They Shall Beat Their Swords Into Plowshares – The Catholic Worker Kaupapa with Adi Leason

“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” – Isaiah 2.4 

“I wasn’t disturbing the peace, I was disturbing the war.” – Ammon Hennacy

Sixteen years ago three Catholic Workers, Adi Leason, Sam Land, and Peter Murnane, also known as the Waihopai Ploughshares, made the choice to challenge the authority of the state through an act of radical peacemaking and Christian compassion. They utilised simple gardening tools to deflate the dome surrounding a satellite dish at Waihopai Station. This satellite was a component of the Government Communications Security Bureau communications network, which shared intelligence data with other members of the Five Eyes network for surveillance purposes. The men were committed to dismantling this dome for reasons of peace and saw it as part of the infrastructure which contributed to war which needed to be stopped by any means. These individuals, driven by their commitment to non-violent resistance and social justice, were aligned with the Catholic Worker Movement – a decentralised organisation that practices the corporal works of mercy and draws inspiration from the radical principles espoused in the Sermon on the Mount, as outlined in the Book of Matthew.

Join us as we host one of the Waihopai three, Adi Leason, who will recount his experiences at Waihopai and explore the radical kaupapa of the Catholic Worker Movement. 

Adi Leason is a school teacher, Catholic Worker, and father of eight. He has been a subsistence farmer for the past 20 years on his land in Ōtaki, where he houses and hosts people who do not have homes of their own. 

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Proceedings:

6:00 pm – Doors Open

6:30 pm – Introductions

6:35 pm – Talk by Adi

7:20 pm – intermission

7:30 pm – Audience Q&A

For those unable to attend we will have a live stream on the Wellington Socialist Society Facebook page.

Drinks and food will be available to order from the bar. As always, we are thankful to Bedlam & Squalor for hosting us.