As the world grapples with global conflict and ongoing division, the Daughters of St. Paul in Toronto are bringing Pope Leo XIV’s hopeful vision of an unarmed and disarming peace down to Earth with a speaker series that address peace both globally and in daily life.

The Sisters' annual series, held at Pauline Books & Media Centre in Toronto on the first Saturday of every month, brings diverse insights into the topic of peace and its presence across multiple areas, including in personal suffering, family life, faith and spiritual growth. 

Sr. Margaret Moran, local superior and organizer of the 2026 Peace Talk Series, spoke to this year’s theme, one chosen after reviewing Pope Leo’s message for the World Day of Peace at the end of 2025.

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“We zeroed in on his theme towards an unarmed and disarming peace as he explained it that this peace must be unarmed, not based on fear, threats or weapons, and it must be disarming in that sense of it being capable of resolving conflicts, opening hearts and generating mutual trust, empathy and hope,” Moran said.  

While the theme clearly speaks to global conflicts, including the then-newly escalated war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Moran emphasized this year’s theme as being one that holds a deeper, more personal resonance.

“ When you're talking about peace, you are speaking of world peace and between countries, but there is also the whole question of peace within the heart, within the family and the experience of peace amid suffering. There are so many ways of looking at peace and its role in our lives,” she said.

The monthly series returns with a diverse lineup of voices set to explore the multi-faceted roles of peace from April to November. It begins April 11 with Pierre Mousseau’s talk “Peace in the Storm: Healing, Hope and Trust in God’s Presence” exploring his personal story of losing a son during COVID, his falling away from faith and journey back while finding peace in suffering.

In May, Br. Michael Mascarenhas, a Franciscan, will speak in depth on St. Francis of Assisi as herald of peace and brother to all, a deliberate tie into the Franciscan year as proclaimed by Pope Leo. 

June and July will see Fr. Seamus Hogan and Celeste Giraldo Estrada speak on  “Blessed are the Peacemakers” as an exploration of saints who won peace through their struggles and the disarming power of speaking truth according to St. Thomas Aquinas, respectively. 

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Peace can also be worked towards and found in family life, with married couple Steve and Liz Ribello’s August talk on “Unarmed and Disarming: Holiness in the Daily Battles of Family Life,” exploring that very reality. 

Other speakers include Fr. Giuseppe Scollo, offering a Biblical approach to God’s word on peace, and Msgr. Robert Nusca, exploring the everlasting peace in God’s presence through St. John’s vision of the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation. 

The 2026 Peace Talk Series will conclude on Nov. 7 as Fr. Charles Anang explores peace through the lens of “the one who conquers self conquers the world."

With the hopes of showing the vast areas of life where peace can be identified and subsequently understood, Moran spoke to how those experiences, in turn, may help the faithful understand peace on a global scale. 

“ When we first started the series, there was the war over in Russia and Ukraine, but we didn't have the full-blown war in the Middle East at that point. While you can see that it’s even more important in this day and age from a worldview point, if there is no peace of mind or heart, how do you face a situation of this magnitude without that vision of faith?” she asked. 

Moran is hoping for a similar turnout as last year’s inaugural series, where each Saturday morning saw 35 to 60 attendees gather to listen, reflect, ask questions as part of an included Q&A period, and spend time with the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel afterwards. The hope is attendees, like many visitors to the book centre, expressing pain and a lack of peace, can come away with a different mindset on the concept altogether. 

“ I'm hoping that this type of series can show that, if you're searching for peace, you have to find it first within yourself, in the Prince of Peace Himself, as the person who can really grant us all the strengths and graces to carry what He wants us to carry in life,” she said. 

Each talk begins at 10:30 a.m at Pauline Books & Media Centre. To register, email [email protected] 

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