Pat Gaffney - Thank you to an inspirational Catholic peacemaker

Pat Gaffney has stepped down as the General Secretary of Pax Christi in Britain after 29 years. I knew she was special when we first met as young teachers in a West London staffroom. She went out of her way to welcome me into the school, showing her customary kindness and generosity. When our paths crossed again at CAFOD's offices three years' later, the friendship was firmly established.

I hadn't really looked at peace issues much until Pat and I worked together in CAFOD's development education department in the 1980s. Pat was drawn to peacemaking work while there, saying "I became aware that many of the problems underlying poverty were often linked to conflict and the diversion of precious resources to arms expenditure". Yet when she joined a small but very active group called Catholic Peace Action, which undertook civil disobedience to challenge Britain's ownership and expenditure on nuclear weapons, I was surprised at her level of commitment. I felt very uncomfortable seeing a diminutive Pat driven off in a police van for the first time after witnessing for peace at the Ministry of Defence by blocking the front entrance. She was completely serious about trying to end the tolerance of weapons of mass destruction by the British government and public. Through the years since then she has remained the key organiser and leader of the annual Ash Wednesday peace vigil of repentance at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall.

In 1990 she moved to Pax Christi. I have seen Pat lobby the British Foreign Office against the sale of British Hawk planes to the Indonesian government which were used in East Timor, challenge corporate sponsorship in schools by arms producing companies, and protest the US-led 'war on terror', particularly the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Pat led the Pax Christi section of the million-strong march to Hyde Park in February that year and various 'Not in My Name' rallies. Pat has spoken at parliament for the 'Global Day of Action on Military Expenditure', and visited government departments in Whitehall to urge that military spending be shifted towards social and environmental needs. She acts on feedback and suggestions very quickly. I remember my son carrying an Italian peace banner around London at one protest and when Pat thanked him he asked, "but why am I carrying a banner that says 'Pace'". Pat soon had Pax Christi producing new 'Peace' banners which I have seen everywhere since then. She has developed Pax Christi's social media presence, linking with peace groups nationally and internationally.

Pat has organised Pax Christi delegations to the Holy Land, building partnerships with Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers in a search for nonviolent solutions to the injustice and conflict in the region. I joined her as part of the British delegation to the Pax Christi International World Assembly 13 - 18 May 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Movement. We stayed in a Bethlehem hotel and soon after arrival she visited everyone's room to check that we were settled in. It was so inspiring to learn about the international Pax Christi movement. More than 160 of us from around the world were privileged to walk together in a pilgrimage around the 20-foot high Separation Wall which has cut through Bethlehem neighbourhoods and has divided Palestinians from their lands and their families and restricted movement. It was clear that Pat has played an important role at international level. Next week, in fact, will see her in Rome to continue her involvement with the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, which is now in its third year. Perhaps she will have her photo taken again with Pope Francis!

Yet, Pat isn't just interested in the dramatic initiatives. At Pax Christi she has developed campaigning and educational materials, alongside workshops and study days, to communicate peace issues within the Catholic community, especially for Peace Sunday in January. The annual Pax Christi Advent service is firmly on the agenda of Justice and Peace people, with its Advent themes of 'Waiting' and 'God with us' in the context of today's world. Music by Bernadette Farrell and Marty Haugen, with strong social justice components, feature prominently each year.

A skilled facilitator, Pat has run numerous courses in Britain on active nonviolence and peacemaking. Most years, she has been a keynote speaker or workshop leader at the annual conference of the National Justice and Peace Network of England and Wales. Pax Christi's office at St Joseph's in Hendon produces and distributes a wide range of peace-related resources for parishes and schools. It offers creative approaches to highlighting conscientious objectors in May, marking the use of nuclear weapons in August, and celebrating Remembrance in November. Pat is incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking and working with her is always a valuable learning experience. Her humility means that she will engage with everybody as equals and has truly used her gifts to build God's kingdom.

Pat is active in her local parish community and believes in uniting prayer and action for the common good. How important is her Catholic faith to her? "It is very important, in fact it is at the core of everything I do" she says. "It has informed my education and world view and the way I have related to other people". She feels "it gives that extra impetus to focus more fully on the Gospel of Peace and about Church teaching on peace, violence and reconciliation."

What is she most proud of at Pax Christi? Pat points to "the young people who have worked with us and have now taken on leadership roles in other organisations, such as the Jesuit Refugee Service, Mission Matters Scotland, and the Student Christian Movement." She has inspired a dedicated committee, staff and team of volunteers to help develop Pax Christi "to transmit the values of the peace movement to an up and coming generation." Just a few weeks ago she attended the Flame youth gathering at Wembley to affirm the young people present. Pat believes strongly in networking and cooperation with others in the work for peace. She is a peace builder in a gentle but determined way, saying "what a challenge it is for us Christians to wage peace with the same energy, ingenuity, creativity and will that it takes to wage and legitimise war". That peacebuilding extends to living simply and according to Gospel values in everything she does.

I thank her for the influence she has had on my life and that of my family. It is more than the kindness of taking time off work to help us move house, or share special family occasions, or supporting each other at our mothers' funerals. More than seeing her assist homeless and vulnerable people on a one-to-one basis despite her busy workload. My three sons admire her values and her sense of fun, and she has brought other wonderful peacemakers into our lives, particularly Valerie Flessati and Bruce Kent. Now, she will be more able to make time for her many artistic and creative interests, and she generously says of Pax Christi that she wants "to make space for new people and new ideas."

Pat has been more than an articulate and prophetic spokesperson for the peace movement. In the Justice and Peace networks, Pat has inspired hope and a constant reminder of the link between peace and all the other issues which occupy us. And I am quite sure she will continue to do so because her commitment to peace and the common good has always been more than a job - it is her life's mission.