title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING FATHER CHARLES DAHM OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CHICAGO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OUTREACH MISSION
WHEREAS, Father Charles Dahm grew up in suburban Elmhurst as a devout Catholic who was often the one to encourage his family to go to mass during the week; and
WHEREAS, even as a child Father Charles Dahm was known as an organizer among his friends; and
WHEREAS, Father Charles Dahm was a 1955 graduate of Fenwick High School, a Dominican College Preparatory School in Oak Park, Illinois and was ordained as a Dominican Priest in 1964; and
WHEREAS, Father Charles Dahm spent his early years as a Dominican Priest working with university students in Cochabamba and La Paz; and
WHEREAS, to better analyze and understand systems of oppression and power, Father Charles Dahm enrolled in a political science program at the University of Wisconsin Madison and began work towards his doctorate; and
WHEREAS, Father Charles Dahm arrived in Chicago as a young priest in the summer of 1973; and
WHEREAS, that same year Father Charles Dahm was elected to be the promoter of justice and peace for his Dominican province, which led to founding of the 8th Day Center for Justice; and
WHEREAS, the 8th Day Center for Justice was named after St. Augustine's belief that humanity is in the "everlasting eighth day" of creation and is still active to this day as a critical voice to oppressive systems; and
WHEREAS, Father Charles Dahm has long believed issues of social justice should not be on the sidelined, but instead should be at the center of church life; and
WHEREAS, Father Charles Dahm became a regional point person for the national sanctuary movement, helping thousands of Central American refugees flee violence in Guatemala and El Salvador; and
WHEREAS, Father Charles Dahm co-founded the Chicago Religious Task Force on Central America, which went on organize 423 sanctuary hubs across the United States; and
WHEREAS, Father Charles Dahm moved to Pilsen and became p...
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