Precious Life - Precious Planet - Precious Peace
Finding Our Way Past War

The 25th Kateri Peace Conference

Friday, September 8th, 2023
and
Saturday, September 9th, 2023

More than anything this year’s conference is about cultivating hope through life-affirming action. IT IS GROUNDED IN THE BELIEF THAT BY linking our collective efforts together WE WILL AMPLIFY our voices and INTENSIFY our work to create the very much needed dynamics for life-affirming change.

Perversely and sadly our government and weapons industry (aka the Merchants of Death) enshrine war as the necessary promoter and preserver of peace ensuring a condition of endless global conflict. This homage to the arms merchants blinds both our decision makers and much of our citizenry to the nonviolent solutions and peaceful alternatives to violent conflict. The driving force and convergence of this societal control is found on the economic level with the manufacture and sale of weapons. Consequently, rivers of blood money flow endlessly, spreading the implements of monumental destruction. A mind boggling 858 billion dollars plus has gone to the Pentagon, war, and weapons this year. THIS OBSCENE REALITY TAKES WITH IT our creative will and commitment to social uplift and the capacity to address creatively and comprehensively so many of the urgent and critical issues of the day which threaten our very sustainability and future on a global scale. Climate collapse, famine, and disease, economic inequality, and racism, THE EXISTENCE OF ENDLESS WARS to a large degree remain unaddressed and unchecked.

In direct defiance of and confrontation to this death spiral we have assembled a group of presenters and teachers with a DEEPLY-ROOTED belief in the preciousness of all life and the knowledge and ability to present needed solutions and inspiration so that we might discard the hypnotic and controlling illusion that war is normal, necessary, inevitable, that “war is peace,” AN ILLUSION WHICH DISABLES OUR CAPACITY TO BRING SOLUTION TO SEEMINGLY INTRACTABLE GLOBAL CHALLENGES.

Our speakers include Kathy Kelly, David Swanson, Martha Hennessy, Debra Sweet, and Gloria Caballero-Roca. All are veteran peace activists with outstanding knowledge and experiences to share and inspire.

Join us in Fonda, NY on Sept 8 and 9 to speak, listen, reflect. Find inspiration and solutions along with the ability and will to act, to confront and reverse the current downward death spiral, to convert swords into plowshares and find our way past war AND ALL TO WHICH IT BLINDS US.

2023 Conference Presenters

Debra Sweet
Debra Sweet
The World Can’t Wait!
WorldCantWait.net
Kathy Kelly
Merchants of Death Tribunal
MerchantsOfDeath.org
Gloria Caballero-Roca
Gloria Caballero-Roca
Cuban American & member of
Green Rainbow Party Coalition
Shirey Archie
Sadly our dear friend Shirey Archie unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack.
He will be missed by many.
David Swanson
David Swanson
World BEYOND War
WorldBeyondWar.org
Martha Hennessy
Martha Hennessy
7th grandchild of Dorothy Day
“Kings Bay Plowshares 7”
KingsBayPlowshares7.org

Click Here for Speaker Biographies 

Conference Year

2023 Conference Schedule

Friday, September 8, 2023

5:30 PM:  Pot Luck
6:45 PM: Welcome and Music
7:00 PM:   Panel: Digging Deep - Personal thoughts and Reflections on the Work Ahead
Kathy Kelly 10 min
David Swanson 10 min
Gloria Caballero-Roca 10 min
Debra Sweet 10 min
Martha Hennessy 10 min
8:00 PM to 8:45 PM: Closing  - Questions and Answers

Saturday, September 9,2023

Mapping the Connections 
War - Climate Collapse - Economic Inequality - the Nuclear Threat
Racism - Refugees & the Weapons Industry (a.k.a. The Merchants of Death)

9:15 AM: Welcome and Song
9:30 AM: Kathy Kelly
9:45 AM: Debra Sweet
10:00 AM: Gloria Caballero Roca
10:15 AM: Break (music)
10:30 AM: Martha Hennessy 
10:45 AM: David Swanson
11:00 AM: Panel conversation and Q&A
 
Noon: Lunch
 

Mapping the Future

    We will break into small assigned groups led by our presenters;
it will be essential to move quickly between sessions.
1:00 PM: Break Out Session One
Mapping the Future  (Small groups led by our presenters)
1:45 PM: Break Out Session Two
Mapping the Future  (Small groups led by our presenters)
2:30 PM: Plenary Session
Mapping the World Beyond War
Each panelist will report and reflect on the ideas presented n their small group discussions.
3:00 PM: Remarks From The Floor
3:20 PM: Closing Remarks and Thank you!

Click Here To Register 

Conference Cost

The Kateri Peace Conference has always been a labor of love. Anyone can attend for free; however, we ask for a modest $20 - $40 donation.

As we’re sure you understand, there are expenses for both days. Your donation helps cover the cost of lunch, a donation to the Shrine, speaking honoraria, and other refreshments.

Donations will be accepted at the events. Checks can be made to Veterans for Peace.

Click Here To Register