Organizational History

EPIC was founded in 1977 by Father Thomas Cowley, O.P. A native of Leichester, England, Fr. Cowley first was ordained in the Church of England. In 1948 he was received into the Roman Catholic Communion. After teaching in British schools he resumed his studies at the Sorbonne in Paris; professed becoming a member of the Dominican Order in France in 1952; and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1957.

In 1977, after receiving permission to do so from Rome, Fr. Cowley founded the Ecumenical Project for International Cooperation, Inc. and registered it as a not-for -profit, tax exempt, corporation in the State of New York. His vision was that EPIC would serve as a group composed of Christians of all denominations whose interests were focused in the areas of peace and disarmament, justice, human rights, development, and the environment. EPIC would do research on the work already being done in these areas and would evaluate how EPIC could be effective in furthering the Christian goals arising from concerns in the cited areas. EPIC would seek to bring about coordinated efforts by Christian groups, would disseminate the doctrines relating to peace and justice of the various Christian churches, and would work to encourage Christian action in areas that would provide for international cooperation. Cowley envisaged that small local groups, under the direction and support of the national EPIC leadership, would undertake these projects of research and action in their own locales. He began this monumental undertaking in the southeastern United States.

In 1994 EPIC's By-Laws were revised to expand the organization's work to become international in scope. In that same revision EPIC membership became interfaith by stating that "EPIC is a Christian organization with values rooted in the ministry of Jesus Christ. The organization invites people of all faiths who share the Christian vision and values to be members of EPIC."