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Pacem in Terris

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- Deacon Kent Ferris, OFS
  
  Social Action & Catholic Charities Director
  
  563-888-4211
  ferrisdavenportdiocese.org
- Esmeralda Guerrero
  
  Administrative Assistant Social Action & Catholic Charities
  
  563-888-4210
  guerrerodavenportdiocese.org
News
- Exiled bishop accepts Pacem award for courageous Nicaraguans
  
  July 17
  
  - By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger
  
  Separated from his beloved Nicaragua by a government that disowned him for speaking up for justice and peace, Bishop Silvio Jose Báez Ortega, OCD, accepted a peace award in Davenport that he dedicated to courageous Nicaraguans continuing that advocacy.
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- River champion accepts Pacem Award with gratitude and a boatload of humor
  
  December 13
  
  - The Catholic Messenger
  
  DAVENPORT — Chad Pregracke might have delivered the most humorous acceptance speech in the 60-year history of the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award ceremony but concluded with a powerful message for St. Ambrose University students in the audience. “We’re all counting on you. Find out what you want to do and do great things for the world,” he said during the Dec. 3 ceremony in the university’s Rogalski Center.
  Read More
- Catholic Messenger Editor receives One Among Us Award
  
  December 12
  
  - The Catholic Messenger
  
  DAVENPORT — For her efforts in sharing her gifts and her passion for justice, peace and integrity of creation, the Pacem in Terris Award Committee honored Barb Arland-Fye with the One Among Us award Dec. 3 at St. Ambrose University. She received the award during the ceremony honoring Chad Pregracke as Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award recipient for his work in environmental justice.
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- River champion to receive peace award
  
  October 17
  
  - The Catholic Messenger
  
  Chad Pregracke, a Quad-Citian recognized worldwide for energizing people to join him cleaning up rivers and planting trees, will receive the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award. He is the first recipient in the interfaith award’s 60-year-history receiving recognition for work on environmental justice and care for creation. Bishop Dennis Walsh, the new bishop of the Diocese of Davenport, will present the award Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.
  Read More
- One Among Us Justice Award recipient
  
  October 17
  
  - The Catholic Messenger
  
  The Pacem in Terris Award Committee has chosen Barb Arland-Fye, editor of The Catholic Messenger, to receive the One Among Us Justice Award, first presented in 2017 to recognize local peace-fostering efforts.
  Read More
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The Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award was created in 1964 by the Davenport Catholic Interracial Council. An Award is presented by the Diocese in collaboration with other organizations to honor a person for their achievements in peace and justice, not only in their country but in the world.

The first Pacem in Terris award was given to John F. Kennedy in 1964. Since then it has included such notables as the activist Dorothy Day and religious figures such as Blessed Mother Teresa.

Click here for Previous Pacem In Terris Recipients
Click here to learn more about the Encyclical letter Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth)
All are welcome to attend the 5:30 pm. Mass and Refreshments at 6:30 pm. prior to the Award Ceremony.

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Nicaraguan bishop will receive Pacem in Terris Award:

Posted on Jun 26, 2025 in Diocesan News, Top Stories

By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
Bishop Silvio José Báez Ortega, O.C.D., who has risked his life advocating for justice and peace in his beloved homeland of Nicaragua, will receive the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award on July 9 in Davenport.
Bishop Báez, 67, lives in exile and teaches at a seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida but continues to speak out for human rights and democracy in Nicaragua. He is among hundreds of Nicaraguans expelled or deported in recent years for criticizing the administration of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.…Read More
‘If you want peace, work for justice’
Posted on Jun 26, 2025 in Editorials
By Barb Arland-Fye
Editor
St. John XXIII published his encyclical, “Pacem in Terris, On Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity and Liberty” in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world narrowly averted nuclear war 62 years ago. The pope said, “… true and lasting peace among nations cannot consist in the possession of an equal supply of armaments but only in mutual trust.”
His encyclical, which defined the human rights and responsibilities that foster justice, which leads to peace, inspired creation of the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award, established by the Davenport Catholic Interracial Council of the Diocese of Davenport. On July 9, Bishop Silvio José Báez Ortega, O.C.D., who has advocated courageously for justice and peace in his beloved homeland of Nicaragua, will receive this year’s award on July 9. Read more...

Pacem in Terris

‘If you want peace, work for justice’