KENYA: Rev. Fr. Patrick Devine, SMA shortlisted for International Peace Prize
Rev. Fr. Patrick Devine, SMA Chairperson Shalom Center for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation
Rev. Fr Patrick Devine SMA, the founder and international chairperson of the SHALOM Centre for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, Nairobi and a partner with AMECEA in Peace and Solidarity Commission has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2016 Tipperary International Peace Prize. Fr Devine’s innovative peace-building work is the subject of increasing recognition throughout the world with government agencies and NGOs respectfully studying the work of the Shalom Centre. In 2013, Fr. Devine was the recipient of the International Caring Award succeeding Dalai Lama.
Chairperson Shalom Center for
Conflict Resolution and
Reconciliation
In the early 1980s the Tipperary Peace Convention was founded. Since Tipperary was known the world over because of a ‘war’ song, its residents wanted to offer an alternative vision. “We like to think that the modern Tipperary is now known for its efforts to promote peace and peaceful co-operation on a national and international stage,” a spokesperson said.
As part of the initiative the Tipperary Peace Convention established the Tipperary Peace Prize and the list of its recipients is impressive. Previous winners have included:
President Nelson Mandela, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, the late Senator Gordon Wilson from Enniskillen, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former President of Ireland, Professor Mary McAleese and her husband Senator Martin McAleese, Pakistani schoolgirl and Nobel Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, former UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and last year’s recipient was former US Secretary of State, John Kerry.
For the 2016 Tipperary International Peace Prize, Fr Patrick Devine is nominated along with the former Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness; the Lebanese-British human rights lawyer, Amal Alamudden-Clooney (married to actor George Clooney); Amnesty International; Syrian White Helmets, whose volunteers have saved almost 80,000 lives in the Syrian civil war; and Lady Rabab al Sadr, the Lebanese social and human rights activist and philanthropist.
The winner will be announced by the Tipperary Peace Convention in the coming weeks. We wish Fr. Patrick Devine and all the nominees every good wish and blessing. As AMECEA, we are particularly proud that the important peace and reconciliation work of one of our partners has been recognised.
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