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O U R M I S S I O N
As lay Catholic intellectual and professional leaders living at the birth of the postmodern, postcolonial, and postindustrial global ecological era, the mission for our Pax Romana USA federation of intellectuals and professionals is: To network and support Catholic intellectuals and professionals in the prayerful study and renewal of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching
for the regeneration of ecological, social, and spiritual life in the new postmodern Global Civilization and World Church. While we are a Catholic movement, our US federeration also welcomes as associate members interested persons from other faith traditions who support our mission.
Our Pax Romana USA federation is part of the more than 120-year-old global Pax Romana lay Catholic movement of 420,000 intellectuals, professionals, and university students. The movement is present in 80 countries of the world and it works in cooperation with the Holy See and the United Nations. The global Pax Romana movement spans the Eastern and Western Catholic Churches across Africa, Asia/Pacific, Eastern/Western Europe, Latin America/Caribbean, and North America. Through intercultultural dialogue and solidarity across our worldwide movement, we learn from our global sisters and brothers who share their insights into what is happening to the human family and to the wider ecosystem within the turbulent yet hope-filled transition to the postmodern, postindustrial, and postcolonial era. Through our cooperation with the Holy See and the United Nations, we support institutions and policies of global governance that will be consistent with the vision of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching. The global Pax Romana movement is divided into two branches, one for intellectuals and professionals and the other for university students. Our global branch for intellectuals and professionals is known as the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (ICMICA) or in the romance languages as the International Movement of Catholic Intellectuals (MIIC). The other global Pax Romana branch is known as the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS-MIEC).
O U R P A X R O M A N A U S A F E D E R A T I O N
As the Pax Romana USA federation for intellectuals and professionals, we also work in special cooperation with university communities. We work primarily but not exclusively through university campuses among professors, administrators, students, and graduates. In this work we seek intellectual-spiritual dialogue with all academic disciplines in relation to Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching. In this work we also mentor undergraduate and graduate students in Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching and the United Nations. In doing so, we seek to cooperate with our sister federation for university students, the National Catholic Student Coalition, which is part of global Pax Romana's International Movement of Catholic Students. In fidelity to our mission and identity, our Pax Romana USA federation is guided by the following three pillars: T H R E E P I L L A R S
1 . C A T H O L I C S O C I A L - E C O L O G I C A L T E A C H I N G
First, we devote ourselves to the study of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching, one of the richest and deepest ethical wisdom traditons of the human family, and do so in relation to the great ecological, social, and spiritual issues of our times. We study especially the philosophical dimension of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching, since philosophy provides the ethical language for secular institutions. The philosophical vision underlying Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching has deep resonance with humanity's great intellectual traditions of ethical wisdom. We study this profound wisdom tradition to help us live more faithfully our sacred vocations of family, work, and citizenship.
Catholic Social Teaching is also rooted in Jesus' Gospel teachings about the Reign of God. So this Teaching is essential for authentic Christian discipleship One cannot truly follow Jesus without trying to live and promote Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching.
2 . G L O B A L C A T H O L I C I N T E L L E C T U A L - S P I R I T U A L R E N A I S S A N C E
Second, we support intellectual-spiritual dialogues that will contribute to a postmodern, postcolonial, and postindustrial global Catholic intellectual-spiritual renaissance for the new World Civilization and the new World Church. We will soon be publishing a Pax Romana Cmica-usa "declaration" calling for this global Catholic intellectual-spiritual renaissance. In addition, we will soon provide resource materials and special webpages to support for various dialogues in the process. These dialogued will be grounded in the judgment of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching that that all modern ideologies are founded on fundamental philosophical errors regarding the truth of the natural world, the human person and community, and the divine mystery. As a result we argue that these ideologies are currently steering the human family toward ecological, societal, and spiritual disintegration. We argue that the deep philosophical error of these modern ideologies may be found in the mechanistic cosmology that lies at the foundation of modern bourgeois culture. This mechanistic cosmology still guides most modern intellectual disciplines and modern social institutions. Its erroneous philosophy promotes a destructive utilitarian-materialistic culture undermining ecological, societal, and spiritual life. To counter the philosophical errors of this modern mechanistic cosmology we seek to establish interdisciplinary dialogues across university communities. These dialogues will ask how to create a global Catholic intellectual-spiritual renaissance that supports the holistic regeneration of ecological, societal, and spiritual life. Finally, these dialogue need to explore an authentically postmodern philosophical-scientific cosmology that will support the creative communion of ecological, societal, and spiritual life. for the new Global Civilization and also for the new World Church.
