Violence destroys lives.  One of the dangers violence poses to the survivors is violence’s capacity to destroy their awareness of women as imago Dei by inhibiting imagination and truncating their human openness to the mystical-political dimension of being human beings. This presentation takes the escalation of violence against brown women, particularly feminicide, to be a tragic untenable reality in our time.  In this presentation, Dr. Pineda Madrid discusses that while violence inflicts severe wounds, nonetheless, resistance to violence in the form of public reinterpretations of Christian symbols and narratives can foster and encourage the development of a mystical-political dimension of life.

Dr. Nancy Pineda Madrid, well known theologian, professor and author will lead this online webinar. Thursday, January 29th - 3:00 to 4:30 pm MST

Dr. David Dorado Romo often reminds us that remembering is an act of healing: “If we want to heal from these wounds, we first have to learn the truth.” His life’s work embodies this conviction. By illuminating silenced histories and celebrating the richness of border culture, he offers the world a vision of the frontera not as a line of division, but as a place of encuentro, creativity, and hope.
Dr. David Dorado Romo, brings to light the hidden histories of the U.S.-Mexico border. Raised in El Paso/Juárez, he has dedicated his career to reframing how we understand the borderlands, illuminating them as places of resilience, culture, and creativity.  Beyond his scholarship, Romo has been a powerful advocate for preserving neighborhoods like Duranguito and Segundo Barrio, defending cultural memory against erasure. His work reveals painful truths while affirming the dignity of border communities, reminding us that remembering is essential to healing.

Dr. David Romo will facilitate this hybrid event. Thursday Feb 12th - 5:00 to 6:30 pm MST.

Zoom link will be sent upon registration

Dr. David Dorado Romo often reminds us that remembering is an act of healing: “If we want to heal from these wounds, we first have to learn the truth.” His life’s work embodies this conviction. By illuminating silenced histories and celebrating the richness of border culture, he offers the world a vision of the frontera not as a line of division, but as a place of encuentro, creativity, and hope.
Dr. David Dorado Romo, brings to light the hidden histories of the U.S.-Mexico border. Raised in El Paso/Juárez, he has dedicated his career to reframing how we understand the borderlands, illuminating them as places of resilience, culture, and creativity.  Beyond his scholarship, Romo has been a powerful advocate for preserving neighborhoods like Duranguito and Segundo Barrio, defending cultural memory against erasure. His work reveals painful truths while affirming the dignity of border communities, reminding us that remembering is essential to healing.

Dr. David Romo will facilitate this hybrid event. Thursday Feb 12th - 5:00 to 6:30 pm MST.

Venue for in-person participation Alamito Learning Center 508 S Virginia St. El Paso, TX 79901

Isaac's talk will center on immigrant justice activism as Christians put hope into action, bearing witness to the work of solidarity among people with and without US citizenship. Isaac’s biblical, theological, and political reflections will prod our imagination as we consider a holistic vision for life in solidarity with migrants.

Isaac Villegas is an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA who is involved in the work of community organizing and activism for immigrant justice. He is the author of Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice. He is also a contributing editor for The Christian Century. He has served as president of the NC Council of Churches and on the denominational board of the Mennonite Church USA. He grew up in the borderlands of the U.S. southwest as a child of Latin American immigrants. He currently lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Guest speakers for this talk, Don and Celine Woznica are returned Maryknoll lay missioner who joined a team helping migrants at a police station two blocks from Chicago's Oak Park border. Celine convinced her pastor to open a vacant rectory, so the migrants could take showers. She and other volunteers found tents to protect them from the elements as well as meals, blankets, sheets, air mattresses, clothing, toiletries and shoes. From this tumultuous beginning, the all-volunteer Interdenominational Migrant Ministry was formed.  95% of the over 500 volunteers are senior citizens. Volunteers represent all the major faith centers in the area Christian, Jewish, Unitarian, Muslim, and Baha'i. Many who do not profess to any faith but consider the ministry their 'church.'

Isaac Villegas will lead this online webinar. Thursday, February 26, 2026 3:00 to 4:30 pm MST

Rich with life, the Chihuahuan Desert supports thousands of plant species and an astonishing variety of animals, many found nowhere else. By choosing native plants in our landscapes, we help protect this remarkable web of life while creating beautiful, water-wise gardens that support wildlife facing climate and development pressures.

Dr. Kevin Floyd is the Botanical Curator at the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at UTEP.  He is passionate about helping everyone embrace the beauty and benefits of native plants. 

