Belfast peacemaker Gary Mason to speak

The Rev. Dr. Gary Mason

The Rev. Dr. Gary Mason, the director of a conflict transformation organization in Northern Ireland where he has played a key role in the peace process, will visit Pawleys Island and Charleston this month for three speaking engagements March 20, 21 and 24.

At each event, Dr. Mason will share learnings and engage in conversations about racial awareness and reconciliation, as well as reconciliation among Christian groups. Dr. Mason, who is aware of the Racial Awareness Day held February 28 in our diocese, will be available to stay after each of his appearances to answer questions and engage in dialogue. 

All are welcome to attend each of these events:

Wednesday, March 20
In Pawleys Island, Dr. Mason will speak at 10 am in the Waccamaw Library, 41 St. Paul Place. Please register by email to [email protected].

Thursday, March 21
In Charleston, Dr. Mason will speak at 12:30 pm at Grace Church Cathedral's Third Thursday luncheon. Please contact Bunny Martin at 843-723-4575 or [email protected] to reserve a spot. The cost of the lunch is $10.  

Sunday, March 24
Dr. Mason will lead the 10 am Adult Education program at St. Stephen's, Charleston, and will be the preacher at the 11 am service. 

Dr. Mason, a Methodist minister who spent 27 years in parish ministry in Belfast, has an intense story to tell. He played a key role in the Northern Irish peace process. He was a leader in establishing Skainos in Belfast, an urban center built in a post-conflict society as a model of co-existence. His work facilitating negotiations among Protestant ex-combatants, paramilitaries, and government officials was formally recognized by the Queen in 2007.

Dr. Mason directs a conflict transformation organization based in Belfast called "Rethinking Conflict." In 2009, his church was the stage from which Loyalist paramilitaries announced their weapons decommissioning. 

Dr. Mason has lectured in political and academic forums throughout Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, and the United States on lessons from the Irish peace process. He has been interviewed on CNN, BBC, ITV and various radio programs. He holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Ulster, completed his theological studies at Queens University, and earned a Bachelor’s in Business Studies from the University of Ulster. He also holds an honorary doctorate from Florida Southern College for his role in peace building in Ireland.
 
He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Kennedy Institute for Conflict Intervention at Maynooth University in Ireland. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, lecturing on reconciliation, peace building, the history of the Northern Ireland conflict, racism, sectarianism, and conflict transformation.

Dr. Mason also is a faculty advisor and partner to the Negotiation Strategies Institute, a Harvard University program on negotiation.  

Read an Episcopal News Service report about Dr. Mason's visit to the Carolinas.

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