3 . T H E H O L Y S E E A N D T H E U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Third, we cooperate with the Holy See in support of the United Nations
on behalf of global governance for a new global civilization based on ecology, human dignity, justice, peace, and democratic participation. Pax Romana is officially accredited to the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Laity, and it has had a long and close relationship with the Vatican's Secretary of State, as well as with papal nuncios at UN Centers across the world. In cooperation with the Holy See we support the United Nations, for we now live in a world where global governnance for the common good (according to the common human values of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching) is essential for the welfare of the human family and of the wider ecosystem. Since the founding of the United Nations, Pax Romana has been an important UN Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). We hold consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and with the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Pax Romana maintains Pax Romana representatives at UN centers in New York, Paris, Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi.
Faithful to its mission, identity, and pillars our Pax Romana USA federation is currently pursuing the following four programs.
F O U R P R O G R A M S
1 . P A X R O M A N A S T U D Y C I R C L E S
First, through our local Pax Romana Study Circles on Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching and the new World Civilization, we gather for friendship, prayer, and intellectual-spiritual development. Our primary strategic goal is to expand our network of Pax Romana Study Circles, which are devoted to prayerful study of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching. We seek to set up our Study Circles especially in universities, as well as in residential communities and in communities of work. For these Study-Circles, our research and publishing center is preparing a series of study-guides on Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching. The first study-guide to be out soon will be on the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, published by the Holy See's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
2 . P A X R O M A N A U N - N G O M I S S I O N & I N T E R N S H I P S
Second, we support our Pax Romana NGO Office at the United Nations in New York, where we cooperate with the Permanent Observer Mission of Holy See in promoting the vision of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching for the new World Civilization. At the United Nations in New York, we provide a team of official Pax Romana NGO representation led by the Main Pax Romana Representative. At the UN we work in cooperation with the Holy See on behalf of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching. We cooperate with the Holy See in promoting this Teachings' values for the new Global Civilization and for new World Church. At the United Nations we also conduct semester-long Pax Romana UN-NGO internships for the law students and week-long ones for undergraduate students. These take place at UN Centers in New York, Paris, Geneva, and Rome. Through these internships we help to form future intellectual-cultural leaders
for the new Global Civilization and for the new World Church.
3 . P A X R O M A N A C E N T E R F O R I N T E R N A T I O N A L S T U D Y O F C A T H O L I C S O C I A L - E C O L O G I C A L T E A C H I N G
Third, through our Pax Romana Center for International Study of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching, we undertake scholarly research, publish educational materials, and convene intellectual meetings. that support our mission, pillars, and other programs. The Pax Romana Center currently has multiple reseach projects underway and several books in the works. It also publishes occasional papers, an annual journal, and a bi-annual magazine. Iti s now launching a new Study-Guide Series on Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching. In additon, the Center convenes conferences, seminars, and study-tours. All of this supports our study and advocacy of Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching in relation to the new Global Civilization and the new World Church. Beginning in Fall 2009, the Pax Romana Center will move to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
4 . P A X R O M A N A G L O B A L L E A D E R S H I P P R O G R A M
Fourth, through our university-based Pax Romana Global Leadership Program, we mentor undergraduate and graduate students, including law students. For undergraduate and graduate students, including law students, our university-based Pax Romana Global Leadership Program provides intellectual-spiritual mentoring in Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching and theoretical and practical knowledge about the United Nations. We provide academic courses and programs in Catholic Social-Ecological Teaching, including a successful undergraduate program based in Philosophy, and also a law-school program in natural-law Jurisprudence. Undergraduate and graduate Global Leadership students also participate in our Pax Romana NGO internships at the United Nations.
P R A Y E R T O T H E H O L Y S P I R I T
Lastly and most importantly, we pray without ceasing that the Holy Spirit will guide us intellectually and spiritually in serving our mission on behalf of the new Global Civilization and the new World Church.
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