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School Sisters of Notre Dame joined millions of people the
world over to observe a day of peace and nonviolence on September
21.
In 1981,
the United Nations established an International Day of Peace
to be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals
of peace both within and among all nations and peoples. In
2001,
the U.N. General Assembly (A/RES/55/282) designated September
21 the International Day of Peace.
In observation of the day, the United Nations Secretary-General
rang the peace bell at the United Nations, a global minute of silence
was taken at Noon local time, governmental leaders issued peace
proclamations worldwide and citizens planted Peace Poles in their
communities. If you
were able to do something to mark the day, please let us know.
Send us an email at ssndunngo@earthlink.net.
To continue the celebration of the International Day of Peace,
you might:
• Visit the official web site of the United Nations International
Day of Peace, www.un.org/events/peaceday.
The site is published in the six official languages of the
UN
including English and Spanish.
• Visit the International
Day of Peace Vigil web site, www.idpvigil.com,
published in German, English, Italian and Japanese, where participants
registered their commitment to participate in a spiritual
observance on Sept. 21.
• Ask your municipality to formally declare its observance
of the day in the future and to sign a Peace Proclamation, www.internationaldayofpeace.org/proclamations.htm.
• Encourage teachers, campus ministers and youth group
leaders to explore the ideas of peace and nonviolence. Discuss
peace makers’ lives and actions, and end with a prayer for
courage and a commitment to live lives of non-violence and peace.
The UN CyberSchool Bus, www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/index.html,
is a good resource and is published in the six official languages
of the UN including English and Spanish.
• Learn more about the International Decade for a Culture
of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010)
and how you might become involved. The site, www3.unesco.org/iycp/default.htm,
is published in the six official languages of the UN including
English and Spanish.
• Plant a Peace Pole, www.worldpeace.org/peacepoles.html.
More Web Resources:
• The web site of the Center of Concern, www.coc.org,
offers many good resources on education for justice; food security;
women’s rights; human rights; corporate accountability;
racial justice; Bretton Woods institutions; and excellent essays
on the social justice values of the world’s major religions.
• The Hague Appeal for Peace, www.haguepeace.org,
is an international coalition of individuals and organizations
dedicated to sowing the seeds of peace through advocacy and peace
education. Their web site offers resources for teaching about
nonviolence and peace as well as links to other peace education
materials.
• The Office of the Special Representative on Children
and Armed Conflict, www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/English/index.html,
seeks to draw international attention to the horrendous plight
of children affected by armed conflict. Visit the Youth Zone of
their web site, www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict/YouthZone/TheYouthZone.html,
to learn more about how young people are affected by war. Use
the resources at Global Peace Schools Program to help young people
learn about what is happening to their peers trapped by war.
• The Vatican has created a wonderful section on their
web site that is dedicated to peace. Peace on Earth includes prayers,
statements and resources for peace from the Catechism. The Vatican
web site, www.vatican.va/holy_father/special_features/peace/prayer-peace_index.html,
is available in multiple languages, including English.
• The World Council of Churches has developed a web site
for their program, Decade to Overcome Violence 2001-2010. Published
in English, German and Spanish, you can search the site, www.overcomingviolence.org,
for information about this global movement of reconciliation and
peacemaking and news and resources from churches and organizations
around.
• The World Peace Prayer Society, www.worldpeace.org/page2.html,
offers a wealth of materials in German, English and Spanish in
support of peace. Read or listen to the simple prayer for peace,
May Peace Prevail on Earth, in 83 of the world’s languages
and learn about their Peace Pals program for young people.
Pray for Peace:
May Christ inflame the desires of all people to break through the
barriers which divide them, to strengthen the bonds of mutual love,
to learn to understand one another and to pardon those who have
done them wrong. Through his power and inspiration, may all peoples
welcome each other into their hearts as brothers and sisters, and
may the peace they long for ever flower and ever reign among them.
Amen!
Pope John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, #171
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