.com. To learn more about Pax Christi, visit https://paxchristiusa.org.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: New Pax Christi social justice group forms in Stark County