Forest, Jim (James H.)
Biographical note
Peace advocate and author James H. "Jim" Forest was born in 1941. He left the Navy in 1961 as a conscientious objector, and became involved with Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker community, working as managing editor of the Catholic Worker newspaper. Day encouraged Forest to write to Thomas Merton, and that correspondence established a friendship. In the mid-1960s, Forest founded the Catholic Peace Fellowship alongside Daniel Berrigan, SJ, and later he worked for the Fellowship of Reconciliation, becoming General Secretary of the international organization in 1977. It was through this work that Forest became acquainted with Vietnamese Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh. In 1988, Forest and his wife, Nancy, joined the Russian Orthodox Church, and he eventually founded the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. Throughout his career, Forest wrote about pacifism and important figures in the peace movement, including Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Daniel Berrigan, and Thích Nhất Hạnh, all of whom he knew personally. Jim Forest died on January 13, 2022 in Alkmaar, the Netherlands.
Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Identifier
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Jim Forest papers
Materials collected and created by twentieth century peace activist and author Jim Forest for his biographies of Trappist monk Thomas Merton, including correspondence, manuscripts, and photographs.
Collection is open for research.