Founders Week 2008
About Dominique Pire, O.P.
During Founders Week, the College celebrates the spirit of a founding member of the Dominican Order or a member of the Order who has made significant contributions to the world through their search for truth, pursuit of justice, enthusiasm for study, service, integrity, compassion, and joyful appreciation of life. This year, Dominican College will honor the life and work of Dominique Pire, O.P., recipient of the 1958 Nobel Peace Prize.
Father Dominique Pire devoted his short life to understanding the peoples of the world, to eliminating poverty and hopelessness in emerging nations, and to alleviating the suffering of refugees. He began his life of service in 1938 by founding two aid organizations which supported families and fed thousands of Belgium and French children. He was a chaplain for the resistance movement during World War II, was an agent for the intelligence service, and was a participant in the underground escape system that returned downed pilots to their own forces. For his services during the war, Pire was honored with the Military Cross with Palms, the Resistance Medal with Crossed Swords, the War Medal, and the National Recognition Medal.
In 1949, Father Dominique began studying the refugee problem created by the mass displacement of people during World War II. He visited refugee camps and wrote a book about what he learned and the issues of displacement. He went on to found the organization Aid to Displaced Persons. This international entity built homes for the aged, garnered sponsorships for displaced families, and built self-sustaining villages where displaced families could “put down roots, gain economic independence, and achieve psychological wholeness”.
After Pire was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, he expanded his efforts to support a worldwide effort that would build international fraternity. He founded The Heart Open to the World, an organization made up of several entities – University of Peace, where people of the world hear distinguished lecturers and participate in face-to-face “fraternal dialogues”, World Friendships, an agency that encourages long-distance fraternal dialogues between people of different heritages, World Sponsorships, where people sponsor a family in need, and Islands of Peace, a program that combines local-self help with international aid to increase food production, improve medical services, and develop educational services in specific rural regions. Islands of Peace provides rural communities with outside technical experts, some material aid, and support in developing plans of action, with control being turned over to local inhabitants at the end of an agreed on time-line.
Through his many organizations and multiple layers of action, Dominique Pire changed the face of global development efforts and refugee relief services. His works of justice, service, integrity, and compassion have made a better world and it is these traditions which inform the educational community at Dominican College.
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Schedule of Events
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
11:15 — HENNESSY CENTER
Debate/Discussion:
Do We Still Need the Electoral College?“The Electoral College: Should it Be Maintained or Abolished?”
Visiting Scholars
Robert Bennett —Nathaniel L. Nathanson Professor of Law, former Dean of the School of Law at Northwestern University
John Samples — Director of the Cato’s Center for Representative Government, Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
9:45 — FURY LECTURE HALL OF PRUSMACK HALL AND
12:45 — PALISADES ROOM OF CASEY HALL
Living the Legacy
Sister Arlene Flaherty, ’74 — The Northeast USA liaison for Justice and Peace with Catholic Relief Services
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
11:30-1:30 — GRANITO CENTER
Spirit of the Founders Award
Ceremony, Award Presentation and Barbecue
FRIDAY, SEPTMEBER 26
9:00-5:00 — HENNESSY CENTER
Preaching in Action Service Day
Program and Activities Honoring “Relatives as Parents Program”
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
11:00-5:00 — OUTDOORS
Dominican Sisters Festival