A Peace Pilgrimage: From Total War to World Community

Abstract

article is the story of my intellectual and spiritual pilgrimage from childhood memories in the aftermath of World War II through student and adult years that witnessed arms races, wars, and international anarchy. Along the way I encountered the four great traditions that have characterized the Christian church's approach to matters of war and peace: Pacifism, Just War, Total War, and World Community. These traditions are discussed in the order in which I encountered them.1 My First Memory: Total War A pro- war, even bellicose spirit dominated my grade school years from 1946-1954 at Holy Family School in the Bronx, N.Y. As children we rejoiced in the victory of our armed forces over Japan and Germany and pictures of holy cards with Our Lady gently extending her loving arms over our pilots in their bombers filled our prayer books. We never really celebrated peace because within a very few years we were locked in another war with the dreaded communists, many of whom - we were told traveled among us. Our priests (although rarely our nuns) preached against these godless atheists and we had no doubt another war was coming soon. We didn't have to wait long because the Korean conflict broke out in 1950 and we were soon locked in a hot war with communist forces in Asia. (Korea was, we were told, merely preparation for the big war against the Reds in Russia.) The only anti-war voices I heard in grade school came from two most unlikely sources. In the fifth grade we were told to write a letter to a Catholic solider in Korea to tell him how much we appreciated his fighting the communists for us. I was one 1 . My colleague at Manhattan College, Julie Pycior (History), has encouraged me on several occasions to record some of the intellectual and spiritual influences that have inspired my work in Peace Studies and with Pax Christi and other peace and justice organizations. I am grateful to Julie for her support and very helpful suggestions with this article.