St. John's News

Mario Marazziti delivered an inspirational Keynote Address to open the Vincentian Center for Church and Society’s Languages for Peace conference on November 7 at St. John’s University’s Queens Campus. 

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Marazziti, the Co-Founder of the Community of Sant’Egidio, began with a short statement of the power of language and words and their effects on war and peace in the world, stating with conviction that words are the antidote to illness in all of our lives.

St. John’s Executive Vice President James P. Pellow, Ed.D. opened dialogue with Marazziti on the possibility of establishing an alliance with the Community through the newly established Discover the World Study Abroad program.  Pellow described the Study Abroad initiative as a multi-purpose program to dramatically increase the number of St. John’s students studying other cultures, while at the same time, working with Vincentian Priests and Daughters of Charity in services to help those less-privileged around the world. 

Pellow also asked if St. John’s students could work with the Community as a service learning opportunity while studying abroad. Marazziti welcomed the suggestion and applauded St. John’s offerings abroad, stating, “This University is sensitive to the fact that culture is a terrific tool to help make the world better.”

Marazziti went on to explain how the simple idea a few college friends had of making a difference one person at a time has grown into an international organization.  That Community was responsible for establishing peace in Mozambique, promoting peace dialogues in Togo, Darfur, Liberia and the Ivory Coast and worked with Nelson Mandela to establish the Ceasefire Committee in Burundi.

Quoting Bible passages and sharing the experiences of the Community of Sant’Egidio, Marazziti provided examples of how language and communication have been used throughout time to solve some of the world’s greatest conflicts.  He stressed the importance of recognizing human rights on an individual level and concluded with the simple phrase, “Each of us can make a difference.”

The Languages for Peace Conference continues with the following activities:

November 9
12:15 p.m
Liturgy and Pledge for Peacebuilding
Thomas More Church, Queens campus