NEW
YORK , USA
(2004
World Peace Prayer Society Report)
Brooklyn - On September 26, 2004,
The Church of Gethsemane in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY, hosted their Second
Annual International Peace Day Interfaith Celebration. Six faiths were
represented (Hindu, Islam, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, and Humanist),
and nine local religious communities (Hindu Kirtan chanting group led
by Sistashree, Kolot Chayeinu: Voices of our Lives (a progressive Jewish
congregation), Rabbi Ellen Lippmann,
The Church of Gethsemane (a Presbyterian congregation
founded by prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families), Rev. Liz
Alexander, Pastor and Minister Chibueze Okorie, The Community of Mindfulness:
The Energy Center Sangha, Dennis Bohn, The Park Slope United Methodist
Church, Rev. Herb Miller, The Imam of a Mosque in Brooklyn, Debbie
Almontaser, Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, Lisel Burns, Leader,
All Souls Bethlehem Church, Rev. Tom Reiber-Martinez. A total of 120
people were present.
Some
of the other participants in the interfaith worship service and peace
pole dedication included: Rafael Mutis, Coordinatior for the Seven
Neighborhood Action Project, JusticeWorks Community, Pam McAllister,
Director of Music for The Church of Gethsemane and Park Slope United
Methodist Church, Perry Dell of The Brooklyn Ethical Society, Martha
Gallahue, NGO for the National Service Conference of the American
Ethical Union, and members and children of the above faith communities.
The
event began with an organ prelude by Pam McAllister and then Kirtan
chanting led by Sisrashree with accompaniment. Members and children
of The Park Slope United Methodist Church and The Brooklyn Ethical
Society met in Prospect Park and marched to Gethsemane together carrying
peace signs and banners. The procession was led by a white dove waving
on a long pole. These two congregations entered the church during
the Kirtan chanting and surrounded the sanctuary.
After
some words of welcome by Rev. Liz Alexander, Pastor of The Church
of Gethsemane, led everyone in a Litany for Peace. The service included
prayers, songs, sacred texts, and reflections on peacemaking by all
the congregations. Mr. Chibueze Okorie of The Church of Gethsemane
led a prayer for those on death row following Prayers for the People.
During
the final song, everyone processed out the front door and into the
garden to dedicate the World Prayer Society's Peace Pole that had
been planted in the church garden. We began the dedication with a Buddhist walking
meditation. Martha Gallahue read a letter from Deborah Moldow, Director
of the World Prayer Society, and gave a short background about the
Peace Pole Project. Then everyone prayed the words "May Peace
Prevail on Earth" together in the languages of those present.
The 8 languages on the Peace Pole were selected by members of Gethsemane
and reflect the congregation and the Park Slope neighborhood. They
are: Ibo (Chibueze Okorie's Nigerian language), Italian (reflective
of the old times in our neighborhood), Chinese, Hebrew, English, Spanish,
Arabic, and Hindi. If we had
more room we would have added Japanese, Russian, Korean, and another
South East Asian language for our friends from Pakistan. We closed
with a song led by members of The Community of Mindfulness.
Light
refreshments were served in the garden following the dedication. There
was a wonderful community spirit and spiritual connectedness among
everyone present. It was truly a day to remember.
Many
of our neighbors who pass the Peace Pole in our garden stop to thank
us for "planting" it. It is a reminder to all who pass by
that it is up to us to bring peace on earth.
Rev. Liz Alexander, Pastor
The Church of Gethsemane
Sept.
19–International Day of Peace Vigil,
Central
Park, New York City
An
International Day of Peace Vigil was held in New York City’s Central
Park Band Shell on Sunday 19 September 2004. Hundreds of people of
all ages gathered to put forth their positive messages and prayers
for peace to mark the International Day of Peace. The morning opened
with a Native American invocation and followed with a sacred water
blessing and vibrational music from crystal bowl tones. Music for
peace was performed by artists representing many cultural traditions
from around the world. Children presented art for peace projects and
prayers for peace were put forth from a variety of religious traditions.
The afternoon closed with a World Peace Prayer Ceremony with the flags
of all nations. Participants formed a circle with the flags and set
forth their positive prayers for peace for the people and land of
each country as its flag was presented. Concluding the flag ceremony,
Gemma sang her song “We Rise,” dedicated to the International Day
of Peace. The event was sponsored by the United Nations Staff Recreational
Council (U.N.S.R.C.) Feng Shui Group and the World Peace Prayer Society.
May Peace Prevail on Earth!
Nickolai
Parker
WPPS UN Representative
The
World Trade Center Site
Dr.
Jane Goodall joined with members of her worldwide organization, Roots
and Shoots, by flying Giant Peace Doves on September 21 to mark
the International Day of Peace in New York City at Ground Zero.
As a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations, she joined Secretary-General
Kofi Annan when he rang the Peace Bell at the United Nations to begin
the commemoration for the International Day of Peace. That
afternoon, Monica Willard, United Religions Initiative UN NGO Representative,
made arrangements for Jane to meet with Fr. Lyndon Harris, the Executive
Director of The Sacred City Project. As the former Vicar at
St. Paul's Episcopal Church across the street from the site of the
World Trade Center, Fr. Harris began and directed the nine
month, 24 hour a day relief operation that offered food and comfort for all
of the rescue workers at Ground Zero. His Sacred City Project now
connects faith communities to the rebuilding effort for lower
Manhattan.
