(2/23) On Tuesday, March 13, international peace worker and scholar Arthur Romano will present "The Personal Challenge of Peacemaking" at Mount St. Mary’s University. The event will be held in the Marion Burk Knott Auditorium on the main campus at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

At the early age of 21, Romano dedicated his life to peace-related events and campaigns in the United States and other parts of the world. He will focus his presentation on his own journey, offering insight and encouragement to those who share his interest in making a difference in the world through peacemaking.

In 1999 Romano founded Youth for Peace, an Internet-based program that provides opportunities for young people throughout the world to share inspiration and information related to their own community projects. In the days following the violence of Sept. 11, he joined with a group of concerned citizens to counteract the narrowing national debate and increasing calls for retaliatory measures in response to those attacks. The World Peace Walk resulted, with members walking more than 300 miles from the former site of the World Trade Towers to the Pentagon, meeting with people along the way and providing space for communities to grieve and explore the possibilities for nonviolent responses to these acts of hatred.

Romano is currently a World Peace Scholar in England. He holds degrees in philosophy, political science and conflict resolution.

The presentation is one of four evening keynote addresses of the third annual Callings Conference, held at Mount St. Mary’s University March 12-16. At this year’s conference, "Bearers of Hope & Healing," attendees and presenters will explore global, societal, spiritual and physical healing as they discuss the question, "How does faith call us to bring hope and healing to the world?"

Global healing is the focus for a full day of events on March 13. In addition to Romano, speakers that day include Imam Yahya Hendi, one of the Muslim religious leaders who met with the President of the United States in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy; Irene Cuyun of La Raza, the largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States; and Tarek Abuata, a Palestinian American Christian who will reflect on his experience in the Middle East.

Mount St. Mary’s University, founded in 1808, is the oldest independent Catholic university in the nation. Together, its main campus in Emmitsburg, Md., and its Continuing Studies Center in Frederick, Md., provide undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 1,800 students. It is consistently ranked among the "Best Master’s Universities" in U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings.

For conference details and registration, visit www.msmary.edu/callings or call 301-447-5368. No registration is needed for evening keynote presentations.