Dr. Floyd will lead this online webinar. Thursday, March 12, 2026 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm MST 

The northern Chihuahuan Desert has undergone rapid landscape change, including loss of native vegetation, woody plant encroachment, expansion of agriculture, and new dust sources. These changes resulted in increased dust activities and accelerated land degradation. Recently, the region has witnessed frequent severe dust storms, affecting regional air quality, human health, dryland ecosystems, and socio-economic conditions of the people living in the US-Mexico borderlands. In Spring (March-May) 2025, an unusually large number of dust events formed in the northern Chihuahuan Desert, with a frequency of dust storms in El Paso, Texas, not experienced since the 1930s Dust Bowl. This talk will address how to understand the drivers of recent frequent dust events across the Chihuahuan Desert by factors such as regional agricultural expansion and perennial cover combined with the strong winds of Spring 2025 resulted in frequent severe dust events. A call to cross-border coordination is needed urgently to mitigate future dust events, associated hazards over downwind communities, and to make sustainable drylands.

Dr. Saroj Dhital is a Research Scientist, at New Mexico State University. He does research on land cover change, dust emissions and transport processes, and their impacts. He holds a PhD, Atmospheric Science, University of Nevada, Reno.

Dr. Dithal will lead this hybrid event. Saturday, March 21, 2026. 9:30 AM 11:30 AM MST

Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

The northern Chihuahuan Desert has undergone rapid landscape change, including loss of native vegetation, woody plant encroachment, expansion of agriculture, and new dust sources. These changes resulted in increased dust activities and accelerated land degradation. Recently, the region has witnessed frequent severe dust storms, affecting regional air quality, human health, dryland ecosystems, and socio-economic conditions of the people living in the US-Mexico borderlands. In Spring (March-May) 2025, an unusually large number of dust events formed in the northern Chihuahuan Desert, with a frequency of dust storms in El Paso, Texas, not experienced since the 1930s Dust Bowl. This talk will address how to understand the drivers of recent frequent dust events across the Chihuahuan Desert by factors such as regional agricultural expansion and perennial cover combined with the strong winds of Spring 2025 resulted in frequent severe dust events. A call to cross-border coordination is needed urgently to mitigate future dust events, associated hazards over downwind communities, and to make sustainable drylands.

Dr. Saroj Dhital is a Research Scientist, at New Mexico State University. He does research on land cover change, dust emissions and transport processes, and their impacts. He holds a PhD, Atmospheric Science, University of Nevada, Reno.

Dr. Dithal will lead this hybrid event. Saturday, March 21, 2026. 9:30 AM 11:30 AM MST

In person event will take place at Saint Luke Parish, 930 E Redd Rd, El Paso, TX 79912

This is the first of four sessions on Restorative justice practices. The contents in these series align with core principles of nonviolence, respect for human dignity, empathy, community, healing and restoration.  The course participants will develop skills in the use of restorative circles of dialogue, peace-building and conflict.  This training is experiential, and will help discover the transformative power of circles to strengthen relationships, build community and repair harm. The circle creates a space for folks to learn from each other, heal traumas and bring about transformation.

This will be a space to practice ways to welcome diverse views, prevent and intervene in conflicts, and to build peace in our families, communities and neighborhoods.  

Joanne Blaey will lead this first session of an online training series. Saturday, April 11, 2026 8:00 to 10:00 am MST

This is the second of four sessions on Restorative justice practices. The contents in these series align with core principles of nonviolence, respect for human dignity, empathy, community, healing and restoration.  The course participants will develop skills in the use of restorative circles of dialogue, peace-building and conflict.  This training is experiential, and will help discover the transformative power of circles to strengthen relationships, build community and repair harm. The circle creates a space for folks to learn from each other, heal traumas and bring about transformation.

This will be a space to practice ways to welcome diverse views, prevent and intervene in conflicts, and to build peace in our families, communities and neighborhoods.  

Joanne Blaey will lead this second session of an online training series. Saturday, April 18, 2026 8:00 to 10:00 am MST

This webinar features two Philippine environmental leaders. Milagros S. Serrana will introduce Green Convergence, a coalition promoting sustainable development through public forums, national environmental assessments, and the Ako Ang Bukas movement. Sister Marvelous “Marvie” Misolas, MM will present the Environmental Studies Institute’s 261.5‑hectare reforestation project in the southern Sierra Madre, which restores forests and biodiversity in partnership with the Dumagat Remontado Indigenous communities.