Fr. Harris led
a small group holding the Peace Doves as we walked and prayed at Ground
Zero by the Peace Pole there. We remembered those who died at
this site and those who die and are injured by violence everywhere.
Together we recognized the International Day of Peace Resolution that
calls for ceasefire and nonviolence as we called for peace, justice
and healing in our hearts, our nation and the world.
We
walked to St. Paul's where Jane Goodall concluded the observance
by ringing their Bell of Hope. The group included Captain
Scott Shields and his rescue dog, Theodore; Deborah Moldow, Nickolai
Parker and Angelica Cubides from the World Peace Prayer Society;
students from the Hewlett School; and members from the Wisconsin-based
Course in Miracles. The four from St. John's Episcopal Church
in Cold Spring Harbor brought their giant Peace Dove via the
Long Island Railroad and subway to be part of the observance.
Monica
Willard, UN Representative
The United Religions Initiative
WPPS Peace Representative
September
21st: Our Voices, Our World
We,
The World coordinated 11
Days of Global Unity, a convergence of local
and global consciousness-raising events that took place in over 100 cities around the world from Sept. 11-21, 2004. 11 Days Honorary Co-Chairs
included Jane Goodall, Deepak
Chopra, Irene Khan (Secretary General, Amnesty International), Marianne Williamson, Hazel Henderson, Ervin Laszlo, Barbara Marx Hubbard,
Robert Thurman, Riane Eisler and others. We are working with Amnesty International, the Jane Goodall Institute's
Roots & Shoots Youth Program, Dennis Kucinich's Department of
Peace Initiative, the Earth
Charter Initiative and many other partner organizations.
11 Days consisted of festivals, concerts,
broadcasts, coordinated civic actions, voter registration, and other
activities designed to maximize public awareness of the challenges
humanity faces, and to celebrate and facilitate involvement in the
solutions. This was the first in an ongoing series of global
gatherings that inspire, inform and involve increasingly large numbers
of people in creating a world that works for all!
The culminating
event in New York was a colorful gathering at Avalon on September
21st, featuring music and inspiring speakers. An extraordinary array
of speakers, performers and exhibitors combined to produce an evening
of inspiration, information and action! Marianne Williamson brought down the house with her riveting talk
about the Dept. of Peace and integrating spirit and activism. Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE touched people's hearts and her whole team was there from DC and
other places (including a rescue dog) unfurling 4 Giant Peace Doves
that moved through the audience. Gemma
and her spectacular "Million
Voice Choir" sang We
Rise as the climax of a "wave" of choir voices singing
through each time zone across 80 countries! Adotei
Akwei with Amnesty International,
other initiatives and the many exhibitors provided ways the public
could get immediately involved. Exceptional performances were interspersed
between speakers to create an evening that was inspiring on many levels.
A World Peace Flag Ceremony closed the event, which was webcast live.
Rick
Ulfik, Founder,
We, The World
Franciscans celebrate International Day of Peace in New York and
around the world
Sep. 24, 2004
NEW
YORK — As part of an international observance to celebrate peace,
Franciscans International (FI) invited a prominent peacemaker to share
her vision of peace with New York area Franciscans.
Kathie
Uhler, OSF, former director of FI and a current member of Christian
Peacemaker Teams (CPT), spoke on the International Day of Peace (IDP),
21 September, to share her experiences as a nonviolent observer in
the ancient city of Hebron on the West Bank in Israel. CPT members
travel to conflict areas of the world, including Colombia
and Iraq to help civilians
negotiate peace.
Sr.
Kathie has been traveling to Hebron for seven years as a member of
CPT, where is involved in non-violent conflict resolution in potentially
violent interactions between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian civilians.
Despite
witnessing numerous violations of the Geneva Conventions and international
law, Sr. Kathie remains optimistic about the prospects of peace in
Israel. Palestinians have been subjected to "collective punishment"
in the form of roadblocks, arbitrary detention and regular dehumanising
treatment, but Sr. Kathie believes that "getting in the way"
will lead to a peaceful conclusion in the Middle East. Sharing her
first-hand experiences and knowledge gave the NY IDP participants
a new respect for civilians caught in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
"After
listening to Kathie, not only did I feel more compassionate towards
the Palestinians, whose stories were made so real to us, but I felt
like doing something about it," commented Maria Karapetyan, FI
intern, from the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Numerous
other Franciscan groups celebrated the International Day of Peace,
including at least eleven communities in North and South America.
In Bolivia, 1200 school children offered "peaceful future"
pictures to a community gathering.
In
the United States, Franciscans prayed around newly planted Peace Poles
and held 24 hour vigils.
Additionally,
FI's Geneva office participated in an ecumenical prayer service held
at the World Council of Churches.
Story from
Franciscans International: http://www.franciscansinternational.org/news
2004
World Peace Prayer Society Compilation
PICTORAL
ARCHIVE OF PREVIOUS PEACE DAY EVENTS
May
Peace Prevail
On Earth
