...................... Transforming hearts and building bridges for peace between people, nations and religions. ......................

Hearts for Peace ..............

Hearts for Peace is a US non-profit organization with the inspired mission to transform hearts and build bridges for Peace between nations, religions and people. Hearts for Peace was born from the inspiration of Fr. Adrian Santarelli, founder of Comunidad Belén (http://www.comunidadbelen.org), a Catholic community of faith with an ecumenical, interreligious calling that coordinates educational, social and spiritual support programs in Argentina.
Our mission is to rekindle our much-needed spiritual dimension, essential as we tackle the fundamental challenges faced by all of us as inhabitants of our common home, while helping to develop Peace-building skills through structured programs that educate, promote fraternal dialogue and interreligious prayer and mobilize participants to become Agents for Peace.
Hearts for Peace adapts and expands Comunidad Belen’s curricula from its Diplomatura de Paz (Peace Diploma) to fit the needs of organizations with whom we cooperate. We seek organizations and events that would benefit from these contents, as well as partners and funding to further develop and distribute them internationally to audiences like youth programs, universities, public administrations and corporations.

Mission & Objectives..............

Helping Hands The world is full of conflict and suffering; our mission is to help our brothers and sisters become Agents of Peace. The path to a just and lasting Peace requires education, fraternal dialogue, healing, renewed alliances and a profound change of heart. Without this essential transformation, the necessary political, economic or scientific solutions cannot be truly implemented or have a chance at succeeding.
Helping Hands By way of its curricula and methodology, Hearts for Peace helps develop a conscience for Peace and prepare individuals as Agents of Peace. Personal testimony, effective group exercises and prayer generate reflection, empathy and dialogue that invites participants to unify efforts and commit to restorative actions.

Spirituality..............

Fr. Adrian has a special, enlightened calling to work for an Alliance for Peace with members of different faiths and cultures. For this mission, he received the blessing of His Holiness Pope Francis. The Alliance for Peace is a call to humanity to live in peace in our hearts, in our communities and on our planet.

It summons all to pray for peace, educate in transformation for Peace and act for the Peace and salvation of our common home. Hearts for Peace seeks to motivate a profound transformation, a change of hearts and habits across faiths and cultures.

So while the Hearts for Peace content necessarily has a strong educational objective and a call to action, significant focus is on our conscience and common values. We believe in a unique creative Force, a common origin. We seek to restore the blessing of that unity, as brothers from one Creator.

What we do..............

Hearts for Peace is a non-profit organization that transforms hearts and promotes interreligious dialogue, prayer and world peace. It assists in the development of courses and content that help prepare Agents of Peace. These courses are designed to share the Hearts for Peace spirituality that calls for unity of origin and for caring for our common home; to help participants develop peace-building tools and skills through dialogue, empathy and leadership; and to inspire participants to proactively engage in activities that aim to repair suffering around the world.
Hearts for Peace is helping to build an Interreligious Dialogue Center to organize conferences, produce academic research, invite personal witnesses and common prayer sessions, and establish relations with other peace centers around the globe. From the perspective of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, this center seeks to address essential freedoms and values including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, freedom of the press, inclusion, and others.
Within this same foundation, Hearts for Peace is assisting an educational platform with courses that have been delivered at universities in Argentina over the past 4 years. The curricula and methodology of these courses, currently called Peace Diploma, helps participants develop a conscience for Peace and prepares them as Agents of Peace.
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Educational Platform and Content

Hearts for Peace educational content falls under three main themes:

Theory &
spirituality

Peace as a continuous process. Defending human life and dignity. Foundations of Peace in truth, justice, liberty, respect, tolerance, solidarity and love. Inspirational philosophers, holy scriptures and peace-makers and everyday Agents for Peace. Unity of origin and calling.

Peace-building tools and skills

Communicating for Peace – a culture of dialogue, the value of one’s word, social media, new technologies and communication platforms. Training in negotiation, compromise, forgiveness and empathy seeking personal and societal healing and transformation. Art, music and creativity for Peace. Leadership for Peace, inspirational case studies.

Global conflicts and challenges for Peace

A broad array of conflicts and global challenges including Migrant Crises, Access to Food, Access to Health, Access to Education, Poverty, Global Warming, Sustainable Development, Ecological Integrity, Armed Conflicts, Religious oppression, and others. Motivate a personal commitment and call to action.

These contents can be prepared for different audiences including, for example, youth programs, university, corporate, social and public service staff and can be adapted to different tech platforms and pedagogical formats like short videos, expert panel discussions, half and full-day workshops, full university courses or websites with exercises and more.

All formats include a balanced factual overview, a diversity of perspectives, personal testimonials, intercultural and interreligious perspectives, practical exercises or role playing, a call to action and a moment of reflection and common prayer to align hearts and minds.
These contents are designed to enable participants to reflect on key global issues and how their own lives and actions - as Agents for Peace - can have a positive impact on the world around them. The curriculum stimulates introspection and includes unifying exercises, including prayer. Coursework reflects on the concept of peace, the state of our planet and human relations and the need for responsible change. Our faculty and material draw from international scientists, statesmen as well as professors of World History, Theology and Philosophy from a variety of traditions.

Who we are..............

We are a not-for-profit organization with a calling to live in peace in our hearts, in our communities and on our planet. We feel the vocation to pray for Peace, educate for Peace and act for the Peace and salvation of our common home. We seek to motivate a profound interior transformation, a change of our own hearts, as well as a change in the way we see other religions and nations.

So while we continuously focus on our conscience and common values, we are driven by the necessity of generating compassionate actions and the creation of educational activities, for a transformation towards an Earth fraternity.

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Father Adrian Santarelli

Fr. Adrian Santarelli was ordained in 1982 and served as Diocesan Priest in several parishes in greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. He had an early calling for missionary work and was coordinator of missionaries in Argentina for a number of years, later opened and led a new missionary center in Cuba for 10 years, during which time he earned a Degree in Missiology from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome.

He then returned to Argentina and in addition to his duties as a parish priest in Buenos Aires, he worked with the Argentine National Pontifical Missions Society. During this period, he established Comunidad Belen, an association of faithful laymen and laywomen with an ecumenical, missionary spirit committed to spiritual development, Peace and understanding among all religions (http://www.comunidadbelen.org ). In the USA, he supported the establishment of Hearts for Peace to broaden the reach of his mission.

Today, Fr. Adrian serves a large community of loyal parishioners in Santo Tomas Moro, a church just outside the city of Buenos Aires. The many activities organized by the parish, its working groups, retreats and pilgrimages, attract a large number of followers of all ages and are a testament to Father Adrian’s tireless energy and dedication.
Every Friday after mass, Fr. Santarelli gives a ceremony for healing with the imposition of hands, a central vocation throughout his life. It is in this context that Fr. Adrian received a special, enlightened calling to work for an alliance for peace with members of different faiths and cultures. For this mission, he received the blessing of His Holiness Pope Francis.

Fr. Santarelli is author of several books, including “El descanso en el Espíritu”, “GO - cómo formar Grupos de Oración”, “La Imposición de manos en la Sanación” and “Jardines de Amor Fecundo”.