Given the Philippines’ extreme climate vulnerability, both speakers bring vital experience: Sister Misolas in global climate advocacy and environmental leadership, and Serrana in decades of environmental education at Miriam College.
Sister Misolas, is a member of the Maryknoll Sisters.   Currently serving in the Philippines, she represented her congregation to various UN conferences (Rio+20, Paris Climate Conference, and Migration Conference in Marrakech).  She is the Executive Director of the Environmental Studies Institute at Miriam College. Her work focus is on Climate Change.

Milagros S. Serrana Program Leader of the Ako Ang Bukas is an educator focused on raising awareness on the state of the Philippine and global environment and how to address environmental problems. She served at Miriam College for 30 years under various capacities including Associate Professor, Chair of the Biology Department, Assistant Chair of the Graduate Program on Environment, and member of the Academic Council.

Marvie and Milagros will lead this online webinar Thursday, April 23, 20263:00–4:30 PM MST

This presentation explores the need to protect fragile desert ecosystems and surrounding lands, highlighting both the challenges of conservation and the opportunities for collective action through private public partnerships. Participants will learn how deserts—often seen as barren—are actually rich in biodiversity, and vital resources, and how we can make a difference.

 The second part of this presentation will focus on the work at Keystone Heritage Park as a strategy to promote awareness of the importance of land conservation, water harvesting, native plants, and the interconnectedness of these strategies as part of environmental stewardship.

Janaé Reneaud Field and Mike Gaglio will faciliate this online webinar. Thursday, April 30, 2026. 3:00 to 4:30 pm MST

This is the third of four sessions on Restorative justice practices. The contents in these series align with core principles of nonviolence, respect for human dignity, empathy, community, healing and restoration.  The course participants will develop skills in the use of restorative circles of dialogue, peace-building and conflict.  This training is experiential, and will help discover the transformative power of circles to strengthen relationships, build community and repair harm. The circle creates a space for folks to learn from each other, heal traumas and bring about transformation.

This will be a space to practice ways to welcome diverse views, prevent and intervene in conflicts, and to build peace in our families, communities and neighborhoods.  

Joanne Blaey will lead this third session of an online training series. Saturday, May 2, 2026 8:00 to 10:00 am MSTcription goes here

This is the third of four sessions on Restorative justice practices. The contents in these series align with core principles of nonviolence, respect for human dignity, empathy, community, healing and restoration.  The course participants will develop skills in the use of restorative circles of dialogue, peace-building and conflict.  This training is experiential, and will help discover the transformative power of circles to strengthen relationships, build community and repair harm. The circle creates a space for folks to learn from each other, heal traumas and bring about transformation.

This will be a space to practice ways to welcome diverse views, prevent and intervene in conflicts, and to build peace in our families, communities and neighborhoods.  

Joanne Blaney will lead this online training session. Saturday, May 9, 2026. 8:00 am to 10:00 am MST

Bishop Mark Seitz, DD and guest speaker Sr. Rosemarie Milazzo, MM will be featured in this event. Details forthcoming.

An online webinar. Wednesday, May 20, 2026. 3:00 to 4:30 pm MST.

 As co-presenters, Sister Aurora and Ethan will discuss their topic within the context of Hawaii.  They will present a summary of their work as staff with an immigration legal service provider, with a brief background on the context of Hawaii as a state and how immigration has played a role in its existing make-up.  Their talk will highlight the types of clients that they serve and the reasons they migrated.  They will also address systems in place that determine immigration to the state. They will offer insights into their personal philosophy of why they do the work and why they believe it is important for integration, welcoming and providing people with the same chance they have had. Furthermore, they will also discuss their challenges in empowering a client to have a sense of belonging.

Catholic Charities of Hawaii supports a philosophy of belonging through legal support, case management, empowerment services and others. The session will close by identifying the takeaways or action steps that participants can take to support immigrants in integrating/starting their lives in a foreign place.

Sr. Aurora de la Cruz, MM & Ethan Higa, esq will present this online webinar. Thursday, June 11, 2026

3:00 to 4:30 pm MST 

The Enduring Call for Racial Justice presentation will provide an overview of the history of anti-Blackness in the United States. It will examine slavery, U.S. apartheid known as Jim Crow segregation, lynching, and current day mass incarceration, police violence, and the recent attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Aligned with the Maryknoll Monarch Initiative theme of Nonviolence, this presentation will also highlight African Americans who have fought for racial justice including Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King Jr, Bryan Stevenson, and Michelle Alexander. Also aligned with the MMI theme of Nonviolence, Alessandra will discuss restorative justice, an alternative response to the criminal legal system and response to harm. She will examine restorative justice’s roots in Indigenous cultures and how it is being used locally, nationally, and globally to solve conflicts and repair harm.

