News

Mary Hunt turned worry into action through Pax Christi

Disgusted by violence, politics, she found relief in peace and social justice organization

Published: February 7, 2023   

By Chris Price
Arkansas Catholic Staff

Chris Price

Mary Hunt, president of Pax Christi of Little Rock, stands in the adoration chapel at Christ the King Church in Little Rock Jan. 30.

Chris Price

Mary Hunt, president of Pax Christi of Little Rock, stands in the adoration chapel at Christ the King Church in Little Rock Jan. 30.

Name: Mary Hunt

Parish: Christ the King

City: Little Rock

Age: 68

Family: Husband, Kevin; three children, Jessica, Jodi and Ryan; and four grandchildren

Why you want to know Mary: Mary Hunt is in her first year as president of Pax Christi Little Rock. She moved to Little Rock with her family in 1993 to take an information technology and services position until she retired from FIS and its predecessors in May 2020. In addition to being a founding member of Pax Christi in 2016, she has served as a missionary 10 days a year with a team of nearly 100 doctors, nurses, construction workers, teachers and others to provide care to the people of Trujillo, Honduras; has helped rebuild homes and infrastructure that suffered from hurricane damage in Miraflores, Puerto Rico and regularly volunteers in central Arkansas with Our House, Divine Mercy Health Center, Braver Angels and Christ the King’s adoration chapel. 

IN HER OWN WORDS

What feeds you spiritually? 

I am in awe of the beauty of our world. The words of Jesus in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount are what I try to live up to. I read and listen to several authors, such as Father Jacques Philippe, Father Richard Rohr, Brian McLaren and others from the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Where did you grow up? 

I grew up Catholic in a small northern Indiana town, Rochester. I met Kevin at Butler University in Indianapolis. The week I graduated, we married and moved to Arizona. Our children were born and baptized in Phoenix. Due to the job market, we moved back to Indiana in 1992 and then relocated to Little Rock in 1993.

What is the mission of Pax Christi? 

Our mission is to work toward creating a world that reflects the peace of Christ by emulating Jesus’ examples and teachings of non-violence and charity found in the Gospels. Major causes of violence are social injustices, such as poverty, hunger, racism, pollution of our planet, etc. We seek to relieve these injustices with nonviolent solutions.

How do you put the mission into action? 

Pax Christi Little Rock provides backpacks filled with school supplies to all children in various schools in central Arkansas. We also organize and conduct the annual Pilgrimage for Peace during the spring to honor those who have died at the hands of violence in central Arkansas. We also supply a pantry of food staples and fresh food to those who are being homed by Jericho Way and Our House. We also conduct a Speaker Series on the third Thursday evening of each month where a local non-profit presents their mission.

How did you get involved in Pax Christi? 

In 2016, Dr. Sherry Simon invited me to be a founding member of a new Little Rock chapter. At the time, I was sick with worry and disgust over the horrible violence in our country toward Black lives and law enforcement officers. I was also fed up with the horrible political campaign mudslinging and name-calling. I am a work in progress, but I have been able to replace most of my worry about injustice in our world with the knowledge that none of us are responsible to make a difference alone. We are to do what we can when we can, and Christ will do the rest.

Why would you recommend Pax Christi to other Catholics? 

Working with the incredibly kind and loving people that make up Pax Christi has deepened my faith and brought about inner peace and love for others that I didn’t know could exist. We have space for all levels of participation and many opportunities to contribute a little time to a variety of projects. We have found that it is in the process of working on these projects that we find Christ always in the middle of us.

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