Pax Christi USA honours Archbishop John Wester with 2026 Teacher of Peace award

Archbishop John Wester

Pax Christi USA, has recognized Santa Fe's Archbishop John C Wester as the 2026 recipient of the Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace award, its highest honour. The award will be presented at an event later this year, location and date to be determined.

In January 2022 Archbishop Wester, whose archdiocese is located in one of the key locations of the US nuclear industry, issued his courageous and ground-breaking pastoral letter 'Living in the Light of Christ's Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament.' |
This first major statement on nuclear weapons by a US bishop since the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' 'The Challenge of Peace' in 1983 has renewed a sense of shared responsibility in US Christian communities.

"Archbishop John Wester is a very deserving Teacher of Peace because he has used his teaching office to remind the Church that the danger of nuclear weapons is still real and something that Christians should resist," said Lexington, Kentucky's Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv, bishop president of Pax Christi USA.

"Recognizing the historic role of Los Alamos, within his Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Archbishop Wester considered it critical for him to denounce the continued development of the nuclear weapons first produced there."

In addition to his pastoral letter, in 2024 Archbishop Wester also established the Partnership for a World without Nuclear Weapons with Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle (another key location of the US nuclear industry) and the bishops of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He has participated in peace pilgrimages to Japan, most recently last year on the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombings, and many consider him the de facto leader of the US American Catholic movement for the global abolition of nuclear weapons.

"Archbishop Wester is well-known and deeply respected as a tireless advocate for nuclear abolition, justice for immigrants, and an end to all violence," said Charlene Howard, executive director of Pax Christi USA. "He also has a warm, open, pastoral presence, and Pax Christi is proud to consider him a friend. We look forward to continuing to work alongside him to promote greater understanding of the dangers of nuclear weapons and to spread the good news of Christ's peace. As the danger of nuclear war grows almost daily, we can think of no more worthy candidate for the Teacher of Peace award than Archbishop Wester."

Archbishop Wester was the keynote speaker at Pax Christi USA's 50th anniversary conference held in 2022, was the celebrant of the September 2025 PAX Mass, and was one of three panelists for the 2024 online forum, "Building a world without nuclear weapons: A moral imperative," organized by the Pax Christi New England Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN).

"I am deeply grateful to Pax Christi for giving me the 2026 Teacher of Peace Award," said Archbishop Wester. "I must confess I feel somewhat embarrassed because I am more of a learner than a teacher when it comes to forging paths to peace. In particular, I have learned from the members of Pax Christi for many years now, especially since I became a member some time ago. I wish Pax Christi well as it continues to live out the gospel message of peace and once again, I thank Pax Christi for this singular honour. May Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, give us all hearts filled with peace."