Dear friends, I bring you the greetings of the International Coordination Team of the International Movement of Catholic Students Pax Romana!

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a member of FUCI or the Federation of Catholic University Students of Italy, who was a  strong supporter of Pax Romana wrote this quote in a letter to another delegate who participated in the Pax Romana foundational meetings in 1921. And I quote “If all people were to have it as their inner spirit, Pax Romana will bring peace and justice”. After 100  years, we are coming together as one global family, carrying the same mantle of Peace and Justice in our hearts.

The 100th milestone year of the movement gave us an opportunity to reminisce and celebrate the path we have walked as advocates of Peace and Justice.

Recently I heard this quote from a documentary. I quote “The past will never come back. And unless you are willing to invest in the future there’s no use even trying to exist anymore”. As a 100 years old movement with a young spirit, I believe this message is very much relevant to our movement. All the momentums created and contributions made in the past are stars guiding us to the future. But as a people’s movement, Pax Romana still carries a very relevant mission to society. our contribution for today and tomorrow matters more. The investments for the future, or for the ones yet to come matter more.

In the extremely troubled world today, the responsibility of people’s movements such as Pax Romana extends even further. In the past 100 years, we mostly responded to the existing social-economic-cultural religious issues. But in the fast-changing today’s world, Pax Ramana has to create solutions for problems we don’t yet know exist. Rather than problem-solving, we need to problem seek. The centennial initiatives of establishing Pax Romana centres around the world will serve this purpose.

In our diversity exists our uniqueness to share ideas, support students and professionals, implement projects and individually establish networks to grow our social capital and net worth. As we envisage the future of the Movement together through this occasion with the “Curtain-raiser for the next milestone: mobilising Catholic students and professionals for a peaceful, just, inclusive and a green world”, we are in communion together. The life of this Movement is a life of a community, service seeking social justice and the spirituality of action in our daily lives. We are evolving as a Movement. We have moved from one century and beginning another. In a time like this, we celebrate the torchbearers; and we come together to support ourselves to continue transforming our communities, one national movement at a time.

Let’s bring our ideas, talents, resources and networks to transform Pax Romana to the next version, so Pax Romana will continue her mission for another 100 years. 

God bless Pax Romana global family!

Ravi Tissera – President, IMCS Pax Romana

Paris. July 23, 2022