Alessandra Harris is a writer, author, wife, and mother of four. She earned degrees in comparative religious studies, Middle East studies, and a graduate certificate in restorative justice and chaplaincy. She has published three novels and her fourth book, In the Shadow of Freedom: The Enduring Call for Racial Justice, is her first non-fiction title, which won first place for Religion in the Public Square in the Catholic Media Association Awards 2025. In addition to co-founding Black Catholic Messenger, her writing has appeared in National Catholic Reporter, America Magazine, US Catholic, The Revealer, Critical Theology, and The Catholic Worker. She currently volunteers as a chaplain at the women’s jail in Santa Clara County, California.

Alessandra Harris will present this online webinar. Thursday June 18, 2026

3:00 to 4:30 pm MST

Mónica Lozano es una fotógrafa mexicano-estadounidense nacida en El Paso, Texas, y criada en la ciudad hermana de Ciudad Juárez, México. Con más de dos décadas de documentación fotográfica, su trabajo profundiza en la experiencia de los migrantes a través de las fronteras globales. Conocida por sus retratos elegantes y con carga social, Lozano captura la gravedad de las condiciones que conducen a la migración masiva, desde el peligroso viaje de cruzar las fronteras hasta las tácticas de supervivencia necesarias en tierras extranjeras. Sus imágenes documentan la historia migratoria humana, reafirmando los valores y derechos universales que toda persona merece. Su trabajo ha sido expuesto internacionalmente en 21 países y reconocido
con numerosos premios y becas internacionales. En la actualidad, Lozano está afincada en El Paso, Texas, y su último proyecto colaborativo, What Remains, fusiona el arte, la investigación y la educación para explorar el viaje íntimo de la migración. What Remains forma ahora parte del Instituto de Bienestar Renee Crown
y de las iniciativas de investigación multimodal de la Universidad de Colorado utilizando la fotografía
como medio para empoderar a los jóvenes de grupos vulnerables a a que compartan sus historias de migración, fomentando una mejor comprensión de las fronteras invisibles de la confianza y la pertenencia en sus nuevos entornos.

Monica facilitará en español este evento en línea. Jueves 9 de julio del 2026. 3:00 a 4 pm MST

In this presentation, Maria Corazon Angeles, esq and Ann Coady will talk about the current immigration situation and how through their various roles, they accompany families journeying through the immigration system.

Maria Corazon Angeles, originally from the Philippines, and now rooted in El Paso, Texas as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner. A graduate of Maryknoll College (now Miriam College) in Quezon City, and of the University of the Philippines, College of Law, she has spent four decades in solo legal practice in Los Angeles, CA specializing in immigration law. In those years, she has walked closely with families facing uncertainty, fear, and hardship- experiences that have deepened her commitment to justice, mercy, and the resilience of the human spirit. . Ann Coady is a Maryknoll Lay affiliate in the USA. She is fluent in Spanish serving in the Peace Corps in Colombia, South America; worked as Community Liaison and Parent Educator for the Port Washington NY school district serving mostly immigrant families and volunteered as a national disaster responder for the American Red Cross, serving Spanish-speaking victims of disasters.

Maria Angeles and Ann will lead this online webinar. Thursday July 16, 2026. 3:00 to 4:30 pm MST

Creative Expression: An Intersection of Peacebuilding and Environment for Young People and Adults This interactive, creative workshop will share a global project where the whole world is invited to make a painting together, called the Singing Tree Mural Project. This collaborative art process is a peace building program rooted in the wisdom of native trees and forests and harnessing everyone's innate creativity. Inspired by an 8-year-old girl in 1999, 151 murals have been created by over 27,000 from 64 countries, each one envisioning healing to community heartbreak and solutions to community challenges.  Unity Through Creativity is currently training facilitators in this innovative team building process.

For 35 years, author, innovator and artist Laurie Marshall has empowered youth and adults through creative collaboration. She practices Peace Building through Art, inspired by Nature. A visionary educator, she has served mostly low-income children, families and their schools as an Arts Integration and Project Based Learning specialist. Her mission is to nurture creativity, a love of learning and a collaborative spirit.  She is the founder of Unity Through Creativity Foundation and the Singing Tree Project.

