Carol Spiegel, BVM: Creating a Generation of Peacemakers

My journey has involved so much serendipity that it verges on a fantasy. It began in 1974 during an inmate-led tour of a medium-security prison in Colorado and brought me to the ministry of “Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution Education” in grade schools.

My conviction that incarcerated people needed more than punishment led to an exploration of prison ministry and resulted in the discovery of Restorative Justice. When I shared, after the tour, how people in the prison were encouraged to express their personalities by decorating their cells, a friend said they were there to be punished. My strong reaction in favor of rehabilitation eventually led me to a study of prison ministry during a ’96–’97 sabbatical. I was immediately on board the first time I heard of Restorative Justice.

With the help of a BVM Ministry Partnership Grant, BVM Mary Maas (now an associate) and I studied community violence prevention. Writing a paper on violence prevention in schools, I discovered a new ministry.

BVM Pat Thalhuber joined Mary and me in a ministry site where I was able to minister at six Catholic and charter grade schools during the course of eight years in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. After nine years in BVM leadership, I taught from 2016 until this past May at St. Catherine-St. Lucy School in Oak Park, Ill. Now, I am counting on others to continue those lessons.

Several elements converged in the development and implementation of a curriculum for weekly PreK-8 grade lessons in peacemaking and conflict resolution education. The heart of the program is cultivating the students’ self-concepts as “peacemakers.” Students are addressed as Peacemakers, and each class closes with the words, “Carry on, Peacemakers!” Songs with gestures help to engage the whole person.

Storytelling is a major tool in conveying lessons. When a lesson is centered on a story, it does not preach, and students can listen without defenses. For example, when “Matthew” and “Tilly” go up the conflict escalator, everyone can learn from them how to have a conflict and still remain friends. The world of children’s literature is rich with resources, and many of these are available on YouTube.

Some of my fondest memories illustrate the importance of teaching children nonviolence. I was thrilled when one kindergarten student said she would sing the song “We’re Peacemakers” when she got off the bus to walk home. At that moment, I knew the lessons were becoming a part of the students’ lives.

Another was the conviction students felt when they had gotten into a conflict. “You shouldn’t call us Peacemakers today” a second grader stated, as she waited outside the principal’s office with a classmate. That comment was a wake-up call to me. After that, when I announced that we’d be calling each other Peacemakers, I would follow up with the question “Do Peacemakers ever have conflicts?” When they solemnly stated that they did not, I would assure them that indeed they did, but Peacemakers would try to work it out so that no one would get hurt.

And finally, I was struck by the depth of understanding, when, after hearing the history of the first Earth Day, a 5th grader found it interesting that “everyone had come together to make a holiday . . . because in 2022 no one would probably agree.” That student’s awareness of conflict and the effort it takes to resolve it is bittersweet and does much to reinforce my belief in the continued need of peacemaking and conflict resolution education. Our children deserve it.

Ministering in “Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution” has been a wonderful experience. I’m sure it’s clear by now that this ministry has, as BVM Peggy Nolan would say, “satisfied me to my very bones.” I am so grateful for all the opportunities that have come through our BVM Congregation.

Related:

Carol Ann Spiegel, BVM is the author of Book by Book: An Annotated Guide to Young People’s Literature and Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution Themes, available at: tinyurl.com/5er4ap8z.

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FALL 2022: Together we participate in God’s creating action, transforming the earth. (BVM Constitution #11)

In this issue of Salt, we celebrate the legacy of our beloved Lou Anglin, BVM; the 103rd birthday of Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM; fifteen 70-year-Jubilarians, and our first in-person Assembly since COVID-19. We look to the future as we continue to adapt our mission, sponsor women in pursuit of education, support children in need, and advocate for justice in society and in the Catholic Church.

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