Reflection on Fr Gerard W Hughes' work with Pax Christi

Hundreds of people gathered at Farm Street Jesuit Church yesterday, 17 November, to give thanks for the life of Fr Gerard W Hughes SJ. The Requiem Mass was celebrated by Fr Dermot Preston, SJ Provincial and Fr Brendan Callaghan SJ gave the Homily. Pat Gaffney, General Secretary of Pax Christi gave the following reflection on Gerry Hughes work with the international Catholic movement for peace.

Gerry's links with Pax Christi stretch back more than 30 years when he began his search to find out about the life, pressures and constraints on those involved in peace and justice work. Taking advice from Bruce Kent, he approached a number of organisations and for a brief while in 1984 became an 'office-boy' at two of them, one being Pax Christi. He described the Pax Christi work as particularly challenging when he found himself in a money-saving enterprise of having to use cheap, out-of-date small denomination stamps. Calculating their use for letters and parcels was, he remembered, was a great exercise in mental arithmetic.

Seeing Polaris submarines in Holy Loch destroy the beautiful Scottish landscape and alerted by strengthened US-UK defence agreements in the face of the 'communist threat', Gerry engaged more vigorously with the moral crisis of nuclear weapons and the government policy of deterrence. Which God were we following? In whom or what were we placing our security? These are questions one can find again and again in his reflections from that time.

Taking part in a peace service at Molesworth USAF base on Easter Monday 1985 (not long after the peace camp and the Chapel it had created were destroyed) he described nuclear weapons and the security they offer in this way: "Come, meet this God who pierces hands and sides, burns and maims, annihilates, but does so for our good…. I have dismantled the useless chapel you were building and will construct a much better temple, mobile temples, to defend you from the hungry millions of this world…"

Aware that many peace campaigners were feeling bruised, jaded or isolated Gerry began to offer day or weekend retreats - promoting these through Pax Christi networks. In 1985 alone these took him to Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, York, London, Shrewsbury and Leeds. The following year Gerry with others including Bishop Graham Chadwick, led a number of 8-day Peace retreats in Scotland, Wales and Birmingham - always run in a frugal and simple way, with volunteers helping out with cooking for example, in order to keep costs low and so be as inclusive as possible. These gatherings were ecumenical, reflecting Gerry's commitment to Christian unity, and offered a combination of individual and group experiences of reflection and prayer. In promoting these retreats Gerry was very clear: No religious should apply - for according to him, they had greater access to such resources than the laity.

In 1986 he became a Vice President of Pax Christi and in 1987 - in a most generous gesture, he undertook his 1,700 mile sponsored walk to Jerusalem for Pax Christi, no doubt remembering the days of the stamps! The journey had two purposes: the outward journey, to raise funds for Pax Christi and the inward journey, to search for Pax Christi, the Peace of Christ. On route he met and received hospitality from some of the global Pax Christi family. The walk raised £3000 - a huge amount at that time and inspired his book Walk to Jerusalem.

Over the years Gerry experienced first hand some of the humiliations and set-backs faced by grass-roots peacemakers. A Pax Christi member from Leeds remembered inviting Gerry to celebrate and speak at Masses in her parish. In his homily Gerry had recounted Dorothy Day's words about nuclear deterrence "Is there a difference between throwing innocent people into ovens and throwing ovens at innocent people?" They both received abused and criticism from members of the parish after those Masses.

Another member related how she had organised a day retreat with Gerry to take place in the parish centre, only to find out the day before that the Parish Council had decided that the parish jumble sale should take priority over the retreat - so Gerry was 'gazumped' by a jumble sale but seemly had a good laugh about the whole experience.

Perhaps these experiences helped to consolidate Gerry's peace work. Calling a meeting in Manresa House in 1987 he set out a proposal to organise a summer school on the theology and spirituality of peace with a two-fold purpose: to support those involved in peace and social justice who received little encouragement at local level and to affirm that the work of a God of justice, truth and peace was the essence of Christian faith. The summer school would include an exploration of themes such as holiness, peace and justice; sexism and militarism, coping with nuclear depression, conversion through involvement in peace and justice. A Summer School did indeed take place in London in 1988 with American Jesuit Daniel Berrigan as a key resource person. Three more 8-day peace retreats were held that year.

Gerry's writings have been a great source of nourishment to many and these include two of Pax Christi's best loved reflection resources produced in collaboration with the artist Maggie Organ. Letting the World become Flesh for Advent 1988 and Show me your Face for Lent 1990 - this was reproduced almost twenty years later as a joint SCIAF - Pax Christi project while Gerry was living in Edinburgh.

It is not just the 'organised' gatherings and retreats for which we have to thank Gerry. Over the years many individuals, worn down in their work or seeking new direction for their work, found their way to his open door. I have personal thanks to offer here for his guidance through two 8-day retreats. The first probably set me on the path to work for Pax Christi and the second, some years later, has helped to sustain me in the work for 25 years.

Gerry has helped many to find Pax Christi - the Peace of Christ - so he will have the last word. This is taken from a Christmas meditation he wrote for us in December 1985: God manifests his power and presence, not in thunderbolts, missiles armies but in the helpless vulnerable child born of a peasant girl. What response could be more ineffective in answer to the problems of our world and our time? The folly of God - wiser than human wisdom. The weakness of God stronger than human strength.