Catholic

In an atmosphere where so often there is religious intolerence & distrust, it's beautiful to see diverse spiritual communities sharing deeply together. At Eau Claire's Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace & Unity, conceived by Bob Lesniewski, a Benedictine oblate, prayers were shared from Presbyterian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Ba'hai, Catholic, & Quaker representatives. It was a rich sharing of diverse faiths, warming a cold winter night. The next Eau Claire Interfaith Prayer Service will be May 23, 2018. When will yours be?

Aaron Dunn makes the world a better place as co-founder & medical director of Community Connections Free Clinic in Dodgeville, WI, through his use of Integrative Medicine, and with the music he makes as part of the PointFiveBand.com. What's not to love in such a free & charitable doctor?

Wisconsin Assn of Free & Charitable Clinics, and around the country there's The Natl Assoc of Free & Charitable Clinics

The USA has by far the highest rate of incarceration in the world, and James Kilgore spells out the many causes and factors and results of this in Understanding Mass Incarceration: A People's Guide to the Key Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time.

A visit with 3 people connected with UWEC's alternative spring break trip, the Civil Rights Pilgrimage. Kiersten Bauer has been a student participant in the pilgrimage twice. Jodi Thesing-Ritter is UW-EC Associate Dean of Students and teacher of Women's Studies, and she is the founder of the pilgrimage in 2008, and Bluegold Beginnings more recently.

Dan Nerhaugen's Daily Progressive is a great source of inspiration & knowledge, highlighting change-makers and events which have tilted the world in a progressive direction, and promise more in the future. Succinct, rich, and diverse, there are tidbits, with links to those interested in going deeper, for some really transformative people and events.

4 scientists from UW-EC gather to share about the intersection of science & spirituality at the UU Congregation in Eau Claire. See the article about the interview linked via the CVPost.

The David McLimans Art for Peace Memorial Scholarship was launched this year at a 2/27/16 event, conceived of by Eva Hagenhofer, sponsored by Madison Veterans for Peace, and hosted at the Farley Center for Peace, Justice, and Sustainability. David was author of 3 books, including Big Turtle.

There's a young Peace Studies program at UW-Stout, where we talk to Senior Lecturer in Peace Studies and Geography, James Handley, a current student, Emma Kornack, and a Peace Studies graduate and Americorps volunteer, Shelby Schuppe. What does the program teach, and what changes does it bring about, in students and in the community?

Music Featured:

From a financially-strapped Irish-American upbringing, to Peace Corps Service in Botswana, to the the trade-offs of life, family, and finances, and, now, to deeply engaged activism with Global Warming and environmental responsibility, Renewable: One Woman’s Search for Simplicity, Faithfulness, and Hope is Eileen Flanagan's story of wrestling with the big issues and putting her life in service

Dawn Ravella does amazing and varied work for the healing of the world - restorative justice and prison ministries, food pantries and homeless shelters, education on social justice issues, and on and on. She is currently Director of Mission and Outreach at The Reformed Church of Bronxville, and has served Presbyterian and Catholic churches in similar roles, in addition to her work as a holistic therapist.