Buffalo Rising Online

Feb 20th 2007, 11:30am By Anna Miller

All across town, even stretching out across seas, there are remnants of SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak’s life and message. They stand proud in countless gardens and windows throughout our city, uniting complete strangers under the belief of a better world. “I Leave Peaceprints,” the white cardboard doves read. Each hopeful sign is evidence that Sister Karen’s life held a deeper meaning, a commitment for all people to live nonviolently, and that her death only hastened the spread of her message throughout our community.

“The signs can really say a lot about a person,” said Audrey Mang. “At least they’re saying something, out in the open, about what they believe in and what they want to achieve.”

Since Sister Karen’s tragic murder at the hand of a man she was trying to save, Audrey and her husband, Jim, have been working to carry on Sister Karen’s vision of a world without violence. As associate members of the Sisters of St. Joseph, they have helped establish an independent Center for Nonviolence that is committed to eliminating violence “in ourselves, in our society and in our world.”

The Center will offer resources, training, education and assistance to people throughout the Buffalo area who are interested in or curious about embracing a nonviolent existence. Their first open house two weeks ago attracted more than 250 people from different congregations and neighborhoods across the city.

“It’s something that’s so appealing to people because there is such frustration that violent behavior happens, and people don’t know what to do about it,” Audrey said. “I think people generally understand that we’re meant to live peacefully, but there is so much negativity around these days. We want to help people see how you swing through that negativity and get a tangible handle on what it means to be nonviolent.”

The Center is looking to build upon the “Peaceprints” sign campaign, carried on by the neighboring Bisonnette House in Sister Karen’s honor, and build upon sentiment that has already developed in the city. It will be a place where community members can go to learn about what nonviolence means, and to work to create a nonviolent community “in our thinking, our acting and our relationships.”

The Center will also work to continue the Alternatives to Violence Project that Sister Karen was working with in correctional facilities, and which Audrey has had a hand in for years. The series of workshops explores the causes of nonviolence, the roots of nonviolence and conflict resolution. Their AVP will focus on the importance of educating all people on what nonviolence really is and what it means, through workshops and talks in schools, churches and community groups.

“There are all kinds of violence, not just what the inmates know,” Audrey said. “And sometimes the more education you have the more subtle and sophisticated the violence is. These are things we all need to work on.”

SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence, 80 Durham Ave. Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) 362.9688