Laurie Marshal will present this online webinar. Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026 3:00 to 4:30 pm MST.

This is an in-person event on September 11 to 13, 2026, 9 am to noon. More information forthcoming

La violencia destruye vidas.  Uno de los peligros que la violencia presenta para las supervivientes es su capacidad que tiene para destruir su conciencia de las mujeres como imago Dei -imagen de Dios- al inhibir su imaginación y truncar su apertura a la dimensión místico-política de ser seres humanos.  Esta presentación aborda la escalada de violencia contra las mujeres de color, específicamente el feminicidio, como una realidad trágica e insostenible en nuestro tiempo.  Esta presentación argumenta que aunque la violencia inflige heridas graves, la resistencia a la violencia en forma de reinterpretaciones públicas de símbolos y narrativas cristianas puede fomentar el desarrollo de una dimensión místico-política de la vida.

Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Ph.D., es expresidenta de la Sociedad Teológica Católica de América (CTSA) y titular de la Cátedra T. Marie Chilton de Teología Católica en la Universidad Loyola Marymount, donde imparte clases desde 2019. Es una reconocida autora internacional de varios libros, artículos y publicaciones de capítulos en inglés, español, alemán, portugués y francés. Su trabajo académico fue reconocido en 2024 cuando recibió el premio Hearts on Fire Writer's Award del Loyola Institute for Spirituality, y en 2025 con el premio Elizondo de la Academia de Teólogos Católicos Hispanos de los Estados Unidos (ACHTUS).  Nancy nació en Albuquerque, Nuevo México, y creció en El Paso, Texas, donde su familia aún vive.

La Dra. Nancy Pineda Madrid facilitará en español este seminario en linea. Jueves 15 de octubre, 2026. 3:00 a 4:30 pm MST

This event features Barbara Frazer and Fr. Alejandro Marina both of Maryknoll. The presenters will offer an overview of the threats facing the Amazon, actions that Indigenous and other Amazonian communities are taking to defend this fragile and spectacular part of creation, and how their struggle is part of a global web of actions in which Maryknollers around the world are also involved.  Providing 20% of the planet’s freshwater, the Amazon is home to a wide array of both biological and cultural diversity. Yet most of its human residents lack access to safe drinking water, and the basin’s hydrological cycle, which plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate, is threatened by human activities that cause deforestation and ecosystem degradation, exacerbated by climate change. Amid the uncertainty, the greatest hope can be found at the grassroots, where Indigenous people, especially women, stand up courageously to defend their territories, and communities, often involving church people, organize to protect the ecosystems on which all Amazonian life depends.  Following on the topic, Fr. Alejandro will expand on this theme by introducing a model for maintaining the delicate “balances” that sustain life in the Amazon and across the planet. He will highlight the very real threats to these balances and explore how our collective efforts can help counter the challenges facing this vital part of our planet.

Barbara Fraser: A veteran freelance journalist with 30+ years in Latin America, based in Peru. She specializes in environmental, public health, and Indigenous issues, with work published in major scientific and environmental outlets. She holds degrees in journalism and environmental studies.

Fr. Alejandro Marina, M.M.: An Argentine Maryknoll priest with decades of mission experience across Latin America. His current work in the Bolivian Amazon centers on social justice, pastoral ministry, ecological restoration, reforestation, and sustainable development in collaboration with local communities.

Barbara Fraser and Alejandro Marina will discuss this topic in an online webinar. Thursday, November 5th, 2026. 3:00 to 5:30 pm MST.

When it comes to environmental conservation, maintaining a healthy ecosystem balance is key. Deciding what balance means is more tricky especially in desert ecosystems which are often neglected or lumped in with “problem” areas. Let’s dive into the different ways people think about how we ought to approach caring for our world, how we can work with instead of against natural processes, and answering the question “what does a healthy desert look like?”

Ranger Lydia is an El Paso native who fell in love with nature on camping trips as a young girl. To learn more about these places she loved, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Hope College and latter began working for Texas Parks and Wildlife as an Interpretive Park Ranger. As a Park Ranger, she gets to share the amazing, hidden, beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert with locals and visitors alike and to watch people discover, or re-discover, the joy of the outdoors.

Ranger Lydia will lead this online webinar. Thursday, Nov 12, 3:00 to 4:30 pm MST