Annual peace dinner explores responses in a world where violence abounds

Baltimore, MD (CNS) – The small group of folks gathered outside St. Vincent de Paul Church were preparing for another night on the streets. Someone was already hunkered down under a pile of blankets next to the steps leading to the church’s main entrance, their few possessions at arm’s length. Others who were milling about in front of the church, tucked into a corner of downtown not far from the bars, restaurants and activities that mark the city’s nightlife. In an adjacent parking lot, one man, who said he was homeless, greeted visitors and then asked for a few dollars to get through the night. “Homeless people are friendly,” he said. “We’re good people, we’re just having a hard time.” The visitors to the church were encountering real life steps from where they were about to participate in the fourth annual peace dinner, which coincides with the annual fall assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.