As the world awaited white smoke to emerge from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on the afternoon of May 8, a group of students created a peace prayer circle in front of Emmanuel Church to pray for world leaders arriving in Dayton for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at the end of the month. The group was led by CJ’s newly formed Peace Ambassadors Club.
“This gathering is a space where we come together to listen, share, and support each other in building a more peaceful and understanding school environment,” Shahzad Anwari ‘26, co-leader of the Peace Ambassadors club, said before the event. “I believe it would inspire the students to work to create positive change in our community.”
Shahzad and his cousin, Latif Anwari ‘26, started the club after volunteering at Dayton’s International Peace Museum. There, they were encouraged to promote peace at their high school. With the help of teachers Elise Chandler and Megan Evans, they started the club at the beginning of the spring semester. Throughout the semester, eight students and two teachers met and received training on how to be peace ambassadors at CJ and beyond. According to Catholic Relief Services’ Youth Peace Ambassador Training Guide, peace ambassadors are “to act as agents of peaceful change in their communities.”
“I’m proud of these young men,” said Chandler. “After learning about the concept of peace ambassador at the museum, they returned to CJ and took the initiative to create one of our new clubs here.”
At the last meeting, the upcoming NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which will come to Dayton over Memorial Day weekend, was discussed, and the group felt this was a perfect opportunity to promote peace while praying for NATO leaders.
“We wanted to start the Peace Ambassadors to build bridges and find commonalities among our student body here at CJ,” said Latif. “As Peace Ambassadors, we want to foster peace beyond CJ, and our Peace Prayer Circle was the perfect chance to pray for NATO leaders before they come to Dayton.”
The students and teachers in the Peace Prayer Circle prayed for everyone traveling to Dayton for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly; that the NATO leaders will be given wisdom, clarity, and understanding while attending the event; and for resolutions to conflicts and wars around the world.
Habemus Papam!
What was supposed to be a quick 15-minute event between classes became a historical moment for the Catholic Church. The timing of the Peace Prayer Circle was right between the white smoke appearing in Vatican City and the naming of a new pope and leader of the Catholic Church. The CJ students and teachers were giddy with anticipation as they created the peace circle. Pope Leo XIV appeared on the balcony just as the Peace Prayer Circle concluded. Participants in the circle learned that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost became the first Pope born in the United States while gathering around teacher Molly Bardine’s cell phone.
“It was perfect. Just as we finished our prayer for peace, our new pope was being announced,” said Chandler.
When Pope Leo XIV greeted the world, he called for the church to “be a missionary Church, building bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone…, open to all, to all who need our charity, our presence, dialogue, love…, especially to those who are suffering.”
Pope Leo’s first message beautifully reflected the open dialogue shared during the prayer circle just moments before. Chaminade Julienne invites all members of its community to join students in prayers for peace, for those traveling to Dayton for the assembly, and for our new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV.
See the Peace Prayer Circle news story on WDTN here.
