‘The habit is my witness:’ Friar advocates for nuclear disarmament

As a young friar following the end of the Vietnam War, Br. Mark Schroeder, OFM, was drawn to working on justice and peace issues. He found the opportunity through the Nevada Desert Experience, established by the Franciscans in 1982 to stop modern weapons development through prayer, education, dialogue and nonviolent direct action. 

Since then, thousands of people have participated in retreats and conferences geared toward learning about the issues of nuclear testing and have gathered for vigils, religious services and nonviolent civil disobedience. The organization “seeks to honor all of God’s creation and the beloved community as we bear witness to 80 years of nuclear destruction,” according to its website. 

“When I was a young friar, every day during Lent, we would gather at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. Part of being a friar for me has been to promote non-violence. Nuclear weapons are a threat to humankind and all creation,” explained Br. Mark, guardian of a friary in Danville, California.  

Br. Mark’s current involvement includes participating in NDE’s Sacred Peace Walk, which takes place annually during Holy Week. After orientation and non-violence training, the interfaith journey begins on Palm Sunday, taking participants on a 60-mile trek from Las Vegas to the Nevada National Security Site (formerly the Nevada Nuclear Test Site) to draw attention to the nuclear violence and drone terrorism that threaten the planet.  

The site is on traditional lands taken from the Western Shoshone and Paiute peoples. According to NDE, “nearly 1,000 atomic bombs were detonated above and below this desert from 1951 to 1992, and today subcritical testing of America’s nuclear stockpile and the development of new, more powerful nuclear bombs continues in the desert.”  

A meaningful journey 

The 2025 walk began at the Atomic National Testing Museum in Las Vegas and continued 40 miles to Creech Air Force Base, which serves as a command-and-control center for remotely piloted aircraft systems.  

“We gather at the gate, and car after car people arrive to work, they bomb, then they go home. That’s the reality,” Br. Mark said. “Every time you hear about the United States bombing somewhere in the world, it’s coming out of Nevada.”  

The journey continued through the Mojave Desert, ending on Good Friday with a Stations of the Cross procession from the historic Nevada Peace Camp to the gates of the test site. 

It is a deeply meaningful and spiritual experience for Br. Mark, who said, “It makes sense to celebrate Holy Week in God’s creation where violence is perpetuated. We are advocating for the end of drones and the amassing of nuclear weapons, as well as for solutions to conflict that are nonviolent.”  

Many participants hold signs bearing messages such as “Fly a kite, not a drone,” and “Honk for peace.”  

“I don’t carry a sign,” said Br. Mark, who also has a background in parish ministry, has worked with farmworkers and the homeless, and served as a volunteer police chaplain. “The habit is my witness.”  

A 2022 pastoral letter by Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, titled “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace,” offers a Catholic perspective on nuclear disarmament, stating in part: “We need to start talking about it with one another, all of us, and figure out concrete steps toward abolishing nuclear weapons and ending the nuclear threat. If we care about humanity, if we care about our planet, if we care about the God of peace and human conscience, then we must start a public conversation on these urgent questions and find a new path toward nuclear disarmament.”  

Those interested in participating in the Sacred Peace Walk next year may email Br. Mark at mschroeder@friars.us. Visit Nevada Desert Experience for additional information.