Call Number:

DG.201

Repository:

Swarthmore College Peace Collection

Extent:

17.25 linear ft. (17.25 linear ft.)

Preferred Citation:

Cite as: [Identification of item], in the John Dear Papers (DG 201), Swarthmore College Peace Collection.

Date:

1979- (inclusive)

Creator:

Dear, John, 1959-, Berrigan, Carol, Berrigan, Daniel, Berrigan, Jerome, Berrigan, Philip, Chavez, Cesar, 1927-1993, Chisholm, Janet, Chittister, Joan, Coffin, William Sloane, Jr., 1924-2006, Donovan, Pat, Donovan, Ray, Douglass, James W., Egan, Eileen, Forest, Jim (James H.), Fredriksson, Lynn, Gumbleton, Thomas J., Hart, Patrick, Câmara, Hélder, 1909-1999, Kelly, Steve (Priest), Kownacki, Mary Lou, Levertov, Denise, 1923-1997, McAlister, Elizabeth, McCarthy, Colman, McNichols, William Hart, McSorley, Richard T., 1914-, Mikulski, Barbara, Teresa, Mother, 1910-1997, Prejean, Helen, Rogers, Fred, Seeger, Pete, 1919-2014, Sheen, Martin, Snyder, Mitch, Sullivan, Walter F. , 1928-2012, Tutu, Desmond, Vanier, Jean, 1928-, Wallis, Jim, and Zahn, Gordon C. (Gordon Charles), 1918-2007

Abstract:

Father John Dear is a Jesuit priest, peace and nonviolence activist, lecturer, and author of books on peace and social justice issues. His papers reflect his focus on nonviolent witness through all aspects of his life.

Rev. John Dear is an internationally recognized voice and leader for peace and nonviolence. A priest, activist and author, he served for years as the director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the largest interfaith peace organization in the U.S. After September 11, 2001, he was a Red Cross coordinator of chaplains at the Family Assistance Center in New York, and counseled thousands of relatives and rescue workers. John has traveled the war zones of the world, been arrested some 80 times for peace, led Nobel Peace prize winners to Iraq, given thousands of lectures on peace across the U.S., and served as a pastor of several churches in New Mexico. He arranged on many occasions for Mother Teresa to speak to various governors to stop an impending execution, and recently helped draft Pope Francis' Jan. 1, 2017 World Day of Peace message on nonviolence. He is a co-founder of Campaign Nonviolence and the Nonviolent Cities Project.

His thirty five books include: The Beatitudes of Peace; They Will Inherit the Earth; The Nonviolent Life; Radical Prayers; Walking the Way; Thomas Merton Peacemaker; A Persistent Peace; Transfiguration; You Will Be My Witnesses; Living Peace; The Questions of Jesus; The God of Peace; Jesus the Rebel; Peace Behind Bars; Lazarus Come Forth! and Disarming the Heart. He has been nominated many times for the Nobel Peace Prize, including by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Sen. Barbara Mikulski. A former Jesuit, he works for www.campaignnonviolence.org, and is a priest of the Diocese of Monterey, Cal..

Dear was born on August. 13, 1959 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University, and two masters degrees in theology from the Graduate Theological Union in California.

For more information on John Dear, see his web site at http://www.johndear.org.

This collection includes biographical information, correspondence, information about speaking engagements, involvement with Spirit of Life Plowshares, manuscripts and reviews of Dear's books, unpublished manuscripts, and reference material about Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, and Henri Nouwen. The papers include information about Dear's involvement with and imprisonment on behalf of social justice movements, including the issues of peace, nuclear disarmament, and homelessness. Dear's collection has come to the SCPC in good condition, with some initial sorting and labeling done by Dear. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence and Dear's writings. The papers are divided into multiple sections , the first made up of the original accession donated in 1999, and the other parts consisting of the accessions received since. Correspondents include Daniel Berrigan (S.J.), Jerry and Carol Berrigan, Philip Berrigan and Liz McAlister, Dom Helder Camara, Cesar Chavez, Janet Chisholm, S. Joan Chittister (O.S.B.), William Sloane Coffin, Richard Deats, Pat and Ray Donovan, Jim and Shelley Douglass, Eileen Egan, Jim Forest, Lynn Fredriksson, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Brother Patrick Hart, Franziska Jagerstatter, Steve Kelly (S.J.), Mary Lou Kownacki, Denise Levertov, Colman McCarthy, Bill McNichols (S.J.), Richard McSorley (S.J.), Senator Barbara Mikulski, Henri Nouwen, Sister Helen Prejean, Fred Rogers, Martin Sheen, Mitch Snyder, Bishop Walter Sullivan, Mother Teresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Jean Vanier, Jim Wallis, and Gordon Zahn.

Photos of Dear, Daniel Berrigan (S.J.), Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Martin Sheen and others were removed to the Photograph Collection; videos, audiocassettes and CDs were removed to the Audiovisual Collection; graphics were removed to the Subject File: Art in War and Peace; a cotton banner and a certificate from Morehouse College were removed to the Oversized Items Collection; and, posters were removed to the Poster Collection. Books written by John Dear are catalogued (see online library catalog Tripod) and available in the Book Collection (one set of his books is in permanent storage and may not be borrowed).

1. Series A. Biographical information
2. Series B. Correspondence
3. Series C. Public Life and Witness
4. Series D. Writings
5. Series E. Reference Material